Integrated Hydraulic Fracture Geometry Evaluation Based on Pre-Cambrian Tight Silicylate Reservoir in South Oman Salt Basin

Pre-Cambrian South Oman tight silicilyte reservoirs are very challenging for the development due to poor permeability less than 0.1 mD and laminated texture. Successful hydraulic fracturing is a key for the long commercial production. One of the main parameter for frac planning and optimization is fracture geometry. The objective of this study was summarizing results comparison from different logging methods and recommended best practices for logging program targeting fracture geometry evaluation. The novel method in the region for hydraulic fracture height and orientation evaluation is cross-dipole cased hole acoustic logging. The method allows to evaluate fracture geometry based on the acoustic anisotropy changes after frac operations in the near wellbore area. The memory sonic log combined with the Gyro was acquired before and after frac operations in the cased hole. The acoustic data was compared with Spectral Noise log, Chemical and Radioactive tracers, Production Logging and pre-frac model. Extensive logging program allow to complete integrated evaluation, define methods limitations and advantages, summarize best practices and optimum logging program for the future wells. The challenges in combining memory cross-dipole sonic log and gyro in cased hole were effectively resolved. The acoustic anisotropy analysis successfully confirms stresses and predominant hydraulic fractures orientation. Fracture height was confirmed based on results from different logging methods. Tracers are well known method for the fracture height evaluation after hydraulic frac operations. The Spectral Noise log is perfect tool to evaluate hydraulically active fracture height in the near wellbore area. The combination of cased hole acoustic and noise logging methods is a powerful complex for hydraulic fracture geometry evaluation. The main limitations and challenges for sonic log are cement bond quality and hole conditions after frac operations. Noise log has limited depth of investigation. However, in combination with production and temperature logging provides reliable fit for purpose capabilities. The abilities of sonic anisotropy analysis for fracture height and hydraulic fracture orientation were confirmed. The optimum logging program for fracture geometry evaluation was defined and recommended for replication in projects were fracture geometry evaluation is required for hydraulic fracturing optimization.

Petroelastic Model PEM for a Highly Heterogeneous Cretaceous Reservoir in Middle East

The objective of this project is to simulate elastic logs (sonic P, sonic S and density) through a Petroelastic Model (PEM) for a complex lithology reservoir in the Middle East, that later will be used as input for a new 4D seismic feasibility study. A log conditioning (despike, depth shift, hydrocarbon correction and normalization) and comprehensive petrophysical analysis was first performed, to obtain lithology volumetric, porosity and saturation, that later were used as input for the PEM. Some wells with recorded P and S sonic log were used to conduct different cross plots of elastic properties (e.g. Vp/Vs vs. Acoustic Impedance) in order to understand how lithology, porosity and saturation affect the elastic parameters of the reservoir. After understanding and assessing the elastic behavior with the reservoir properties, three approaches to construct a PEM were tested on this reservoir. The first approach used to construct PEM applying Hashin Shtrikman (H-S) mixt, considering the solid part as a mixture of dolomite and limestone and pore space filled with a mix of oil and water. This model is limited because assumes a homogenous geometry of the pores. To address the pore geometry a Kuster Toksoz (K-T) approach was subsequently tested but the challenge was that there was no clear organization of the aspect ratio (either by lithofacies or petrophysical groups) so the original logs were used to control of the aspect ratio trough a fit function. The third approach was to use a function that models the incompressibility model of the frame (Kdry) with porosity. The result of H-S was a good agreement in the low porosity areas but in the porous intervals, it is observed that the velocities were quite high due the effect of the pore geometry that was not properly assessed by H-S. Despite reasonable reconstructions, K-T was limited by the impossibility to apply it to the wells without sonic P and S (uncalibrated aspect ratio) or a fortiori to a 3D grid. For the Kdry vs. Porosity function the result was very successful since the function is not dependent on the pore geometry, and addresses the ratio issue between solid and pore space. Then with the help of the Gassman Equation, the final Incompressibility Mix Module (Kmix) was calculated and a reconstructed sonic P and S were available for all the wells. The PEM was coded in order to deploy over a 3D property model hence a volumetric elastic model was available to assess the feasibility for new seismic acquisition.

Importance of Velocity Deviation Technique and Negative Secondary Porosity in Detection of Hydrocarbon Zones in Khasib Formation, East Baghdad Oil Field

The velocity deviation technique is one of the important techniques in hydrocarbon investigations, through which it is possible to identify the types and the content of rock pores. The current study aimed to demonstrate the benefit of this technique in discovering the oil sites of the Khasib formation in the East Baghdad oil field, as well as the possibility of separating the oil and gas zones by combining the velocity deviation technique with the anomalous primary porosity information that leads to negative secondary porosity. In this study, log data of three wells distributed in the study area (EB-04, EB-16, and EB-34) were used. From these data, the velocity was estimated by the sonic log, the porosity was estimated by the neutron and the density log, while the velocity deviation was determined by subtracting the velocity calculated from the density log from the sonic log velocity. The result showed that there is significant agreement between the secondary porosity values that turned positive after the oil effect was removed and the confirmed oil zones derived from the core information. Also, there was a clear correlation between velocity deviation values above -500 m/s and the permeability zone of formation, which may reflect the importance of this technique in the identification of the permeability zone. Both techniques (Velocity Deviation and log porosity analysis) can be correlated to predict the locations of gas, large-scale fractures, and unconsolidated beds in sites of high negative secondary porosity and low-velocity deviation (under -500 m/s).

The Use of Core & Log Anisotropy Parameters into Seismic Data Processing: A Case Study of Deep-Water Reservoir

The seismic far-offset data plays important role in seismic subsurface imaging and reservoir parameters derivation, however, it is often distorted by the hockey stick effect due to improper correction of the Vertical Transverse Isotropy (VTI) during the seismic velocity analysis. The anisotropy parameter η is needed to properly correct the VTI effect. The anisotropy parameters of ε and δ obtained from log and core measurements, can be used to estimate the η values, however, the upscaling effects due to the different frequencies of the wave sources used in the measurements must be carefully taken into account. The objective is to get better understanding on the proper uses of anisotropy parameters in the the velocity analysis of deepwater seismic gather data. To achieve the objective, the anisotropy parameters from ultrasonic core measurements and dipole sonic log were used to model the seismic CDP gathers. The upscaling effects is reflected by the big difference of measured anisotropy values, in which the core measurement value is about 40 times higher than the log measurement value. The CDP gathers modelling results show that, due to the upscaling effect, the log and core-based models show significant differences of far-offset amplitude and hockey sticks responses. The differences can be minimized by scaling-down the log anisotropy values to core anisotropy values by using equations established from core – log anisotropy values cross-plot. The study emphasizes the importances of integrating anisotropy parameters from core and log data to minimize the upscaling effect to get the best η for the VTI correction in seismic velocity analysis.

Study of Petrophysical Properties of the Yamama Formation in Siba Oilfield

Evaluating a reservoir to looking for hydrocarbon bearing zones, by determining the petrophysical properties in two wells of the Yamama Formation in Siba field using Schlumberger Techlog software. Three porosity logs were used to identify lithology using MN and MID cross plots. Shale volume were calculated using gamma ray log in well Sb-6ST1 and corrected gamma ray in well Sb-5B. Sonic log was used to calculate porosity in bad hole intervals while from density log at in-gauge intervals. Moreover, water saturation was computed from the modified Simandoux equation and compared to the Archie equation. Finally, Permeability was estimated using a flow zone indicator. The results show that the Yamama Formation is found to be mainly limestone that confirmed by cuttings description and this lithology intermixed with some dolomite, in addition to gas and secondary porosity effects. Generally, the formation is considered clean due to the low shale volume in both wells with the elimination of the uranium effect in well Sb-5B. The calculated porosity was validated by core porosity in YC and YD units. Modified Simandoux gives a better estimation than the Archie equation since it takes into account the conductive of matrix in addition to the fluid conductivity. Five equations were obtained from porosity permeability relationship of core data based on five hydraulic flow units reorganized from the cross plot of reservoir quality index against normalized porosity index. The overall interpretation showed that YC and YD units are the best quality hydrocarbon units in the Yamama Formation, while YA came in the second importance and has properties better than YB. Moreover, YE and YFG are poor units due to high water saturation.

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Value Prediction in Source Rock Potential at North East Java Basin, Indonesia

This research aims to determine the potential of the source rock in the Kujung and Cepu Formations in the North East Java Basin, using Total Organic Carbon (TOC). TOC is calculated using the Passey method. The Passey method is used by overlaying the sonic log and the resistivity log and determining the baseline to get the separation of Δlog resistivity, which is then used to predict the TOC log by including the LOM (Level of Organic Maturity) variable obtained from the data of vitrinite reflectance. After the TOC log value is obtained, a correlation is made with the TOC core value. The prediction result of TOC log in a PM-1 well is 2.16%, which means it has excellent quality. The prediction of TOC log in a PM-2 well is worth 2.68%, which means it has excellent quality. The correlation value between the TOC log and the TOC core of the PM-1 well is 0.67, which means the correlation is strong. In PM-2 well, the correlation between the TOC log and TOC core is 0.92, which means that the correlation is robust.

Optimizing Casing Cut and Pull Operations Efficiency Using Ultrasonic Logging Data

Thousands of wells will enter the plug and abandonment (P&A) phase across the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), either for permanent well abandonment or section abandonment with subsequent sidetracks. In the medium and long term, more wells will be added to follow the same path as exploration, drilling, and production continues. The cost of abandonment operations demands improvement of how P&A operations are performed. A critical, and often time-consuming operation, of well or section abandonment is to cut and pull (C&P) some of the casing strings. Uncertainties about the status of the annular contents and the material within it, such as settled solids, contaminated cement, or well geometry might pose restraints that could hinder the C&P efficiency. The uncertainties may cause operations to deviate from the plan, increasing the time and the costs required. New-generation ultrasonic tools, in combination with sonic tools, provide information about the annulus material with a detailed map of the axial and azimuthal variations of the annulus contents. The geometric position of the inner pipe can be determined relative to the outer casing or borehole using advanced measurements. Logging with ultrasonic and sonic tools is a noninvasive method that can increase the efficiency of C&P operations. In this paper we discuss three case studies of wells ranging from 2 to 40 years old. Some of the wells have reached the end of their economic life and are now ready for permanent plug and abandonment (PP&A) or slot recovery. Each case is unique with different casing sizes being retrieved, along with varied annulus contents observed from ultrasonic and sonic log data. The innovative use of the data interpretation with advanced workflows decreased uncertainties about the annulus contents and enabled following an informed C&P strategy. In all three cases, the casing sections were retrieved without difficulties from the recommended depths of the analysis. Casing milling was performed in intervals where C&P was not supported by the data analysis.

Identifying Formation Creep: Ultrasonic Bond Logging Field Examples

Summary As part of plug and abandonment (P&A) operations, several acceptance criteria need to be considered by operators to qualify barrier elements. In casing annuli, highly bonded material is occasionally found far above the theoretical top of cement. This paper aims to describe how the highly bonded material can be identified using a combination of ultrasonic logging data, validated with measurements in laboratory experiments using reference cells and how this, in combination with data from the well construction records, can contribute to lowering the costly toll of P&A operations. Ultrasonic and sonic log data were acquired in several wells to assess the bond quality behind multiple casing sizes in an abandonment campaign. Data obtained from pulse-echo and flexural sensors were interactively analyzed with a crossplotting technique to distinguish gas, liquid, barite, cement, and formation in the annular space. Within the methodology used, historical data on each well were considered as an integral part of the analysis. During the original well construction, either water-based mud (WBM) or synthetic oil-based mud (OBM) was used for drilling and cementing operations, and some formation intervals consistently showed high bonding signatures under specific conditions, giving clear evidence of formation creep. Log data from multiple wells confirm that formation behavior is influenced by the type of mud used during well construction. The log data provided information of annulus material with a detailed map of the axial and azimuthal variations of the annulus contents. In some cases, log response showed a clear indication of formation creep, evidenced by a high bond quality around the production casing where cement cannot be present. Based on observations from multiple fields in the Norwegian continental shelf, a crossplot workflow has been designed to distinguish formation from cement as the potential barrier element. NORSOK Standard D-010 (2013) has initial verification acceptance criteria both for annulus cement and creeping formation as a well barrier element, both involving bond logs; however, in the case of creeping formation, it is more stringent stating that “two independent logging measurements/tools shall be applied.” This paper aims to demonstrate how this can be done with confidence using ultrasonic and sonic log data, validated against reference barrier cells (Govil et al. 2020). Logging responses like those gathered during full-scale experiments of reference barrier cells with known defects were observed in multiple wells in the field. Understanding the phenomenon of formation creep and its associated casing bond signature could have a massive impact on P&A operations. With a successful qualification of formation as an annulus barrier, significant cost and time savings can be achieved.

Rock Physics Diagnostics as a prerequisite for optimal Petrophysics

One of the key outputs from petrophysical evaluation is porosity. Sonic log is considered as one of the logs for deriving petrophysical volumes including porosity. However, the sonic data might not be always suitable to be included in the petrophysical model even if the quality of the log is quite good. One of the key reasons lies behind the variable porosity-velocity relationship for different types of formations attributed to post depositional processes. Without performing proper rock physics diagnostics before petrophysics model building can create inconsistencies in the petrophysical volumes as well as force the petrophysicist to use unreasonable endpoints for matrix or fluid. In this paper, an attempt is made to perform rock physics diagnostics using Wyllie-time-average and Raymer-Hunt-Gardner relations, drawing conclusion on the consolidation state of the rock, followed by computation of porosity from sonic using these relations. Later, rock physics diagnostic using theoretical rock physics models is carried out to confirm and complement this understanding of rock’s consolidation state. The results show that even though these empirical relations in their original form are useful and widely used but it is not quite suitable for unconsolidated and weakly cemented (poorly consolidated) formations or at least cannot justify the porosity-velocity trend in the data. Here computed sonic porosity is compared with field calibrated density porosity. It could be seen from this study that, in order to match sonic porosity with density porosity, an unreasonable matrix/fluid endpoints or non-theoretical empirical fitting coefficient is required. Since, this might not always be the case, a proper assessment using rock physics diagnostic should be carried out before incorporating sonic data into the petrophysical model.

Comparison robust data smoothing algorithms with wavelet filter for denoising sonic log signals

Well logging is an essential approach to making geophysical surveys and petrophysical measurements and plays a key role to interpret downhole conditions. But, well logging signals usually contain noise that distorts results and causes ambiguous interpretations. In this paper, the wavelet filter and robust data smoothing algorithms are tested for denoising synthetic sonic log and field sonic log data. Robust data smoothing algorithms include Gaussian, RLOESS (Robust locally estimating scatterplot smoothing), and RLOWESS (Robust locally weighted scatterplot smoothing) methods. Uniform and normal distribution noise applied to synthetic model and results revealed that the wavelet filter performs better than data smoothing algorithms for denoising uniform distribution noise. However, the RLOESS removed uniform noise acceptably. But, for normal distribution noise, the wavelet filter disrupts and data smoothing algorithms, specifically RLOESS attenuated noise perfectly. Due to the noise nature of field sonic log data, wavelet filter completely disrupts, but data smoothing algorithms removed the noise of field data more efficiently, particularly RLOESS. So, we can express that RLOESS is a perfect algorithm for denoising sonic log signals, regardless of noise nature.