Implementation of Globally Applicable Standard Workflow for the Borehole Image Interpretation in Clastic and Carbonate Reservoirs

Chitale, D. V. (Vivek), Halliburton Energy Services, Houston, TX

A new standard workflow to perform integrated interpretation of borehole images and the other openhole logs was recently proposed (Chitale and Sullivan, 2004). Integration of the bulk petrophysical measurements with the image logs that provide description of the lay­ering, texture, and geometry of the subsurface rocks offers an extremely powerful reservoir characterization tool available to an E&P asset team. The objective of standardizing the image interpretation workflow is to increase their utilization in solving E&P problems by showing that they are more than pretty pictures.

This paper demonstrates the implementation of the new image interpretation workflow in the case of clastic- and carbonate reservoirs from Fort Worth- and Permian Basins. Borehole images are first integrated with conventional openhole logs to identify reservoir lithofacies, depositional facies, and high frequency stratigraphic changes. Sedimentary cycles and bed-sets and packages are then interpreted and electro-facies ordering is pro­duced that further leads to sequence stratigraphic analysis. Standard technique includes net-to-gross pay estimation.

The recommended workflow implementation assumes geologists, petrophysicists and reservoir engineers from an asset team working together to maximize the E&P value. Benefits to the oil and gas operators include (1) enhanced accuracy in reserves estimation and reservoir modeling; (2) increased communication within asset teams and (3) optimum utilization of the acquired down-hole data. All of the above directly save the E&P costs.