Fluid Substitution

• Purpose
• Principle
• Density
• Sonic
• Gassmann
• Ifs and buts

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Shell Learning
 Fluid Substitution: Purpose

• To eliminate effects of (residual) hydrocarbons in the

invaded zone on the response of Sonic and Density logs
– in order to determine acoustic properties of the water bearing
formation.
• To calculate the acoustic properties of the hydrocarbon
bearing formation away from the borehole.

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Shell Learning
 When to apply

• Well synthetics
– Correct from flushed zone to water bearing undisturbed formation
– Correct from water bearing to hydrocarbon bearing

• Trendcurve, rock property models

– Preferably select water bearing intervals only to establish trends
– Use fluid substitution to model hc effects

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Shell Learning
 Density log

• Linear response model:  b  f  1  s

 f  S br  br  So  o  Sg  g
Required:
• Invaded zone to water bearing
– estimate of the fluid saturations in the zone of investigation of the Density log
(the invaded zone; 30 cm).
– estimate of the Density log responses of the fluids concerned (mud filtrate, brine,
oil, gas at the prevailing reservoir conditions)
• Water bearing to hydrocarbon bearing
– estimate of the true densities and the Density log responses of the fluids
concerned (brine, oil, gas at the prevailing reservoir conditions)

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

– formulation of the desired final saturation conditions.

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 Density log

• Invaded zone fluid saturations:

– Shallow-reading resitivity device
• Fluid density:
– True density
• From pressure gradient, PVT, fluid property correlations
– Apparent density
• Difference with true density very small for oil and brine
• For gas:  g ,app  1.325 *  g  0.188

• Eg: g  0.20 g ,app  0.077

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Shell Learning
 Sonic log

• Complex response model: Gassmann equation

Required:
– An estimate of the bulk modulus of the solid grains of the rock
– A Shear sonic reading, or an estimate of Poisson’s ratio of the dry rock
• Invaded zone to water bearing:
– estimate of the fluid saturations in the zone of investigation of the Sonic log (the
invaded zone; 1 - 10 cm?).
– estimate of the densities and acoustic velocities of the fluids concerned (mud
filtrate, brine, oil, gas at the prevailing reservoir conditions)
• Water bearing to hydrocarbon bearing:
– estimate of the densities and acoustic velocities of the fluids concerned (brine, oil,
gas at the prevailing reservoir conditions)
– formulation of the desired final saturation conditions.

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 Sonic wave propagation

- Monopole source; refracted wave

- Travelling at formation – borehole interface
- Default assumption: not affected by
Vm unflushed hydrocarbons
- Little bit of gas has large impact on Vp
Vp, Vs
- Gas correction critically sensitive to Sxo

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Shell Learning
 Fluid substitution procedure
Basic relations:
4
b V  k b   b
2
p
3
 b Vs2   b

To calculate fluid-substituted Vp and Vs, you need to know how

b , kb and b
change with fluid saturation

b we know
b is independent of fluid fill

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 Simplified rock model

1 kf
ks
1 2
2 ks

equal stress equal strain

Reuss average: Voigt average:
1 S1 1  S1 k b  S1k1  (1  S1 )k 2 k b  k red  (1  )k (1 red )
 
k b k1 k2
 1   
(also the mixing law for fluids: 1 1  1 
Wood’s law)  
k (1red ) k white k blue

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

kred = kblue = ksolid; kwhite = kfluid
Shell Learning
 Gassmann equation

 k dry 2 
 (1  ) 
 k dry ks 
kb  ks   
 s 1  dry   k s  1 
kf
k k ks

 k  ks
 k s  f 
k dry   k s
Expression for bulk modulus kb of fluid-filled porous rock
Assumptions:
• load-bearing part (ks) + remainder (mix of kf and ks)
• zero frequency limit

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 Fluid substitution procedure

Parameters: , k f , k s , k b Response model:

Unknown: k dry b  f  1  s

All parameters can be:  f  S br  br  So  o  Sg  g

measured or interpreted from logs
or S br  S o  S g  1
estimated from other sources
1 S br S o S g
(material properties)   
k f k br k o k g
Can solve for kdry
4
Then calculate kb for new set of k b   b V   b Vs2
2
p
fluid saturations 3

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Shell Learning
 Impact of small gas saturation

Fluid modulus vs Sw
gas - brine mixture

2.5

2
kf (Gpa)

1.5 kf

0.5

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Sw

1 S w 1  Sw (Wood’s law)
 

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

kf k w kg
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 Frequency dependency of kf mixing

kf = (kbr – kg) * Sxoe + kg

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Logic User program GASSMANN2
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 Role of Shear sonic

Basic relation:
4
k b   b Vp   b Vs2
2

3
No shear sonic available:
4 4
k b   b Vp2   b   b Vp2   dry
3 3
Use the definition of Poisson’s ratio:
- (the ratio of lateral strain to axial strain) in a uniaxial stress state

4  dry (1   dry )
1 3 Sandstone: dry = 0.15
3 k dry (1   dry )
Carbonate: dry = 0.25

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 Summary: complicating factors

• Different zones of investigation of Sonic and Density

– with different associated fluid saturation profiles
• Strong sensitivity of Sonic velocity at low gas saturations
• Frequency dependency of the Sonic response to partially gas-
filled rock
• Difference between true and apparent fluid densities
– in particular for gas

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 Implications

• All these factors only have an impact when correcting from Invaded
zone to Fully water bearing
• Sonic correction to fully water bearing:
– default assumption should be: fully water bearing response
– only correct if gas effect is clearly seen
– uncertainties: gas saturation, frequency response, Dt stretch
– if gas correction was done: health check with water bearing zone
• Density correction to fully water bearing:
– linear
– better handle on Sxo seen by the tool
– use apparent density for gas
• Density correction to undisturbed reservoir conditions:
– use true density for gas

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 Good Practice

• In an hydrocarbon bearing zone / invaded zone situation

– Compare 3 or 4 synthetic traces:
1. No invasion editing (“raw logs”)
2. Invasion edited to water bearing conditions
3. Edited to undisturbed hydrocarbon bearing conditions
• Starting from 1.
• Starting from 2.

• This will give you a feel for the sensitivities / uncertainties

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 Implication for seismic interpretation

• Low saturation gas can be as bright as a gas reservoir

– False prospects
– Shallow gas pockets

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

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 4D modelling

• Reservoir with pressure support: traditional fluid substitution

• Depletion: all the above + stress effects
– Porosity reduction
– Velocity changes
– Change in fluid properties
– Update Z(t) curve

Copyright 2001 SIEP B.V.

Shell Learning