OF AIME
This Is A Preprint
---
INTRODUCTION
PAPER
NUMBER SPE 5906
Subject
TO CARBON
To Correction
LOGGING
by
Vernie Co McWhirter
Dresser At !as, Houston, Texas
American
Institute
Copyright
1976
of Mining, Metallurgical,
and ?etroleum
Engineers,
lr~c.
This paper was prepared for the 1976 Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting of the Society of
Petroleum
Engineers of AIME, to beheld
in Camper, Wyotning - May 1[-12, 1976. Pertnission
to copy is restricted
to an abstract
of not more than 300 words.
Illustrations
may not be
copied.
The abstract
should contain conspicuous acknowiedgementof
where and by whom the
Publication
elsewhere
after
publication
in the JOURNAL
OF
paper
is presented,
PETROLEUM
TECHNOLOGY
or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM
ENGINEERS JOURNAL is
usually granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate
journal provided agreement
to
give proper credit is made.
Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the
Discussion of this paper is invited.
Society of Petroleum
Engineers
office.
Such discussions
may be presented
at the above
meeting
and, with the paper, may be considered
for publication
in one of the two SPE
magazines.
..
A nuclear
presence
regardless
veloped.
..
: ABSTRACT
Examples
of interpretation
techniques
for
the
determination
of
oil
saturation:
Iithology, salinity and the presence of gas
are shown.
INTRODUCTION
This log, referred to as the Carbon Log or
Carbon/Oxygen
Ratio Log, is commercially
available
on a limited basis in the United
States and Canada.
For most of us in the oil production
industry, the Carbon Log principle,
including the technique,
terminology
and method
of operation,
is new. This paper is written
and presented
for those who desire
an
introduction
to Carbon Logging.
The intent of this paper is to cover the
basic nuclear
principle!
involved,
instrument operation and how use is made of the
nuclear reactions.
1 References
paper.
end of
The nuclear
reactions
from
which the
Carbon Log measurements
are obtained are
not new.
Reactions
that
occur
when
certain elements
are bombarded
with high
energy neutrons are wel I documented.
Fortunately,
a number of the elements that
are present in the rock tnatrix and the fluid
contained
therein do react in some identifiable way to neutron bombardment.
The Carbon Log is Imade possible due to the
. fact
that
Dresser
Atlas
has a .monoenergetic
neutron :cwrce that can be con-.
tiol led so as to provide a desired amount of
neui rons in periodic bursts,
i.e. the neutrons produced are_ of one specific energy
This differs
from the
level--- 14.2MEV.
.
convent ions I chemical
sources
used for
- running nwtron
logs in= that the chemical-
INTRODUCTION
sources used for running neutron logs emit
neu~rons continuously
in the 3-7MEV range
With
along with some gamma radiation.
are more
the llpulsed source the reactions
predictable
and with the high energy neutrons many more reactions are possible.
With the reactions
known and the availability of the source to create them, our
problem was then to construct
a subsurface
instrument
capable of initiating
them, resolving the information
and transmitting
to
the
surface
signals
that
retained
the
identity
of the elements
from which they
came.
Then at the surface to retain this
information
in such a manner as to be able
to analyze it.
There are three different
types of Gamma
Rays produced when elements
are exposed
to neutron bombardment.
They are:
1.
$:,
Carbon responds only to the inelastic calli~ sion with a high energy neutron to produce
a 4.43 M13V.Gamma Ray. This is the only
reaction from carbon.
Oxygen re~cts in more than one way, but
one of its reactions
is also to produce an
inelastic
Gamma Ray of 6. I MEV energy.
Since the only reaction from carbon is the
inelastic Gamma Ray, we must look in this
mode for its presence.
Since oxygen also
reacts
in the same manner,
but with a
distinctively
different
ga~lma energy, we
make a reading which contains
the total
inelastic gamma spectrum.
From this total
spe_c_trum W6 can select
energy windows
TO CARBON
LOGGING
SPF
59(
..=
>E 5906
Vernie C. McWhirter
!t is also evident
that the rock type is
important.
For this we are dependent
on
the si !icon calcium measurement
and any
other well logs or information
available.
The Si/Ca rat!os that we obtain range from
approximately
1.70+ in clean fresh water
, sands to. approximately
1.20- in carbonate
rock. It is important
here to point out the
effect
of chlorine.
Whereas the salinity
does not affect
the C/O measurement,
it
does enter
into the Si/Ca measurement.
Calcium
and chlorine
give off capture
gamma
rays of the same energy
level
(Figure 5); therefore,
as salinity
increases
the Si/Ca ratio decreases.
This can be very helpful
in knowri sand
reservoirs
because the Si/Ca ratio can be
converted
to read approximate
PPN NaC1.
Figure 6 is a nomograph used to determine
water salinity from the Si/Ca ratio.
This
can be helpful in water injection areas to
determine
not only is a zone watered-out,
but whether
with formation
water or injetted water.
The presence
of shale also affects
the
Si/Ca ratio.
The greater the shale content
the lower the silicon content,
therefore,
the lower the Si/Ca ratio.
Figure 6, which
is used to determine
water salinity,
can
also be used to estitnate
shale content:
When work ing in shaly sands that also
contcin salinity, some knowledge of one or
the other is necessary
in order to use the
chart, as they both add up to drive the
Si/Ca ratio !owero
There are some definit6 character
peaks
that
must be observed
in 1he capture
spectra,
from which the 5i/Ca
ratio
is
derived, to help determine
whether a low
or intermediate
Si/Ca ratio is due to the
presence
of shale or the presence cif calFigures
3, 7 and 8 exhibit
the
cium.
capture peaks we can look for to help us.
Note in Figure
3 the prominent
silicon
peak, this at 1.78 MEV and the clean-cut
valley between silicon and hydrogen at 2.2
MEV: This is typical of a clean fresh water
sand Si/Ca ratio i .65.
carbonate
rock,
Si/Ca
ratio
1.16.
_ . .
--
:ARBON
Note in Figure8
that both the silicon peak
at 1.78 MEV and the calcium peak at 1.96
MEV are present.
This can bedue to either
being in a Iimey sand or a sand with a
significant
amount of salinity Si/Ca ratio
I.43.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The continuous
log is used primarily
for
correlation
with existing logs and is excel!ent for that purpose.
Figures 9 and 10
show examp!es of correlation
with an old
electric
log in a fresh water area and an
induction
Icg in a newer
well.
This
continuous silicon-calcium
log also gives us
some clues as to tho rock type. By looking
d the count rate on each curve and the
ratio, we get an indication
of the sand,
shale and calcium content.
A very important clue observed on the continuous
Si/Ca
log is a high count rate if we log through a
gas zone.
Figure I 1 shows the gas effect
on these curves.
The second step of the carbon log is to
make stationary
measurements
at selected
.It is at these selected
depth intervals.
intervals that the carbon to oxygen ratio is
made.
Another silicon to, calcium ratio is
also made, and from the information
obtained
in these two readings
the actual
interpretation
is made.
-.
SPE 5906
FIELD EXAMPLES
Four examples of actual logs from different areas are presented.
The data sheets
have been condensed
to leave out several
zones in each well but still contain enough
to iIlustrate
the information
obtained
f~r
interpretation.
1.
LOGGING
- Figure
12
- Figure
13
This example
shows. typical
readings
obtdined
in limestone
in comparison
with
sands containing
oil, gas and water.
Note
in zoyes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 14 a C/O ratio of
1.80- is obtained.
this is accompanied
by
Si/Ca ratios of 1.20-.
These are known to.
be in limestone
and Austin chalk and the
ratios
confortn
to what
we expect.
in
carbonate
rock. Zones 5, 6 and 7 have C/O
,.
E 5906
Vernie C.
cWhirter
~
California
SPE 59f14
excellent and
been encounof formation
be attained,
appear justi-
1. Inhighporosity
sands, oil saturation can
be estimated
with good accuracy regardless of formation water salinity and
regardless of shale content.
2. In intermediate
porosity
formations
with varying proportions of limestone
matrix there are encouraging prospects
can be made
that reliable interpretation
with the help of a silicon-calcium
ratio curve.
3. Borehole effects due to normal cased
hole conditions such as annular fluid
variations, borehole size, cement type,
K!tc., do not alter the measured C/()
ratio to a degree that wrong interpretation is made.
The carbon to oxygen ratio log has been
found to be a field worthy system.
The
apparatus is complex and its required per-.
formance specifications
are exacting because the nuclear processes involved are
very difficult to measure with the required
accuracy and reliability.
These difficulties
appear to have been overcome and the
system is now available commercia IIy on a
limited basis. Continuation of instrument
development and field testing is planned to
evaluate the economic feasibi Iit y of extending the service to regions where more
refined techniques of interpretation
may be
required.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author acknowledges the coopera~ion
and assistance of many members of the
Dresser At Ias staff. Mr. R. A. Berganz Mr.
R. B. Culver, Mr. E. C. Hopkinson are
responsible for the design, development and
field evaluation
of the instrumentation.
This paper has used the results and conclusions from their work, both published and
The patient support of the
unpublished.
Dresser At Ias management for over twenty
years of research and development is also
acknowledged.
.
REFERENCES
1. Hoyer, W. A.; hnd Rumble, R. C.: Field
Experience in Measuring Oil Content,
Lithology and Porosity with a High
Energy Neutron-induced
Spectral Logging System, Journal Petroleum Technology, July, 1975, 80!.
2. Caldwell,
Richard L.; Mills, Wm. R.,
Jr.; and Hichman, John B., Jr.: Gamma Radiation from Inelastic Scattering
of 14-MEV Neutrons by the Common
Earth Elements, Nuclear Science and
Engineering (1960), Vol. 8, 173.
3. Lawson, B. L.; Cook, C. F.; and
Owen, J. D.: A Theoretical and Laboratory Evaluation, presented at the 45th
Annual Meeting of the SPE of AlME,
Houston, Texas (October 4-7, 1970).
4. Lock, G. A., and Hoyer$ W. A., CarbonOxygen (C/0) Log: Use and Interpretation, Journal of Petroleum Technology,
(Sept. 1974), I044.
5. Schultz, Ward E.; and Smith, Harry D.,
Jr.; Laboratory and Field Evaluation of
a Carbon/Oxygen
(C/0) Wet 1 Logging
System, Journal of Petroleum TechnoL
WY, (Oct.
.-.
.-
Vernie C. McWhirter
I?E 5906
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~oto peak c~rbo~
: .43 MEV - CH. 128
11
;:
Silicon Peak
1.78 MEV
CH. 51
l.l/
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.....
20
~~
48
80
T
Scale Change
100
120
I,I,,,,,
Illllllillllllll~~~~
11111111
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Ill
140
1a
180
lllllll!ll,,,,,,,,,,,!,,.,,,,,,![l,l,,..,,
2f30
220
240
CHFINNELNO.
Channel
Number
51
57
64
Element
Silicon
calcium
Hydrogen
Energy-Mev
1.78
1.96
2.2
3.41
3.92
4.43
99
113
128
5.11
5.62
6.13
147
161
177
6.62
7.13
7.64
189
204
218 ~
FIGURE 2
.,
.
INTRODUCTION
TO CARBON LOGGING
.
.
SPE 5901
,..
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1.0
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o~
Limestone _
Sandstone
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4
Gamma Ray Energy -
Porosity
6
MeV
PE 5906
Vernie C. McWhirter
Si/Ca
Ratio
1.7
c
.
Fresh
Water
Clean
Sand
10,000 P.P.M.
1.6
50%
40%
1.5
30%
..
1.4
20%
lo%
1.3
1.2
Correct For
Shale
o
100% Shale
1.
Wash Out
\
INTRODUCTION
TO CARBON LOGGING
SPE 590
..................,,,
!
60
100
1221
14B
lG@
Is@
MB
CHANNELNO.
.
,..
.
.
.
:
.
.
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.
.
.
.
.:
.1111
..
..,
.. . ....1
..............
!?8
Ipthlmp,
n!
40
60
ml
108
128
la
160
180
208
220
31a
CHfiNNEL No.
-..
iPE 5906
Vernie C. McWhirter
Electrolog
SPONTANEOUS
POTENTIAL
y
MILIVOLTS
20
GAMMA-RAY
1) .100
+.
4,000
COUNTS/MiN.
8,000
t
%
> v
?
;alcium
_-c- .-
-4 s
-e --
.-
. .
12,C
INTRODUCTION
TO CARBON LOGGING
SPE 59(X
-L
/\
!4 u
/ w
P %4
5600
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
--78
9
10
Depth
2977.
2973
2961
2880
2542
2286
2070
1930
1388
1335
Total
10 sac.
7400
7600
7500
7400
7200
71(?0
8400
(s400
8200
8200
Channal 1
Carbon
13,482
13,622
13,095
12,966
12,613
12,310
14,246
14,359
14,922.
14,692
Channal 2
Oxygan
7812
7725
7892
7797
7920
7796
8660
8933
8565
8511
Clo
Ratio
Total
Mon.
1.73
1.76
1.66
1.66
1,59
1.56
1.65
1.61
1.74
1.73
617
633
625
617
600
592
646
646
630
630
Mon.
C.D.
12
12
12
12
12
12
13
13
13 13
Channel 1
Silicon
17,312
19,683
18;539
13,859
19,361
17,766
12,376
14,967
10,291
10,075
Channel 2
Calcium
10,718
12.113
11 ;606
8,948
11,575
10,955
7,638
8,891
7,095
6,861
SilCa
Ratio
1.62
1.62
1.60
1,55
1.67
1.62
1.62
1.b.
1.45
1.47
Ramarks
Sand Oil
Sand Oil
Sand Depleted
Shaly Sand Depleted
Sand Water
Sand Water
Sand Depleted
Sand Water
Limey Sand Water
Limey Sand Water
FIGURE 12
Total
10 sec.
Channal 1
Channel 2
(YO
Ratio
Total
Mon.
5720
10,099
10,791
10,961
10,900
10,014
1.80
1.18
1.81
1.83
1.76
1.61
q.64
1,69
1.66
1.64
3600
,3600
6100
51300
5900
18,205
19,623
19,883
19,960
1.7,657
6
7
8
9
10
5670
5580
5546
5515
5500
5900
5900
6000
6000
6000
18.186
17,505
18,467.
16,503
17,697
10,444
10.023
11,134
9,924
10,733
1.75
1.75
1.66
1.66
1,65
1.66
1.66
2.14
1.67
2.14
3500
3600
2800
3600
2800
11
12
13
14
15
5438
5410
5370
5110
4238
6000
6200
6000
6000
6000
19,180
16,262
17,965
19,029
19,281
11,443
1.68
1.62
1.65
1.78
1.6!
.2.55
2.14
1.58
1.67
1.62
2350
2900
3800
3600
3700
No.
Depth
1
2
3
4
6285
6285 R
6070
5950
5800
5900
10,013
10,885
10,674
12,002
Mon.
10 sac.
3600
3500
3600
Channal 1
Channal 2
8,060
6854
6,821
8,092
7560
6715
7174
4986
8,220
8,637
9,089
7,786
.
12,437
2,951
10,837
11,581
6,834
2,953
8,187
6,323
5131
4505
6966
2144
6290
7513
4685
2330
6858
4544
SilCa
Ratio
Rarnarks
1.18
1.17
1.21
1.15
1.73
Limestone
Limestone
Limestone
Limewone
Sand Oil
1.75
1.73
1.79
1.38
1.72
Sand Oil
Sand Oil
1.54
1.46
1.27
.
1.19
1.39
Sand Gas
Shale
Sand Gas
Sand Gas
Sand Gas
Shale
Chalk
Sand Water
FIGURE 13
,.,
>E
No.
:
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Oapth
6685
5565
6665
6665
6645
6645
6637
6637
6612
6612
6? 10
11
12
13
14
15
16
13
Vernie C. McWhirter
5906
6510
6496
64%
6426
6426
Total
10 eat.
70U)
7000
7500
7500
82(XI
Channal 1
Carbon
16.169
16,278
18,405
18,485
22.893
Chartnal 2
Oxygnrr
9,456
9,410
10.168
10,213
12,646
Clo
Ratio
1.71
1.73
1.61
1.61
1.61
Total
Mon.
437
437
@q
469
512
8260
8200
82~
8000
8000
22,732
22,2el
22,204
13%7
19,655
12,628
12,594
12,573
10,852
10,850
1.80
1.77
1.76
1.84
1.83
512
512
512
500
500
6500
8500
7000
7000
7500
7500
24.419
23.672
16,423
15,983
17,716
18.232
13,556
13,189
9,548
9,347
9,842
10,243
1.80
1.81
1.72
t.71
1.80
1,78
531
531
467
467
500
500
Mon.
CD.
16
16
16
16
16
Channel 1
Wcon
20,690
20,890
20,696
20,696
25,696
Channel 2
Calcium
18,981
16,991
18,967
18,987
23,150
8ilCa
Ratio
1.10
1,10
1,08
1.Oe
1.11
Remarka
Dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite
Water
Water
Prob. Oil
Prob. Oil
Prob. Oil
16
16
16
16
16
25,696
24,790
24,790
21.231
21,231
23.150
22,954
22,954
19,478
19,478
1.11
1.08
1.08
1.09
1.09
Dolomite
Oolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite
Prob. Oil
Prob. Oil& Water
Prob. Oil & Water
Od
Oil
16
16
15
15
15
29,523
29.523
20,372
20,372
27,614
27,614
28,663
26,663
18,863
18.863
26,299
26.299
1.03
1.03
1.08
1.08
1.05
1.05
Lime Low II
Lime Low O
Dolomite Water
Dolomite Water
Lime Low O
Lime Low 0
FIGURE 14
CALIFORNIA
1.72
Core Analysis
Depth
Cfo
Si/Ca
f$
785
1.61
1.61
1.60
1.61
1.65
759
1.67
oil
Water
31.3
34.5
32.4
32.3
31.5
29.5
27.2
30.1
0.0
0.0
26.9
23.8
16.4
22.2
21.5
34.3
78.4
81.7
70.0
76.4
82.0
71.2
71.5
55.2
31.4
32.8
31.7
42.5
42.3
43.9
57.1
55.1
53.5
740
1.63
1.64
1.66
723
1.66
1.67
1.69
702
1.56
1.57
1.44
Shale
683
1.68
1.68
1.64
1.69
1.68
1.60
32.5
31.5
31.2
31.1
30.2
30.7
647
EXAMPLE
1.70
. 1.68 _
California Example
CIO versus SW
#
Q I .(56
+
/
$1.64
Q
~ 1.62
1.60
/
A
1.58
54.6
53.8
47.4
60.2
57.6
60.2
41.0
45.1
46.2
39.0.
.41.9 -38.7
1.56
100
80
60
40
Water Saturation %
FIGURE 16
,.
FIGURE 15
L..
.
.,
20
..