SORAN UNIVERSTY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
FACULTY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERING

CORING AND CORING

ANALYSIS
DRILLING ENGINEERING I (PENG 313)

Prepared by: Reband Azad

Raza
Supervised by: Mr. Jagar
Ali

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Date: 11/15/2015
Table of Contents
CORING AND CORE ANALYSIS..................................................................................... 3
CORING:..................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction:............................................................................................................... 4
TYPES OF CORING:..................................................................................................... 5
CONVENTIONAL CORING:........................................................................................... 5
SIDEWALL CORING: (SWCs)........................................................................................ 7
Percussion coring:...................................................................................................... 8
Rotary coring:............................................................................................................. 9
CORING PROCEDURES:............................................................................................. 10
CORING ANALYSIS..................................................................................................... 12
Porosity:.................................................................................................................... 12
Absolute porosity:..................................................................................................... 13
Permeability:............................................................................................................. 15
The wettability:......................................................................................................... 17

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Abstract: This report will present a brief description about coring and
coring Analysis and the techniques and the types of coring and their
procedures.

CORING AND CORE ANALYSIS

CORING:
Definition: core is sample of cylindrical section of underground formation;
most core samples are obtained by drilling with special drills into the
substance, for example sediment or rock, with a hollow steel tube called a
core drill. The hole made for the core sample is called the "core hole". Many
of different coring techniques for many type of Medias under different
conditions. In the process of coring, tube of coring is pushed into the
formation by more or less based on hard of formation. The tube removed in
the laboratory, it is checked and analyzed by different ways of technique and
equipment depending on the data requested.

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Figure 1.1: coring samples

(Abhishek and Larissa, September 2014)

Introduction:
Main reason for coring is to achieve geological information, in the oil
company the geology section department they will achieve data based on
the tests they want practice on the core sample. As a result, coring will
processed for a many of reasons. Because of large size of the sample, many
type of data will obtain, the followings are some data achieved by core
sample:

Porosity the capable of pores to holding fluids.

Permeability its a linked connection between pores in porous media.

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Saturation the occupied space in the pores by formation fluids.

Of a secondary importance is the additional information relating to formation

boundaries, large scale sedimentary structures, undisturbed paleontological
data, and the opportunity for uncontaminated geochemical sampling.
Most of the basics behind coring operations is presented in the Advanced
Logging Procedures Workbook, however, it is best to review the two main
reasons why coring takes place at the Well site
1. Strati graphically - the oil company will core a formation (generally
accomplished on development wells)
2. Hydrocarbon Shows - the oil company will core any formation based upon
unexpected hydrocarbon shows (generally done on wildcat wells).

TYPES OF CORING:
Two types of coring operations are used:
1.

Conventional (at the time of drilling)

2.

Sidewall (while wireline logging)

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

CONVENTIONAL CORING:
conventional drilling is common used type of coring which is using special
hollow bits which is allow geologists and engineers to define the properties of
any formation ,while drilling the hollow bit set to the head of drill collar
instead of common drilling bits and then it will be drilled to reached
formation while conventional coring process, the driller first drills well down
to a zone of interested formation by using a conventional drill bit and drill
string, A field geologist will monitors drilling operation to decide when to
start coring operations, when the geologists decided to start coring, driller
start to pull out the drill bit in the bore hole, the crew of drilling they will
change the normal bit to hollow coring bit .
The hollow coring bit: the special designed bit with hollow space inside the
bit which is help the coring to done in cylindrically and the obtained core it
will carry out in the core barrel which cylindrically tube ,core barrel consists
of two cylindrically tube which is inner barrel and outer barrel and a core
catcher ,the barrels are linked to swivel that allows the inner barrel to
remain fixed while outer rotates with the bit of coring, When the core barrel
is being full, the driller will pull out the drill string into surface and the core
barrel will obtained .

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Figure 1.2: hollow bot

(Matt and Tony, 2015)

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

The following are recommendations which apply to conventional

coring:
1. Precaution must be taken to completely insure that the well is free of
junks; like small pieces (bit teeth, tong dies because it will destroy the
core bit, either its diamond or conventional.
2. The cores head must be run down into well at a normal safe speed to
avoid damage from beating a dog-leg which is curved.

SIDEWALL CORING: (SWCs)

plugs of taken rock from the hole bore wall, a SWCs are commonly obtained
by wireline tools, and wireline tool can reach multiple zones , After the driller
man reached a casing point and drills to total depth (TD) , the drill pipe it
will pulled out of the well and the entire well will prepare to logging before
casing is being set, Sidewall sample cores practically are being obtained
after logging tools have been runs before, running the logging tolls before
side wall coring will gives geologists suitable time to pick depth of cores
after logging tools will identify the zones in the borehole , spontaneous
potential log and Gamma Ray log will be used to correlate between depth of
the core and open hole depth , Sidewall coring (SWCs) equipments are being
controlled at the surface unit, and sidewall coring and can obtain samples
from the wall of a wellbore more than 90 selected depths.

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Figure 1.3: Rotary Sidewall Coring

(Matt and Tony, 2015)
Most common two types of sidewall coring are: percussion and
rotary
Percussion coring tool or also called core gun, has core barrels bullets, by
using small explosive
Charges will let core barrels into the side of the well to capture cores samples
of selected zones,
And the rotary will use horizontal core bit drilling to obtain cores from
sidewalls of formations.

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Percussion coring:
the part of bullet series puts down into well bore by wireline tool into
interested coring point, then the bullets shots into formation core gun will
obtain [1.125 to 1.75 in] in length and will obtain [0.688 to 1 in.] in diameter.

Figure 1.4: bullet series

(Abhishek and Larissa, September 2014)

Figure 1.5: bullets

(Abhishek and Larissa,

September 2014)

Rotary coring:
Rotary coring tool is horizontal drilling to obtain core samples using small
type of bits which is cut core sample at side wall of wellbore, sidewall rotary
coring tool will use diamond drill bit, core gun (percussion) is most common

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

using tool ,but rotary coring it will use in hard rock formations and deep
water reservoirs ,core gun will obtain [1.125 to 1.75 in] in length and will
obtain [0.688 to 1 in.] in diameter, and rotary coring tool will obtain [2.5 in.]
long and [1.5 in.] in diameter the rotary coring has three times volume than
percussion.

Figure 1.6: Rotary Sidewall coring

(Matt and Tony, 2015)

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Coring selection point:

Coring point it will select and be deiced with field supervisors and
geologists, for selection any point must be following being considered:

The well must be logged and correlated

The Variety formation separated and defined

The decision must be taken for selection the type of bit using

The type of fluid must be considered while coring

The length and stress for drilling string

The geologists must nearly monitors the deep of penetration while

drilling

Slow ROP rate of penetration while reaching near interested coring

point

The core bullet and their ability of perforate should be decided

CORING PROCEDURES:
Before to start coring process, there should be meeting with all those have
roles in the coring operations they must ensure that followings:

All drilling items in the process are ready and suitable

Including all the equipments of the rig , monitors , gauges ,etc
The correct drilling fluid properties must selected and obtained
The wellbore is cleaned properly

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

The core barrel set in correct position

The type of core bit being used

Convectional coring procedure:

When the drill bit reached near interested zone of coring the entire drill
string and bit will put out and coring barrels will be plugged with drilling
string and selected fluid will be circulate while coring and the hollow bit will
run out into wellbore then the hollow bit starts to cut interested formation
then the cutted coring starts to go into inside core barrel and outside barrel
rotates with drilling string , and then after core obtained the drilling string
will put out and then core barrel being separated then the role of analysis of
the core will being start .
Sidewall coring (bullets) procedure:
After the wellbore being drilled and before the casing program being start,
the part of bullet series puts down into well bore by wireline tool into
interested coring point, then the bullets shots into formation core gun will
obtain [1.125 to 1.75 in] in length and will obtain [0.688 to 1 in.] in diameter,
this procedure takes time and cost up on the drilling operation, and
comparing with convectional drilling this method will obtain less core sample
in size and diameter.

Sidewall coring (rotary or horizontal drilling) procedure:

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

After the wellbore being drilled and before the casing program being start,
the small size of diamond bit use horizontal drilling to cut interested
formation to obtain the core, while the horizontal bit coring puts down into
the well bore by wireline tool, and rotary coring tool will obtain [2.5 in.] long
and [1.5 in.] in diameter the rotary coring has three times volume than
percussion, but less obtains in core sample than conventional coring.

CORING ANALYSIS
Most common tests of core analysis are followings:

Porosity

Permeability

Saturation

Wettability

Special tests on core sample are followings:

Overburden pressure

Capillary pressure

Surface tension

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Porosity:
According to tarek (2001) the porosity of a rock is a measure of the storage
capacity (pore volume) that is capable of holding fluids.
In the past geological time sediments were deposited and then its packed
during all this times and spaces between grains had been formed, some
voids become isolated by cementation.

Figure 1.7: Porosity

(Dejebbar and Erle, 2012)
There are two type of porosity:
Absolute porosity
Effective porosity

Absolute porosity:
According to tarek (2001) the absolute porosity is defined as the ratio of the
total pore space in the rock to that of the bulk volume.

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

a =

bulk voulmegrain voulme

bulk voulme

Effective porosity:
According to tarek (2001) the effective porosity is the percentage of
interconnected pore space with respect to the bulk volume.

interconnect ed pore voulme

bulk voulme

Figure 1.7: table of Range of porosity

(Dejebbar and Erle, 2012)

Methods of measuring porosity:

1: helium expansion method:
Dry core sample it will put in a chamber and then the pressure in chamber
will measured without core and it will measure again with core inside

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

chamber, by putting gas volume in constant and pressure changing the pore
volume will measured
2: injection of the mercury with applied pressure:
The core sample will put under high pressure of mercury, then the mercury
with this high pressure will go inside the core, the volume of mercury will
measures the total volume of pore.

Permeability:
According to tarek (2001) the ability of a rock to transport reservoir fluids
(different for oil, water and gas). Depends on porosity, grain size, sorting and
fluid characteristics.

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

Figure 1.8: permeability in difference grains

(Dejebbar and Erle, 2012)
Absolute permeability: The permeability of the rock which is occupied by
single fluid.
Effective porosity: The permeability of the rock that one fluid with presence
of another fluid.

Methods of measuring permeability:

There are two type of measuring:

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

The steady-sate
This method set as accurate method of measuring will use an oil and water
both to inject in input until output rates equal input rate.

Oil+water
Oil+water

Un steady-sate

This method is less accurate but its faster than the steady-state method,
this method will measures the amount of water in input rates and its
compared with water + oil volume in out rates.

Water
oil +water

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

The wettability:
According to (Dejebbar and Erle, 2012) its the tendency of one fluid to
spread on or adhere to a solid surface in the presence of other immiscible
fluids.
The tendency oil and water and any other fluids are deference in solid
surface , and they have different angle of contact, the water angle is 0 angle
to 75 which is less than oil or mercury,while mercury has more 105 to 180
degree.

Figure 1.9 the wettability of different materials

(Dejebbar and Erle, 2012)

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CORING AND CORING ANALYSIS

References:
1-Tarek, A. (2001) Reservoir Engineering Handbook, Houston Texas, Gulf
Publishing Company.
2-Abhishek, A.laressa, w. (2015) oil field Review, Schlumberger Publishing,
Denmark
3- Matt, V.Tony, S.(2014) oil field Review, Schlumberger Publishing, Denmark
4-Dejbbar,T.Erle,D.(2012) Petrophysics, Second Edition, British Library, oxford
UK
5-Carl, G. (1960) Drilling and Well Completion, Prentice Hall-Inc, Texas, Usa.
6-James, A. (1960) Petroleum Reservoir Engineering,McGraw Hill-Inc,New
york Usa.