SUB Gottingen

210 387 009

99 B 617

THE GEOLOGICAL
INTERPRETATION
OF WELL LOGS
Second Edition

Malcolm Rider
Petroleum Exploration Consultant
Rider-French Consulting Ltd
Aberdeen and Sutherland

I/- '

Whittles Publishing
 CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
.1 Well logs - a definition 1
.2 Well logs - the necessity 1
.3 Wireline logs the making 1
.4 Log runs 3
.5 Log presentations 5
.6 LWD logs (logging while drilling) 5
.7 The logging companies 7
.8 Well log interpretation and uses 8
.9 This book - content and aims 8

Chapter 2 The logging environment 9

2.1 Introduction 9
2.2 The pressure environments of borehole logging and invasion 9
2.3 Temperature environment of borehole logging 12
2.4 Logging tool capabilities 12
2.5 Borehole depth measurement 18
2.6 Conclusion 18

Chapter 3 Temperature logging 19

3.1 Geotemperatures 19
,3.2 Borehole temperature measurement 19
3.3 True formation temperatures (BHT corrections) 20
3.4 Temperature log uses 23

Chapter 4 Caliper logs 26

4.1 Mechanical calipers - the tools 26
4.2 i o g presentations 27
4.3 Simple, two-arm, caliper interpretation 28
4.4 Four-arm caliper interpretation 30

Chapter 5 Self-potential or SP logs 33

5.1 Generalities 33
5.2 Principles of measurement 33
5.3 Log characteristics 37
5.4 Quantitative uses 37
5.5 Qualitative uses 39

Chapter 6 Resistivity and conductivity logs 42

6.1 Generalities 42
6.2 Theoretical considerations 43
6.3 Zones of invasion and resistivity 46
6.4 Resistivity tools 50
6.5 Induction tools 52
'6.6 Log characteristics 54
6.7 Quantitative uses of the resistivity logs 56
6.8 Qualitative uses 58
Chapter 7 The gamma ray and spectral gamma ray logs 67
7.1 Generalities 67
7.2 Natural gamma radiation 69
7.3 Tools 70
7.4 Log characteristics 71
7.5 Geochemical behaviour of potassium, thorium and uranium
and natural radioactivity 74
7.6 Radioactivity of shales and clays 77
7.7 Quantitative use of the simple gamma ray log 78
7.8 Qualitative use of the simple gamma ray log 79
7.9 Quantitative use of the spectral gamma ray log 85
7.10 Qualitative and semi-quantitative uses of the spectral gamma ray log 86

Chapter 8 Sonic or acoustic logs 91

8.1 Generalities 91
8.2 Principles of measurement 92
8.3 Tools 92
8.4 Log characteristics 95
8.5 Quantitative uses 97
8.6 Qualitative uses 98
8.7 Seismic applications of the sonic log 107
8.8 Full waveform acoustic logs (array sonic) 109

Chapter 9 The density and photoelectric factor logs 115

9.1 The density log, generalities 115
9.2 Principles of measurement 116
9.3 Tools 116
9.4 Log characteristics 118
9.5 Quantitative uses 119
9.6 Qualitative uses 121
THE PHOTOELECTRIC FACTOR LOG (OR LITHO-DENSITY) 127
9.7 Generalities 127
9.8 Principles of measurement 129
9.9 Log characteristics 130
9.10 Quantitative uses 130
9.11 Qualitative uses 131

Chapter 10 The neutron log 133

10.1 Generalities 133
10.2 Principles of measurement 134
10.3 Tools 135
10.4 Log characteristics 138
10.5 Quantitative uses 138
10.6 Qualitative uses 141
10.7 Neutron-density combination: lithology identification 147

Chapter 11 Lithology reconstruction from logs 151

11.1 Introduction 151
11.2 Litholgy from drill data - the mud log 151
11.3 Lithology from cores - direct physical sampling 153
11.4 Lithology interpretation from wireline logs - manual method 155
11.5 Computer aids to lithology interpretation 159
11.6 Multi-log quantification of lithology 165

VI
Chapter 12 The dipmeter 169
12.1 Generalities 169
12.2 Dipmeter tools 170
12.3 Dipmeter processing 172
12:4 Processed log presentations 175
12.5 Dipmeter quality assessment 178
12.6 Dipmeter interpretation: the basic principles 180
12.7 Sedimentary dipmeter interpretation 181
12.8 Structural dipmeter interpretation 190
12.9 Conclusion 198

Chapter 13 Imaging logs 199

13.1 Generalities 199
13.2 Electrical Imaging, the FMS and FMI 201
13.3 Electrical image interpretation, some generalities 204
13.4 Electrical image sedimentary interpretation,
some concepts and examples 208
13.5 Electrical image structural interpretation, some examples 212
13.6 Quantitative uses of electrical images 215
13.7 Acoustic imaging, the borehole televiewer 216
13.8 Acoustic imaging tool interpretation, generalities 220
13.9 Some examples of acoustic imaging tool interpretation 221
13.10 Quantitative interpretation of acoustic images 223
13.11 What next? 223

Chapter 14 Fades, sequences and depositional

environments from logs 226
14.1 Introduction 226
14.2 Facies 226
14.3 'Electrosequence Analysis' - a tool for sedimentological
and stratigraphic interpretation 231

Chapter 15 Sequence stratigraphy and stratigraphy 239

15.1 Introduction 239
15.2 Well logs and high resolution siliciclastic sequence stratigraphy 239
15.3 Lithostratigraphy 253
15.4 Traditional correlation methods 255
15.5 Conclusions 260

Chapter 16 Concluding remarks 261

16.1 The book of revelations 261
16.2 Outcrop bound 261
16.3 Petrophysics is dead, long live petrophysics! 263
16.4 An image of the future 264
16.5 A rainforest of software 265
16.6 But is it geology? 266

Appendix 267
References 269
Index 278

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