Well Log Based Geomechanical and Petrophysical Analysis of the Bakken Formation

Alan Alexeyev, Mehdi Ostadhassan, Rehan Ali Mohammed, Lingyun Kong, Chunxiao Li,
Seyedalireza Khatibi, Bailey Bubach
Department of Petroleum Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA

Abstract & Introduction Geomechanical Properties Results & Conclusions

This paper discusses the derivation of reservoir and
geomechanical properties from well logs in the
unconventional reservoir of Middle Bakken formation in
Williston Basin, North Dakota. The study was performed on
the middle member of the Bakken Formation in the Blue
We calculated common geomechanical properties such as Young, Shear, Bulk moduli, Poissons ratio, UCS, pore pressure, tensile
strength, friction angle. Shear wave velocity was calculated using Brocher equation:
= 0.7858 1.2344 + 0.79492 0.12383 + 0.00644 . It was applicable since Vp in our study was above 5km/s.
Eatons method was used for pore pressure determination: = ( )(
1. Coates formula showed better results, and the
Kc coefficient needs to be adjusted between 70
3 to 100 to get the right range of permeability,
) which for the Bakken is between 0.001 mD and

Buttes Field. Reservoir analysis consisted of determining the The rest of the formulas are found in the ARMA 17-942 paper. lower to 0.01 md and higher.
lithology and petrophysical properties such as porosity, 2. Shale volume showed consistent distribution
permeability, water saturation, and shale volume between 10-20% throughout an analyzed field.
calculations. We included the XRD analysis for more precise 3. Water saturation was in the range of 40%
analysis of the reservoir lithology. Geomechanical properties 4. Calculated porosity was in the range of 4-8%,
were calculated using existing correlations and relation. which is close correlated to the core data.
Those properties included the Youngs modulus, Poissons 5. The lithology of the middle Bakken is mostly
ratio, tensile strength, UCS, and pore pressure. This case study sandstone, with a sizable presence of dolomite
will help gathering an additional information on the Bakken and feldspar, and minimal presence of
Formation and analyzing the geomechanical properties in the limestone; both XRD and software analysis
Blue Buttes Field, which is a major producing field in ND. Permeability comparing Wyllie-Rose and Coates methods. BVW Porosity Shale volume showed closely correlated results.
Lithology and mineralogy
6. Geomechanical properties showed close
Reservoir Properties
Core data

Porosity, Permeability
Component,
in %
#2820 - #2820 #16433
10592.5' - -
#16433
-
#16652
-
#16653
-
correlation to one other Bakken study, thus
Depth, ft % to air, mD
To begin the reservoir characterization, basic rock properties 10665.6 5.66 0.004
10598' 10612' 10638' 10663' 10678'
ensuring that these formulas may be used in
dolomite 33 13 40.5 13.3 11.1 15.3
10666.25 5.49 0.004 geomechanical studies in the absence of core
need to be evaluated and understood. We analyzed 10674.1 6.68 0.034 calcite 8.6 14.9 9 10.2 6.2 10.7
10675.2 6.18 0.014
(limestone)
data.
permeability, porosity, effective porosity, shale volume, and 10676 7.4 0.005 quartz 31.3 60.8 50.5 41.6 45.45 50.9
(sandstone)
water saturation using a set of commercial software and well
Main references
10676.9 6.58 0.004
Muscovite 13.3 11.8 11.3
10678.2 6.09 0.008
logs. Gamma Ray, Compensated Neutron Density log, 10679.1 6.18 0.004 Sanidine,
ferrain
12.8 22.6 25.9
10680.1 6.2 0.004
Webster, R. L. 1984. Petroleum source rocks and
Borehole Compensated log, and Resistivity logs were used for 10681 6.27 0.004 pyrite 1 10 0.5
10682 6.32 0.004 K 1.2 stratigraphy of the Bakken Formation in North
this study. 10683.2 6.82 0.006 (potassium)
Dakota.
10684.1 5.68 0.003
Permeability: two methods were tried and compared 10685.2 4.36 0.001
Saturation Illite 23.1
Simenson, A. 2010. Depositional Facies and
Petrophysical Analysis of the Bakken Formation,
XRD

Wyllie-Rose and Coates. 10686.1 3.44 0.001

10687.1 5.96 0.003 Parshall Field, Mountrail County, North Dakota
10688.1 3.33 0.021
=
and = (

)2 10689.1 5.89 0.002
(Colorado School of Mines).


10690 5.96 0.002 Geomechanical properties
LeFever, J. A. 1991. History of Oil Production from
Porosity: neutron-density method was used to calculate 10691.1 6.81 0.032
Pore pressure
the Bakken Formation, North Dakota.
the porosity; for effective porosity: Liu, K., M. Ostadhassan, B. Bubach, and H. Jabbari.
2016, June. Bakken Formation Shales Nano-Scale
= (1 ) Analysis to Understand Mechanical Parameters. In
Saturation: Archie and Simandoux methods were tried, but 50th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium.
ARMA
the Simadoux one is used for further studies: Meissner, F. F. 1991. Petroleum Geology of the
1
Bakken Formation Williston Basin, North Dakota
1
= &
+ =0 and Montana.

Shale Volume: Larionov non-linear method for older rocks

was used: =
1
(2 2
1)
Acknowledgements
3 We would like to thank Aldjia Boualam, Sofiane
Lithology: XRD was done on three samples; in the software, Djezzar, Kouqi Liu for software help and the
the minerals like illite, dolomite, quartz, K-feldspar, experiment setup.
muscovite-mica, calcite were used to calculate the
Corresponding author: alan.alexeyev@und.edu
mineralogy