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Full-Wave Acoustic Logging

SPWLA Papers

SPWLAB

J. W. Minear, Welex

Conventional
acousticlogsarebasedon a smallfractionof the
potentialinformationavailablein the acousticwavetrain propagatingdown the borehole.The objectiveof full-wave acoustic
loggingis to record,process,and interpretthe entire acoustic
wavetrain. New acousticloggingtools,sophisticated
signalprocessingtechniques,and improvedcomputerprocessing
capabilities at the well site are providingthe ability to extractmoreof
theinformation.The acousticwavetrainassociated
withtheborehole is composedof compressional,
shear,normal mode and
Stoneleywaves.Characteristics
of eachof thesephasesare discussedbriefly and illustratedwith waveformsrecordedin different lithologies.Thesecharacteristics
haveguidedthe designof
full-waveloggingsystems:tools,dataacquisition,and processing. New generation
full-waveacousticloggingtoolshavemore
receivers,greatertransmitter-to-receiver
spacings,andlowerfrequencyresponsethan their short-spaced
predecessors.
Waveformsare generallyrecordedand processed
digitally. Nonsymmetricalsourcesand receiversare usedto generateshearwaves
preferentially.The reasonsfor thesedifferencesfrom conventionalacoustictoolsarediscussed.
Seismic-typedata processing
is usedto extractvelocityand
amplitudeinformationfromfull-waveacousticsignals.Phasevelocitiesof compressional,
shearand Stoneleywavesare determined almostentirely by sometype of correlationtechnique.
Thesetechniques
includecrosscorrelation,
semblance
and linear
and nonlineardelay and sum. Otherprocessing
beingemployed
includesdepthstackingand time-domainfiltering. Severalexamplesof processing
full-wavedatawith differenttechniques
are
discussed.
Full-waveacoustic
logginghassomeproblemsaswell
asbenefits.The useof relativelysophisticated
digitalprocessing
and the fact that full-wavetoolsgenerateaboutten timesmore
datathando otherloggingtoolsplacesconsiderable
demandon
computingfacilities,particularlyat the well site. The greater
transmitter-to-receiver
spacingsresult in greatersignalattenuation and requiregreaterdynamicrange than do shortspaced
tools.Array-typeprocessing
requiresnew boreholecompensation
techniques,
Someof themostimportantapplications
of full-wave
acousticinformationto formulationevaluationare presented.
Theseincludelithology,gaszoneidentification,
andestimates
of
porosity,elasticmodulii, and formationstrength.The newest
usesincludeestimationof structuraldip, fractureheight,permeability, andgenerationof shearwavesyntheticseismograms.

Geologic Implications of LargeSPWLA-7

Scale Trends in Well-Log Response,
Northern Green River Basin, Wyoming
S.E. Prensky, U.S. Geological Survey
Well-log responsein Tertiaryand UpperCretaceous
rocksin
thenorthernGreenRiverbasin,Wyoming,wasexaminedaspart
of a comprehensive
geologicinvestigation
of gasreserves
by the
U.S. GeologicalSurveys WesternTight Gas Sand Program.
Digitally recordedwell-log data for selectedwells located
throughout
the basinwereprocessed
by computerand displayed
ashighlycompressed
depth-scale
plotsfor examininglarge-scale
trends.AlthoughLowerTertiary(FortUnion formation)andUpperCretaceous
(Mesaverdegroup)rockshavesimilarnonmarine
fluvial depositional
histories,the presence
of arkosicmaterialin
the Tertiaryrocksproduces
a stronglithologiccontrastwith the
underlyingCretaceous
rocks.Thesedifferencescan be seenin
plotsof variouslog parameters
(gamma-ray,caliper,conductivity, density),which exhibit markedchangesacrossthe Cretaceous-Tertiary
unconformity.In the Pinedaleareawherethe arkosicfractionreaches40 volumepercent,the gamma-raylog is
so severelyaffectedthat it cannotbe usedfor distinguishing
sandsfrom shales.
The natureand extentof overpressuring
hasbeenexamined.
Detaileddrilling-muddataindicatethatat leastwithin the study
area,the top of overpressuring
is restricted
to Cretaceous
rocks,
rangingstratigraphically
from the Mesaverdegroupalong the
easternmarginof the basinto theFrontierformationin thewest.
Changesin shaleconductivityand shaletransit-time,whichpreviousstudiesin this areaascribedto overpressuring
andusedfor
predictingoverpressured
intervals,appearto reflect lithologic
changesacrossstratigraphic
boundaries
anddo not correspond
to
changes
in porepressure
asreflectedin mudweights.The inability of techniques
developed
for Gulf Coastconditions
to identify
definitivelyoverpressuring
in thenorthernGreenRiverbasinsuggeststhatthesetechniques
may not be applicablein geologically
olderbasinswhichexperienced
differentdepositional
conditions
andratesand hadmorecomplextectonichistories.