Carbonate and Fracture Petrophysics

Instructor  Mark Deakin, PhD (Petrophysics)

www.petrophysics.net    Fx +618 9203 5875

Who Should Attend?                                                       Print pdf

All Petrophysicists, Wellsite Geologists, Operations Geologists, Carbonate or Fracture Reservoir Geologists or Engineers and Core Analysts. Anyone involved with the formation evaluation of Carbonates, Fractured or 'Complex' reservoirs or who use their petrophysical results for reserves or reservoir simulation.  Basic petrophysical principles and log analysis are reviewed, however a years experience in formation evaluation is desirable. 

You Will Learn

- The physical differences between carbonates and clastics and their data response implications

- Why low porosities, extreme pores, fractures & oil wetness occur in carbonates and how to recognize & treat them

- The essential ingredients of a successful Carbonate & Fracture evaluation compared to a Clastic's evaluation

- Why well tests (DSTs) are often misleading in fractured reservoirs and what critical other data you must have

- The importance of mudlogs, capillary pressures, well tests and other data

- The key Failure Entry Points which must be identified and healed to achieve cost-effective data acquisition

- Variable cementation exponents (m): how to recognize, treat and evaluate them

- Key features of a Carbonate & Fracture quicklook log evaluation

- Common pit falls of Carbonate & Fracture petrophysical studies and how to avoid them

- How to perform a systematic, complete, integrated evaluation.  Why and how this differs from clastics

- How to integrate carbonate capillary pressures with routine core & logs in a carefully explained workshop

- How a Non-Petrophysicist can quickly asses if Carbonate or Fracture input data and results are ‘Fit for Purpose’

About the Course         CFP slide example                 Testimonials

This intermediate course details the primary problems of carbonate and fracture evaluations and how to optimize data acquisition and integration for accurate results.  Fracture evaluation is included because carbonates, basement and tight clastics are often fractured.  Although the same fundamental petrophysical principles apply to all reservoirs carbonate and fractured reservoirs are far more problematic.  Log analysis is often completely misleading, so training and integration are essential to avoid expensive mistakes.  Carbonate petrophysics is dominated by forces unfamiliar to the clastics geoscientist such as poor poro-perm relationships, diverse pore-geometries and diagenesis and the absence of clay minerals as controls on reservoir quality.  Such features require the petrophysicist, more than any other team member, to think hard if development decisions and operations are to be based on fit-for-purpose results. 

A wide variety of examples from shallow, permeable carbonates to tight fractured carbonates and basement are employed to demonstrate the often severe shortcomings of conventional approaches.  The physical differences between clastics and Carbonates & Fractures are contrasted and explained in the context of attempting to achieve answers from conventional log analysis.  The Failure Entry Points which result are highlighted and juxtaposed with the purpose designed, drill-core-log-test process proven successful in these reservoirs.  First, Carbonate & Fracture physical characteristics are translated into petrophysical uncertainties, then the drill-core-log-test acquisition and petrophysical integration specifically designed to address them is systematically worked through.  All theory is interleaved with real examples, micro-practicals and work sessions to clarify and consolidate the principles under discussion.  The last day includes a key petrophysical theory/workshop to derive capillary pressure Sw's and integrate them with routine core and logged resistivity, using a carbonate data set.  Routine and Special Core Analysis, Conventional Logs, ECS, NMR, Sonic Scanner, Image logs and MDTs are all examined and carefully applied to geo-modeling and reserves.  This course will provide new found confidence and a much needed systematic process for all staff faced with the daunting prospect of managing these confusing reservoirs. 

This is not a carbonates geology course it's "Think Petrophysics!" for 5 straight days. 

Course Content            Detailed contents                   (Public courses 5 days. Tailored In-House 3 or 5days)

- Review of carbonate and fracture pore geometries and important other factors

- Why relationships between porosity, shaliness & reservoir quality are often absent and what you must do about it

- Carbonate or fracture designed coring, logging, wireline testing, routine and special core analysis

- Examples of good and bad carbonate and fracture data sets and how to improve them

- Applications of Lucia's "rock fabric" approach

- Improved carbonate and fracture quicklook log analysis

- The essential ingredients and work-flow of a Carbonates & Fracture full integrated petrophysical evaluation

- Checklists for logging and petrophysical results prior to their use in reserves or simulation 

- Evaluation spreadsheet templates and Key Equations List

- Daily Morning Recaps and Review of Key Themes; Final Course Recap; Key Recommendations

- Geolog real-time demos of key petrophysical procedures.  Vendor movies

- Checklists for Non-Petrophysicists, Micro-practicals, Workshops, 30years Experience, Stimulating debate!

The Instructor             CV

Dr Mark Deakin is an experienced and innovative mainstream petrophysical consultant, author and enthusiastic tutor in petrophysics.  He holds a Ph.D. in ‘Integrated Petrophysics’ from London's Imperial College, is an ex Amoco petrophysicist, and has 25 years experience, including 12 as a lecturer, independent consultant and Director of his own consulting company.  He has performed over 40 detailed reservoir studies, primarily in Southeast Asia’s difficult carbonates and stacked ‘low-contrast-pay’ reservoirs. Deakin chooses to work frequently in operations to keep abreast of new LWD, coring and wireline technology.  His holistic approach is to bring each field's development uncertainties into sharp focus and then systematically reduce them by a cost-benefit ranked plan of action.  Innovative integration and clear, practical recommendations typically result in improved simulation and increased reserves, at low cost.  Soon after his petrophysics PhD Deakin authored the first public petrophysical data integration course.  He has continually evolved and chaired this and other courses, publicly and in-house, for eight years through OGCI, HOT and independently.  Deakin is a long standing member of the SPWLA.

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