SEISMIC VELOCITY STUDY OF SYNTHETIC CORES

The velocity of a longitudinal elastic wave through rock at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure depends upon the nature of the rock frame, the porosity of the rock, and the nature of the pore‐filling fluid. In the present investigation longitudinal elastic wave velocities were measured for sixty synthetic cores. The rock frame consisted of sorted quartz sand grains and cement, the percentage of cement varying from ten to fifty percent. The core porosities varied from 8.8 percent to 22 percent. The velocities were measured for dry air‐filled cores and for cores saturated with various liquids. These pore‐filling liquids were distilled water, ethyl alcohol, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, and chloroform. The measured velocities ranged from 2,360 feet per second to 14,710 feet per second. The wave velocity in liquid‐filled cores of 10 percent porosity was approximately twice the velocity for cores of 20 percent porosity, the same type of cement being used in both instances. For any given core, flooded with fluids of wave velocities ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 feet per second, the maximum observed variation in core velocity was around 20 percent. The experimental data fitted the empirical linear equation [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] of longitudinal elastic waves passing through the flooded core; [Formula: see text] of longitudinal elastic waves in passing through the saturating fluid. The constant k depends upon the porosity of the rock and the type of cement used. The constant, C, depends upon the nature of the rock frame.