AN INTRODUCTION TO
MUD LOGGING
1
DEFINITION
Mud logging is a service that qualitatively and quantitatively obtains data
from, and makes observations of, drilled rocks, drilling fluids and drilling
parameters in order to formulate and display concepts of the optional, in
situ characteristics of formations rocks with the primary goal of delineating
hydrocarbon “shows” worthy of testing.
The mud logging unit is the information center on the rig site to serve both
exploration and drilling.
2
GENERAL PURPOSES
- Optimized drilling efficiency.
- Comprehensive formation evaluation.
- Improved well site safety.
3
ROLE PLAYED BY MUD LOGGING UNIT
The mud unit is located very close to the rig floor. A number of cables
extends from the unit to a number of sensors installed at different locations
on the drilling rig. These sensors are used to measure many important
variables or parameters of the rig operations.
A- The essential role that the unit plays on board, is the collection of the
rock cuttings which is geologically described, examined for any oil shows
and then packed according to the exploration company requirements.
B- The mud logging unit is responsible for the hydrocarbon gas monitoring
while drilling. These gases are detected as a total value then are analyzed to
their components.
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ROLE PLAYED BY MUD LOGGING UNIT
C- The mud logging unit is responsible for the detection of the Hydrogen
sulfide (H2S) gas while drilling which is very dangerous if it is not
detected in the very early stage.
D- The mud logging unit is responsible for the monitoring of the drill
fluid volume second by second and to immediately inform the personnel
in charge about any change in that volume (Loss/Gain).
E- The mud logging unit is responsible for the generation of mud logs
and graphs during the drilling of the well, acquisition of the data and
producing a final well report.
F- The mud logging unit is responsible for the monitoring of the drilling
parameters such as : WOB, RPM, TRQ. ...etc.,. And to inform the
personnel in charge about any anomalies or figures that could be out of 5
the set ranges.
ROLE PLAYED BY MUD LOGGING UNIT
G- The mud logging unit is responsible for confirming with the driller
about any drilling breaks.
H- The mud logging unit is responsible for monitoring the trips and
updating a trip sheet at a five-stand basis. This trip monitoring sheet
includes the calculated/observed hole fill-up or string displacement along
with remarks on string overpull, tight spots and running speed.
I- The mud logging unit extends its service to the detection and evaluation
of the formation pressure, the hydraulics optimization and the well control.
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TYPES OF MUD LOGGING UNITS
Mud logging units can be classified into two main categories depending
on the method of data acquisition and processing:-
Off-line mud logging units.
On-line mud logging units.
Mud Logging Off-line service features
The off line mudlogging unit includes a number of separate panels.
Each panel works independently and is responsible for measuring a
definite parameter. There is no communication between these panels.
No automatic calculations can be done and no data storage. All panel
calibrations are done manually.
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MUD LOGGING ON-LINE SERVICE FEATURES
1-Minimum human interference:
Operation, calibration and data processing starts at the sensing point and goes all
the way until the final output is produced. The result is:
- Random errors minimized, i.e best accuracy.
- More time for interpretation.
- More time for monitoring.
2- Fully computerized service with powerful software:
- High speed data processing (possible data transmission)
- Better presentation of data.
- On time decision making.
3- Equipment design:
- Maximum possible accuracy.
- Minimum systematic errors.
- Minimum down time.
4- Intrinsic safety:
- Safety environment
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- Safety equipment
- Efficient warning system
MUD LOGGING ON-LINE UNIT EQUIPMENT
1- Geological equipment -Microscope - Fluoroscope - Auto Calcimetry Kit
- shale Density kit
2- Remote pump stroke counters
3- Multi-channel, high resolution chart recorders
4- Flame ionization hydrocarbon gas detector (FID)
5- Flame ionization gas chromatograph (C1 - C5)
6- Drill monitor panel
7- Depth - WOB - RPM - Torque
8- Pressure detection system standpipe pressure (SPP), Casing pressure
9- Pit volume totalizer
10- Mud weight (in and out)
11- CRT information system
12- Mud temperature (in and out)
13- Mud resistivity (in and out)
14- Mud conductivity (in and out)
15- H2S gas detector
16- CO2 gas detector 9
17- PC computers (on-line & off-line)
18- Mud flow sensors (in and out)
GENERAL FEATURES OF MUD LOGGING UNIT
• Continuous real-time monitoring.
• All equipment measured data is fed directly to the computer.
• LS 2000 is multi-tasking real-time data acquisition and monitoring system.
• Automatic determination of the operation status.
• The unit is constructed to US Coat Guard safety regulations .
• Skid mounted
• Pressurized insulated shell.
• Exploration proof junction boxes.
• Intrinsic safety through the use of safety barriers.
• Non volatile data memory buffer which enable to retain all the data the event of
power failure or gas hazard shut down.
• Open system structure, this gives the system flexibility to upgrade when new
multibus compatible boards become available.
• On-line calculation of appropriate values
• can construct a very strong and logic alarm net to cover up to
30 parameters, which is very important for rig safety and lead to minimizing the
down time. 10
MUD LOGGER
The Mud logging Engineer is the representative of logging systems at the well site.
He is responsible for the maintenance and correct operation of the equipment
supplied to provide the service. He is responsible for the collation and presentation
of the information monitored in accordance with company standard procedures and
customer requirements to ensure a high quality service.
Position Responsibilities and Duties
The following responsibilities include, but are not restricted to:
1. All equipment and sensors are maintained, serviced and calibrated according to
the standard company operating procedures.
2. The unit diary, spare parts inventory, equipment status reports, calibration reports
and any other specified equipment monitoring reports are kept up to date.
3. The Mud logger is familiar with the function, operation and routine maintenance of
all logging systems equipment at the location. He will implement any rig-up, rig-down
and routine maintenance and calibration programs as instructed by the operations or
unit supervisor.
4. The Mud logger is familiar with the hardware configuration of the computer 11
system and is capable of operating the software.
MUD LOGGER
Well Monitoring
1- All pertinent data is recorded on the data sheets accurately, legibly and
completely. All sensors are monitored for variations from expected readings.
Customer and rig contractor personnel are informed -as per the described job
procedures- quickly, efficiently and effectively.
3- All hole and pipe displacements are accurately monitored on all trips- in and
out of the hole. Discrepancies are to be noted and the relevant people to be
informed.
Data Collection and Presentation
1- Depth, drilling data and lag data must be recorded accurately and checked
against rig recorded data.
2- Gas and mud samples for gas analysis should be collected in the correct
manner and run through the Gas chromatography and steam still in accordance
with standard operating procedures.
3- All chart recorders should be Labelled and annotated in accordance with 12
standard operating procedures.
MUD LOGGER
4- All data sheets should be kept current.
5- All cuttings samples must be caught at the correct time to give a true
representation of the interval. All samples will be described as per the standard
operating procedures.
6- All samples will be marked and labelled as instructed by the unit supervisor
and as per the customer requirements. Storage and transportation will be as
directed by the unit supervisor.
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MUD LOGGING THEORY
The mud logging theory is based on the mud cycle principal. The mud is
sucked from the pits (Active Pit) and pumped via the drilling string down to
the hole bottom. The mud is then bumped against gravity through the annulus
up to the shakers. The time necessary to get the drilled samples to the surface
is exactly the time required to pump the mud volume through this passage.
This is calculated and is known as Lag time or lag strokes.
The calculation and practical application of the lag is of primary importance
in mudlogging and relates to the all data that the mud transmits to the
surface.
The mud actually carries the information that we require from the bit depth to
the surface and the time that the mud takes to get from the bit to surface is
the basic calculation made. The factors that affect the time or lag of the mud
are the flow rate of the mud, the configuration of the well; the sizes and
depths of the different hole sections and the drill string sections dimensions. 14
LAG DEFINITIONS
• Lag time is the time the mud takes to travel inside the hole between two
specified depth points.
• The time taken between the surface to the bottom of the hole is called ”lag
down“ or “Lag in”.
• The time taken between the bottom of the hole to the surface is called ”lag-
up“ or “bottoms’up”.
• The surface to surface time is called “Complete cycle” or In/Out time.
It is more practical to calculate lag in terms of pump strokes as the flow rate is
not necessarily constant.
To calculate the lag the hole dimensions must be known as well as the drill string
dimension. Most holes have at least two section of different diameters and
towards the end of the well may will have more (riser, casing liner, and open
hole). Added to this is the fact that the drill string will usually have sections of
different diameters
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LAG CORRECTION
Using the correct lag is vital to the geologist so that samples and hydrocarbon
shows are described at the correct depth from which they came.
If the open hole section is in gauge; then the actual lag will be the same as the
calculated lag. This is rarely the case in practice as most of the salt sections and
some shale sequences tend to become washed out. Therefore carbide lag checks
should be run frequently to determine the actual lag.
The procedure for carbide lag is to wrap a quantity of fine carbide in paper
towel and place it inside the pipe at a connection. The action of water on the
carbide will release acetylene gas which on circulating out of the system will be
detected by the gas detector. Since the gas has to travel down the pipe to the bit
and then to the surface, it is necessary to calculate the following:
1. The number of strokes from the surface to the bit inside the pipe.
2. The total number of strokes from starting up the pump until the gas arrives at
the surface.
3. Subtract 1 from 2 16
⇒ The resulting number of strokes is the actual lag time. From this it is possible
toestimate the amount of washout in the hole.
LAG CORRECTION
Apart from making regular carbide lag checks, a check should be made
if for any reason the lag becomes suspect; for example the cuttings do
not correspond with the drill rates from which they are supposed to
come, or connection gas does not appear at the correct time.
If for some reason , carbide is not available a perfectly good lag check
can be obtained by using rice or lentil. The main disadvantage of this is
that it is necessary to stay and watch the shakers when the rice is due
appear, or it could well be missed.
Rates of travel up the annulus differ for gas and cuttings as the cuttings
will tend to slip back due to slip velocity. Slip velocity depends on the
cuttings size density the mud properties flow rate and hole size.
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LAG CALCULATION
GIVEN:
Pump information CALCULATE:
pump output = 0.123 bbls/stroke a. Calculate the volume of mud in the
pump rate = 75 spm Drillpipe, Heavy-weight and collars.
b. Calculate the annular volume for each
Drill string information annular section.
Drillpipe : 5” OD 4.276” ID c. Add the section annular volumes to
length 8075’ give the total annular volume.
Heavy-weight Drillpipe: 5” OD 3.000” d. Calculate the lag in minutes.
ID Length 275’ QUESTION
Drill collars: 8” OD 2.813” ID Length Why is using pump strokes a much more
650 accurate method of lag determination
than using time?
Hole information
Casing : 13 3/8” OD 12.415” ID Length
3500 18
Open hole : 12.25” OD
TD : 900’
LAG CALCULATION
A useful and clear way of working out the lag is to draw a diagram of the well
showing the different hole sizes and drill string dimensions. On this diagram
the length and the depth of each section are indicated.
i)Volume of mud in the string:
a) Drillpipe: (4.276^2/1029)x 8075 = 143.5 bbls
b) Heavy-Weight: (3^2/1029) x 275 = 2.4 bbls
c) Drill collars: (2.813^2/ 1029) x 650 = 5
a+b+c = 150.9 bbls
ii)Annular section volumes:
a) Casing – Drillpipe: ((12.145^2 - 5^2)/1029) x 3500 =439.2 bbls
b) Open hole – Drillpipe: ((12.25^2 - 5^2)/ 1029)x4575= 556.0 bbls
c) Open hole - Heavy Weight: ((12.25^2 - 5^2)/ 1029) x 275= 33.4 bbls
d) Open hole - Drill collars: ((12.25^2 - 8^2)/ 1029)x 650 = 54.4 bbls
a+b+c+d = 1083.0 bbls
iii)Lag in strokes
1083.0/.123=8805 strokes
iv) Lag. in minutes 19
8805 /75= 117.4 min
TRIP MONITORING
Trip monitoring is considered one of the most important of the duties and
responsibilities of the mud logger. The mud logger should not feel relaxed during
trip times as statistics indicate that the most of the serious well problems and
disasters have happened while tripping.
1. Calculate metal displacement for each string section.
2. Check which tank should receive the displaced mud.
3. If displaced mud will return to active pit, check if the surface tanks (sand trap)
are filled:-
3.a. If they are filled: Mud should return to active pit once tripping-in starts.
3.b. If they are not filled: Mud can not be monitored in the active pit until surface
tanks get filled. Therefore
- Inform driller and Co. Man that they should fill the surface pits prior to tripping-in;
. OR Start the monitoring once the surface tanks gets filled and the displaced mud
starts returning to active pit. In this case, estimate how many bbls would be required
to fill surface tanks and how many stands should run-in to displace this required
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volume.
Note that surface tanks are monitored manually.
TRIP MONITORING
4. When displaced mud returns directly to the active system, one of the
following PVT monitoring trends would be expected:
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TRIP MONITORING
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TRIP MONITORING
Failure to keep the hole full while triping can lead to serious problems; so, It is
essential to properly monitor hole filling and trip trend to make sure that hole is taking
the right amount of fluid replacing the metal volume being removed. Failure to keep
the hole full while triping can be considered as the single biggest cause for blowouts.
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TRIP MONITORING
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SAMPLE COLLECTION AND DESCRIPTION
The cuttings are physical, tangible pieces of drilled rocks which required the
forces of nature millions of years to lay them down and, it cost the oil companies
much time and millions of dollars to recover. Drilled cuttings are often referred to
as “Ditch Samples”. The expression comes from early drilling rigs that used an
earthen ditch to channel mud flow at the surface.
The cuttings samples can be in a span of just a few minutes either saved for an
eternity or lost for ever. Aside from their immediate value, the cuttings can be
saved and reevaluated in the future using knowledge and techniques that have
not been discovered yet. On the other hand cuttings falling into the reserve pit are
cuttings gone forever along with the information they contain. An accurate lag, a
source of representative samples and close attention to making efficient use of
available time are all necessary to good cuttings and mud samples collection.
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SHAKER SAMPLES
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SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS
procedure
• The samples are laid out in a stack of five-cell trays, with the depths
marked on the trays.
• The cuttings should just cover the bottoms of the trays.
• It is sometimes desirable to separate the obvious cavings by either
sieving or dry panning.
• Attention should generally be focused on the smaller cuttings with
angular shape and fresh appearance.
A standard practice is to scan 100 or more feet of samples, observing
the lithological “breaks”.
The samples are then re-examined for more detailed study, dry for
porosity estimates and wet for all other properties.
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SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS
The technique of scanning samples before logging them in detail has
many
advantages. In addition to helping the examiner to pick the formations’
tops and lithological breaks, it may also aid him in determining the
extent of porous and hydrocarbon bearing intervals. However, the
principal advantage of this technique is that it provides the geologist
the opportunity to observe and interpret the depositional sequences.
When sample intervals are laid out in sequence subtle changes in
texture, mineralogy, color and facies often become apparent even
before the microscopic examination. Thus the observer is alerted to
look for these changes when making the detailed examination. This
method of examining samples, encourages geologists to observe and
log the lithology rather than the sample interval units. It eliminates the
laborious and time consuming task of routinely describing each sample 28
interval. It increases speed of logging and it invariably helps the
geologist make a more meaningful log.
Rock Types
A proper recording of rock type, consists of two fundamental parts:
The basic rock name (underlined): e.g. Dolomite, Limestone, Sandstone, and
the proper compositional or textural classification term: e.g., lithic, oolitic
grainstone, etc.
Color
Color of rocks may be a mass effect of the colors of the constituent grains, or result
from the color of cement or matrix, or staining of these. Colors may occur in
combinations and patterns, e.g. mottled, banded, spotted, variegated. It is
recommended that colors be described on wet samples under ten-power
magnification.
It is important to use the same source of light all the time, and use constant
magnification for all routine logging.
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Texture
Texture is a function of the size, shape and arrangement of the component
elements of a rock.
1. Grain or Crystal sizes
2. Grain Shape
3. Sphericity
4. Roundnes
Cement and Matrix
Cement: is a chemical precipitate deposited around the grains and in the
interstices of a sediment as aggregates of crystals or as growths on grains of the
same composition.
Matrix: consists of small individual grains that fill intersections between the
larger grains.
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Cement is deposited chemically and matrix mechanically.
Porosity
Among the most important observations made in the course of sample
examination, are those relating to porosity. Porosity is a measure of the volume
of void spaces in a rock. The ability to estimate an accurate porosity, comes
through practice and experience in examining samples. Although the
magnification of about 10x is adequate to detect porosity, higher magnification
is often necessary. Pores are easier to recognize in dry samples than in wet
ones.
Hydrocarbon Shows
The primary objective of any exploratory well is to discover oil or gas in
commercial quantities. Therefore, it is vital to continuously analyze both the
drilling fluids and sample cuttings for hydrocarbons. The geologist and mud
Iogger are required to make a detailed lithological description of the drilled
section, which is used to evaluate the area for future drilling, particular
emphasis is placed on the analysis or hydrocarbon shows.
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GENERAL REMARKS ON SAMPLE
ESCRIPTION
1. The major changes in the formations should be noted and the appearance of
new formation martial should be described as carefully as possible.
2. The logger upon coming on duty should familiarise himself with the samples
from formations drilled while he was off-duty. This will aid him in soothing
cavings and changes of formation characters.
3. In some cases the sample retrieved will not represent the formation at all.
4. In arriving at the geological descriptions of the formation drilled, such things
as drilling rate and present depth of the bit should be taken into consideration. At
fairly deep depths there is a tendency for cutting from a formation to become
dispersed along the mud column and straggling out sometime after the formation
has been drilled through.
5. Always bear in mind that contamination of an intervals cutting can occur for
several reasons and must be excluded from the description.
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SAMPLE CONTAMINATION
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GAS SYSTEM
factors affecting the size of a gas show:
1-Amount of hydrocarbons present in the formation.
2-Type of hydrocarbons present
3-Porosity and permeability of the formation.
4-Mud weight overbalance (or underbalance) and amount of flushing.
5-Mud flow rate.
6-Mud properties, specifically viscosity.
7-Mud temperature.
8-Mud type in use.
9-Hole size.
10-Rate of penetration.
11-Type of bit ;affecting size of cuttings and amount of cuttings gas released
into the
mud.
12-Efficiency of gas trap, sample line and gas detectors.
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GAS CURVE
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