Crain's Petrophysical Handbook - FSLTING / RECONSTRUCTING LOGS

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EDITING LOGS WITH THE LOG RESPONSE EQUATION

LOG RECONSTRUCTION BASICS
Good quality sonic and density log data is required for calculating a petrophysical
analysis, or the elastic properties of the rocks. Rough borehole conditions and gas
effect are the most common problems that will need to be repaired.
Exactly what you do to reconstruct the log data will depend on what you want to do
with that data. For example, in a conventional quantitative petrophysical analysis,
we go to great lengths to avoid using bad data to obtain our results. Gas effect in
the invaded zone is handled by well established mathematical techniques or by
calibration of results to core analysis data if the logs are inadequate for the
Training Materials
Topic Index
purpose.
THIS PAGE
For stimulation design modeling, you want the logs to accurately represent a waterfilled reservoir. Since logs read the invaded zone, light hydrocarbons (light oil or
gas) make the density log read too low and the sonic log read too high, compared
to the water filled case. The magnitude of the error cannot be estimated without
reconstructing the logs from an accurate petrophysical analysis.

Log Reconstruction Basics

Simplified Workflow
Creating Synthetic Logs
Gas Effect On Density Logs
Gas Effect On Sonic Logs

The light hydrocarbon effect problem alone would lead to erroneous elastic
properties and erroneous Poisson' Ratio, Young's Modulus, and closure stress
predictions. Add some rough borehole effects, and you have a meaningless set of
elastic properties for stimulation modeling. Don't despair, there is a solution.

"META/MODEL" Spreadsheet
Miscellaneous Editing Models
Response Equation Example

SEE ALSO
Geophysicists modeling seismic response also need good log data for creating
Mechanical Properties Basics
synthetic seismograms, calibrating seismic inversion models, and for direct
Calculating Mechanical Properties
hydrocarbon detection models. The problem here is quite different than either the
Calculating Closure Stress
petrophysical analysis or stimulation design cases. If light hydrocarbon effect
exists in the invaded zone, this must be removed and then replaced by a set of log
Seismic Modeling
values representing the un-invaded reservoir condition. This is the opposite of the
Alternate Log Editing Models
stimulation design problem. In seismic modeling in light hydrocarbons, the density
does not read low enough and the sonic does not read high enough to represent the undisturbed reservoir. Unless
we fix this, reflection coefficients are too small, inversion models of Poisson's Ratio will not be calibrated, and direct
hydrocarbon interpretations will be misleading.
We call this process log editing, or log repair, or log reconstruction, or log modeling . We can also create missing log
curves by the same reconstruction methods. Some calibration data is required from offset wells to do this reliably.
The reconstructed logs are often called synthetic logs, to distinguish them from the original measured data set.
Reconstruction techniques are not new - they have been with us since the beginning of computer aided log analysis
in the early 1970's. The problem is that few people understand the need for the work or are unfamiliar with the
appropriate techniques.

SIMPLIFIED WORKFLOW
The concept of log reconstruction is very simple:
1. RECOGNIZE BAD DATA
2. REPLACE IT WITH BETTER DATA
The workflow for log reconstruction requires a competent petrophysical analysis for shale volume, porosity, water

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saturation, and lithology using as little bad log data as possible. These results are then "reverse engineered" to
calculate what the log "should have read" under the modeled conditions we have imposed. The parameters required
will vary depending on whether the reconstruction is for a water-filled case, an invaded-zone case, or an undisturbed
reservoir, but the mathematical model is identical for all three cases.
In intervals where there is no bad hole or light
hydrocarbon, the reconstructed logs should
match the original log curves. If it does not, some
parameters in the petrophysical analysis or the
reconstruction model are wrong and need to be
fixed. It may take a couple of iterations. Remaining
differences are then attributed to the repair of bad
hole effects and light hydrocarbons in the invaded
zone. It is clear from this that the reconstruction
needs to encompass somewhat more than the
immediate zone of interest, but not the entire
borehole.
Example of synthetic density and sonic logs used
to calculate elastic properties for a fracture design
study. Track 1 has GR, caliper, and bad hole flag
(black bar). Track 2 has density correction (dotted
curve), neutron (dashed), original density (red),
synthetic density (black). Track 3 shows the
synthetic shear, and original and synthetic
compressional sonic log curves. In this well, the
sonic did not need much improvement - only small
spikes were removed by the log modeling
process. ==>
There are a dozen published methods for
generating synthetic logs, some dating back more
than 60 years, long before the computer era. Most
are too simple to do a good job, others are too
complicated to be practical.
The most successful and practical model to
implement and manipulate is the Log Response
Equation. This equation represents the response
of any single log curve to shale volume, porosity,
water saturation, hydrocarbon type, and lithology.
Log editing and creation of synthetic logs is
absolutely necessary in rough boreholes or when
log curves are missing.
Fracture design based on bad data guarantees
bad design results.
Seismic modeling, synthetic seismograms, and
seismic inversion interpretations are worthless if
based on bad log data.

CREATING SYNTHETIC LOGS FROM

THE LOG RESPONSE EQUATION
The best and easiest modern method for log
reconstruction uses the Log Response Equation.
Results are based on a complete and competent
petrophysical analysis run using good data over the interval of interest, and little above and below that interval. This
article does not cover the petrophysical analysis methods needed - they are well documented elsewhere

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www.spec2000.net/01-index.htm.
The equations needed are:
1: DENSsyn = Vsh * DENSSH + DENS1 * Vmin1 + DENS2 * Vmin2 + DENS3 * Vmin3
+ PHIE * Sw * DENSW + PHIe * (1 - Sw) * DENSHY
2: DTCsyn = Vsh * DTCSH + DTC1 * Vmin1 + DTC2 * Vmin2 + DTC3 * Vmin3
+ PHIe * Sw * DTCW + PHIe * (1 - Sw) * DTCHY

3: KS8 = SUM (Vxxx * (DTS?DTCmultiplier))

4: DTSsyn = KS8 * DTCsyn

Table 1: KS8 DTS / DTC Multiplier

Coal
1.9 to 2.3
Shale
1.7 to 2.1
Limestone
1.8 to 1.9
Dolomite
1.7 to 1.8
Sandstone
1.6 to 1.7

Where:
DENSsyn, DTCsyn, and DTSsyn are synthetic density,
compressional and shear sonic
DENSx, DTCx, and DTSx are density and sonic parameters for
each mineral and fluid (Table 2)
Vxxx = volume of each mineral present, normalized so that SUM(Vxxx) = 1.0
(DTS/DTCmultiplier) = Vp/Vs ratio for a particular mineral (Table 1)
NOTE: Stimulation design software wants the water filled case for its
input parameters. To accomplish this, set Sw = 1.00 in equations 1
and 2, DENShy and DTChy are therefore not needed.
Equation 1 is physically rigorous. Equation 2 is the Wyllie
time-average equation, which has proven exceedingly robust despite
its lack of rigor. Numerical constants in Equation 3 may need some
Sharp eyed readers will notice that there is a porosity term in
Equation 2, which means that Equation 4 also depends on porosity.
Everyone knows that a fluid in a pore does not support a shear wave,
but porosity does affect shear wave travel time in a manner similar to
the compressional travel time. Consider the following equations:
5: Kc = Kp + Kb + 4/3 * N
6: DTC = 1000 / ((Kc / (0.001 * DENS)) ^ 0.5)
7: DTS = 1000 / ( (N / (0.001 * DENS)) ^ 0.5)
Bulk moduli are in GPa, density is in kg/m3, and sonic travel times
are in usec/m in these equations.

It is clear from Equations 6 and 7 that both DTC and DTS depend on density, which in turn depends on mineral
composition, porosity, and the type of fluid in the porosity. Both Kc and N depend on mineral composition and the
presence of porosity.
Parameters used in the response equations are chosen appropriately for the case to be modeled. The Sw term varies
with what you are trying to model. If you want to model the undisturbed state of the reservoir, Sw is the water
saturation from a deep resistivity log and an appropriate water saturation equation. If you want to see what a log
would actually read in that zone, you need the invaded zone water saturation, because that's what most logs see.
Invaded zone saturation, Sxo, can be derived using a shallow resistivity curve, or it can be assumed to be Sw^(1/5).
If you want to see what a water zone would look like, Sw is set to 1.00. That is what we do for a reconstruction
destined to be used in calculating rock mechanical properties for stimulation design.
In all cases, you need to select fluid parameters to match the assumptions of the model. For example, to reconstruct
a log run through an invaded gas zone to reflect the undisturbed case, you need to use the undisturbed zone water
saturation and appropriate fluid properties for the water and gas in each equation. Note that for stimulation design, a
gas model is not required. For seismic modeling, it is required.
Matrix and fluid values for each required log curve are given in Table 1. They may need some tuning to obtain a good
match to measured values. Shale values are chosen by observation of the log readings in shale intervals. You may
have to look to offset wells to find a shale that does not suffer from bad hole effects.

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TABLE 2: RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS

Density
g/cc
Shale
Water fresh

Density
kg/m3

Compr
- usec/ft

Compr
usec/m

Shear
- usec/ft

Shear
usec/m

2.2 - 2.6 2200 - 2600 90 - 150 280 - 500 150 - 250 490 - 770
1.00

1000

200

656

Oil (light - heavy) 0.7 - 1.0 700 - 1000 250 - 188 770 - 616
Gas

See Charts and Equations Below

Water salt

1.10

1100

188

616

Granite

2.65

2650

55

182

80.0

262

Quartz

2.65

2650

55

182

88.8

291

Limey sandstone

2.68

2680

51

170

88.9

292

Limestone

2.71

2710

47

155

89.9

294

Limey dolomite

2.80

2800

45

150

82.3

270

Dolomite

2.87

2870

44

144

74.8

245

Anhydrite

2.90

2900

50

164

85.0

280

100

328

152+

500+

Coal

1.2 - 1.8 1200-1800

** These represent pseudo-travel times that act as proxies in the response equations to account for the
compressibility of the rock when gas, oil, or water are present. If you don't like this approach, see Biot-Gassmann
method. You might like it even less. See below for more on gas and the response equation..

DENSITY OF GAS FOR RESPONSE EQUATION

The DENSsyn equation is rigorous and can be used with
real hydrocarbon densities based on the temperature,
pressure, and phase relationship of the fluid in question. A
chart showing approximate gas density versus depth is
shown at the right, based on average pressure and
temperature data for the western Canadian basin.
Density of gas at reservoir conditions
- default approximation ==>
The straight line on the graph is:
For gas, in English units (gm/cc and feet),
6. DENSHYgas = Min (0.8, 0.000038 * DEPTH)
For gas, in Metric Units (Kg/m3 and meters).
7: DENSHYgas = Min (800, 0.125 * DEPTH)
For oil, in English units (gm/cc):
8. DENSHYoil = 141.5 / (131.5 + API_GR)
For oil, in Metric units (Kg/m3):
9. DENSHYoil = 141 500 / (131.5 + API_GR)
Where:
DENSHYgas = density of gas at DEPTH
DENSHYoil = density of oil
DEPTH = depth of reservoir
API_GR = oil gravity

SONIC TRAVEL TIME OF GAS FOR RESPONSE EQUATION

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The DTCsyn equation, an extension of the Wyllie Time Average equation for estimating porosity in water filled rocks,
provides the opportunity to compute the sonic travel time (and the seismic velocity) of any hypothetical formation by
describing the quantity of rock matrix, shale, water, and hydrocarbon, as well as the acoustic properties of these
elements in a given reservoir. The equation works for either compressional or shear waves, as long as the
appropriate fluid and rock properties are used.
Laboratory experiments and theory have shown that the
time average relationship is usually not true when gas
fills the pore space, or is even a small fraction of the
pore space. For this reason, we call the hydrocarbon
travel time in the Wyllie equation a "pseudo-travel-time"
to reaffirm that it represents a velocity which may not be
the same as the velocity of the gas at the temperature
and pressure of the formation.
The hydrocarbon "pseudo-travel-time" is derived
empirically by comparing results from synthetic
seismograms and properly processed field data. A very
rough approximation of hydrocarbon "pseudotravel-time" with depth, which has given reasonable
results in the western Canadian rock sequences, is
shown at left. Travel time for liquids, such as oil and salt
water (formation water) are more predictable and may be
used in the Wyllie equation without reservation.
<== Sonic travel time in gas at reservoir conditions default approximation

This approach was first introduced by the author and

John Boyd and published as "Determination of Seismic
Response Using Edited Well Log Data" by E.R. Crain and
J.D. Boyd at CSEG Annual Symposium, October 1979.
The straight line portion of this graph is represented by:
10: DELTHYgas = Max (200, 1000 - 0.08 * DEPTH) for English Units (us/ft and feet)
11: DELTHYgas = Max (656, 3280 - 0.2625 * DEPTH) for Metric Units (us/m and meters)
For oil, we have used:
12: DELTHYoil = 188 + 1.22 * API_GR
13: DELTHYoil = 616 + 4.0 * API_GR

for English units

for Metric units

Where:
DELTHYgas = compressional travel time of gas at DEPTH
DELTHYoil = compressional travel time of oil
DEPTH = depth of reservoir
API_GR = oil gravity
For shear travel time, the porosity can be accounted for by using:
11. DTSgas = DTSoil = DTSwater (see table above).

"META/MODEL" SPREADSHEET -- Modeling Log Response

This spreadsheet models log response based on user supplied assumptions, core data, or log analysis results. It is
used to prepare log data for use in Mechanical Properties of rocks or for editing logs prior to Seismic Modeling or
creation of synthetic seismic traces. The program uses the log response equation with appropriate values for fluid
and rock matrix replacement.
Model Log Response for fluid and rock replacement. English and Metric Units.

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Sample of "META/MODEL" spreadsheet for calculating log response based on user supplied assumptions,
core data, or log analysis results.
Model Log Response for fluid and rock replacement. English and Metric Units.

MISCELLANEOUS EDITING ROUTINES

The following algorithms may be useful in creating a shear travel time when none exists, and to quickly see the effect
if gas on a sonic and density log.

SHEAR TRAVELTIME FROM STONELEY WAVES DATA

In very slow formations, where shear travel time was impossible to measure on older sonic logs, this formula is used
to calculate shear travel time (DTS) from Stoneley travel time {DTDT}:
14: DTSsyn = (DENS / DENSW * (DTST^2 - DTCW^2)) ^ 0.5
The dipole shear sonic log has reduced the need for this calculation, as it
sees shear waves better than older array sonic logs.

SHEAR TRAVELTIME FROM COMPRESSIONAL DATA

A shortcut that cam be used is to determine a multiplier (Vp/Vs) based on the
graph at the right:
15: DTSsyn = KS8 * DTCsyn
Where:

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KS8 = 1.8 to 2.0 for shale

KS8 = 1.8 to 1.9 for limestone and anhydrite
KS8 = 1.7 to 1.8 for dolomite
KS8 = 1.6 for sandstone
Tune these parameters by comparing the synthetic shear sonic with measured shear data in an offset well.

QUICKLOOK METHOD TO REMOVE GAS EFFECT

In gas zones only, the density log and the compressional sonic log data may need to be corrected to a liquid filled
state. The sonic reads too high and density too low due to the gas effect. If a full blown log analysis is available,
density and sonic can be back-calculated from the porosity and lithology using the response equation method
described above, provided that reasonable gas corrections were made in that analysis.
In the absence of a full petrophysical analysis, the following equations will also provide better data than the raw log
data. In gas zones only:
16: DENSsyn = DENS + 0.5 * PHIe * Sgxo * (DENSMA - DENSW)
17: DTCsyn = DTC - 0.5 * PHIe * Sgxo * (DTCMA - DTCW)
18: DTSsyn = DTS
WHERE:
DENSsyn = density corrected (gm/cc or Kg/m3)
DENS = density log reading (gm/cc or Kg/m3)
PHIe = effective porosity (fractional)
Sgxo = gas saturation near the well bore (fractional) default = 0.80 for sonic, 0.70 for density log
DENSMA = matrix density (gm/cc or Kg/m3)
DENSW = water density (gm/cc or Kg/m3)
DTCsyn = compressional sonic corrected (usec/ft or usec/m)
DTC = compressional sonic log reading (usec/ft or usec/m)
DTCMA = compressional sonic travel time in matrix rock (usec/ft or usec/m)
DTSsyn = shear sonic corrected (usec/ft or usec/m)
DTS = shear sonic log reading (usec/ft or usec/m)
DTCW = sonic travel time in water (usec/ft or usec/m)
DTST = Stoneley travel time (usec/ft or usec/m)

EXAMPLE OF LOG RECONSTRUCTION USING THE LOG RESPONSE EQUATION

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Example of log reconstruction in a shaly sand sequence (Dunvegan). The 3 tracks on the left show the measured
gamma ray, caliper, density, and compressional sonic. Original density and sonic are shown in black, modeled logs
are in colour. Shear sonic is the model result as none was recorded in this well. Computed elastic properties are
shown in the right hand tracks. Results from the original unedited curves are shown in black, those after log editing
are in colour. Note that the small differences in the modeled logs compared to the original curves propagate into
larger differences in the results, especially Poisson's Ratio (PR), Young's Modulus (ED), and total closure stress
(TCS).

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