COMMERCIAL BOREHOLE LOGGING
PAUL SPIELMAN September 2007
From Warrior Energy Services Website, www.warriorenergyservices.com
TYPICAL WIRELINE TRUCK
From Welaco
TYPICAL WIRELINE SKID UNIT
Welaco Unit at Ormats Puna Geothermal Venture in Hawaii
TYPES OF LOGS
Geophysical Logs
Resistivity Porosity Gamma Ray Dip Meter Borehole Imaging Other
Production Logging
Pressure Temperature Spinner Fluid Density Sonic Caliper Electro-magnetic Ultrasonic RA Tracer Video
Well Inspection
RESISTVITY LOGS
Measure bulk resistivity of formation Laterlog
The original well log Electrodes direct current into formation to ground electrodes on surface
Induction
Magnetic field induces current in formation Used with low conductivity well fluids
Porosity can be calculated if water salinity is known Oil or gas saturation can be calculated if porosity and water salinity are known
POROSITY LOGS
Neutron tool
Neutron source High energy neutrons are slowed down by hydrogen atoms in water (or oil) and detected by tool Porosity is function rock type and slow neutron count
Density tool
Gamma ray source Electrons reflect gamma rays back to detector in tool Electrons in formation proportional to density Porosity is function of rock type and density
Sonic tool
Measures speed of sound in formation Porosity slows sound Porosity is function of rock type and measured speed of sound
GAMMA RAY LOG
Gamma ray detector measures natural radioactivity of formation Mostly due to Potassium in Shale
Shale has porosity but no permeability
Uranium and Thorium
Less common sources natural radioactivity Detected by more sophisticated tools that measure gamma ray energy
Run with other tools to correlate logs
DIP METER AND BOREHOLE IMAGING
Dip Meter
Four or six arms with few buttons measure small scale resistivity Wellbore inclination and orientation Map bedding planes of sedimentary formations
Imaging Tools
Resistivity imaging tools
FMI - Schlumberger, EMI Halliburton Pads with many buttons map small scale resistivity
Ultrasonic imaging tools
USIT Schlumberger, CAST Halliburton Spinning ultrasonic transducer measures I.D. and sonic impedance
Borehole image
Dip and orientation of fractures Structure and stress of formation
Borehole breakout Drilling induced fractures
OTHER GEOPHYSICAL LOGS
Mineral identification
Pulsed neutron source stimulates gamma ray emissions Tool measures energy spectrum of returning gamma rays Percentage of elements (silica, calcium, etc.)
Magnetic resonance
Detects free water Determine permeability
GEOTHERMAL APPLICATIONS
Geophysical tools designed for sedimentary formations
Algorithms for sandstone, shale, limestone, dolomite Special algorithms required for crystalline rock
Resistivity tool is sufficient to quantify porosity when water salinity is known Sonic tool puts seismic surveys on depth Density tool calibrates gravity surveys Formation imaging tools map fractures and quantify stress regime Neutron and density tools can identify lithology,
if samples are available to create correlations if there is variation in rock type
Schlumberger Litho-Density Log
COMPANIES
The Big Three SCHLUMBERGER HALLIBURTON BAKER ATLAS Geothermal Production Logging WELACO Bakersfield CA PACIFIC PROCESS SYSTEMS Bakersfield CA SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION SERVICES Houston TX INSTRUMENT SERVICES INC. Ventura CA
Worldwide Geophysical, Production & Inspection Logging
Video DOWNHOLE VIDEO Oxnard CA many other companies
Pressure-Temperature-Spinner & some other services Sell and service equipment Many other companies in Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Iceland, Kenya (KenGen), etc.
PRODUCTION LOGS
Very useful in geothermal wells Can be run with simple or sophisticated equipment Temperature surveys are essential for exploration work Pressure & Temperature surveys are more useful for well testing and production
TEMPERATURE LOGS
Most important parameter in geothermal wells Thermocouple wire
easiest for shallow holes
RTD
most accurate
Mechanical tool
Only option for deep hot wells 10 years ago
Electronic surface readout tool in thermal flask
Requires high temperature wireline
Electronic memory tool in thermal flask
State of the art Slick line or braided cable
Fiber Optics
Instantaneous temperature profile of entire wellbore Good for measuring transients
High temperature electronics
Not yet commercial
TEMPERATURE PROFILE
SURFACE CONDUCTIVE GRADIENT
DEPTH
HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM OUTFLOW ZONE UPFLOW TEMPERATURE REVERSAL
CONDUCTIVE HEAT SOURCE TEMPERATURE
PRESSURE LOG
Second most important reservoir parameter
pressure drives flow producing drawdown indicates reservoir productivity (or injection buildup) drawdown curves analyzed to determine reservoir permeability
Water level, easily measured
used in hydrology but less useful in geothermal systems dependant on wellbore temperature and gas or steam pressure above water
Mechanical pressure tool
common ten years ago
Capillary tubing filled with nitrogen or helium
reservoir pressure is measured at surface good for long term reservoir pressure monitoring of hot wells
Electronic surface readout tool in thermal flask
requires high temperature wireline
Electronic memory tool in thermal flask
state of the art slick line or braided cable
STATIC PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE PROFILES
PRESSURE 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 TEMPERATURE 00 0 00 0 00 0
00 0
00 0
DEPTH
WATER LEVEL
00 0 STATIC PRESSURE STATIC TEMPERATURE
00 0
00 00
00 00
STATIC AND FLOWING PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE PROFILES
PRESSURE 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 00 0 TEMPERATURE 00 0 00 0 00 0
00 0 FLOWING TEMPERATURE 00 0
DEPTH
00 0
STATIC PRESSURE FLASH DEPTH
STATIC TEMPERATURE
00 0
FLASH DEPTH PRESSURE DRAWDOWN
00 00 FLOWING PRESSURE 00 00
SPINNER LOG
Propeller measures flow in wellbore Identifies production (or injection) zones Calculate fluid velocity from series of up and down runs at different cable speeds
FLOWING SPINNER SURVEY Log down 000 fpm Log up 000 fpm
SPINNER COUNTS -00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
00 0
00 0 DEPTH
00 0 FLASH DEPTH 00 0
00 00
MAIN PRODUCTION ZONE
00 00
TYPICAL SHALLOW WELL LOGGING UNIT
From USGS website, nc.water.usgs.gov
TYPICAL SLICK LINE WINCH
From BOP Controls Inc. website, bopcontrols.net
WELL INSPECTION LOGS
Sonic Cement Bond Log (Same tool as sonic porosity log)
Measures quality of cement on outside of casing Difficulty with large geothermal well casing Difficulty with micro-annulus caused by temperature and pressure changes Measures I.D. of casing Detects corrosion, scale, washouts, parted casing Measures metal loss Detects corrosion, holes and parted casing Measures I.D. and thickness of casing, and impedance of material behind casing Detects corrosion, holes and cement Injects slug of iodine 131 into wellbore Gamma ray detector measures radioactive slug Detects leaks in casing and flow behind pipe Identify well problems Requires very clear water
Caliper
Electro-magnetic Ultrasonic (same as imaging tool) RA Tracer
Video
PRESSURE CONTROL
Should be used there is any possibility of well flowing Pack-off
Rubber cylinder tightens around wireline Few hundred psi Length of pipe below pack-off Necessary to run tool in pressurized well Valve below lubricator that closes around wireline Useful if pack-off fails or wireline gets stuck in pack-off Placed below pack-off For thousands of psi Grease pumped in high pressure end flows to low pressure
Grease in High pressure Grease out Low pressure
Lubricator Blow out preventor
Grease tubes for high pressure
PRESSURE-TEMPERATURESPINNER TOOLS FOR SALE
MADDEN SYSTEMS (Odessa, TX)
Flasked surface readout and memory tools
KUSTER COMPANY (Long Beach, CA)
Mechanical tools Flasked surface readout and memory tools
Anyone with a slickline or braided cable winch can run memory tools.
GEOPHYSICAL LOGGING TOOLS AND WIRELINE WINCHES FOR SALE
Companies that used to make tools and sell wireline systems went out of business in the 1990s Companies that sell systems now are on the internet
