THE G ICAL REPRESENTATION OF

VOLUME WATER ON
THE PICKETT C Q S S P m
GERALD E. GREENGOLD
Tenneco Oil Exploration & Production
Southwestern Division
San Antonio. Texas
~

ABSTRACT
For many years both the bulk volume water plot of
saturation vs porosity and the Pickett crossplot of log
resistivity vs log porosity have been used independently
by log analysts in formation evaluation. A graphical
technique is presented whereby the interpretive methods
unique to each of these may now be performed from a
single crossplot. Using a Pickett crossplot as a base, the
construction of lines of equal bulk volume water is
described. The slope of the lines are shown to be depen-
dent upon m and n; the cementation and satura-
tion exponents of the Archie equation; where slope =
(n - m). Bulk volume water lines are constructed for the
three possible relative values of m and n: m
equal n, m less than n, and m greater than
n.
INTRODUCTION
Bulk volume water (BVW) represents the percent water
in a given total rock volume and is defined as
BVW = 4 Sw ,
(1)
where water saturation (Sw) represents the percentage of
pore volume (4) filled with water.
The concept of BVW has been is use for many years
within the oil industry and is routinely depicted on well
logging service company computed log products. As
shown by Morris and Biggs (1967), BVW data are typically
used for the following evaluations:
1. Determination of zones at irreducible water satura-
tion through the analysis of a BVW (Sw vs 4 ) plot
(Figure 1)
2. Estimation of water cuts and producibility
3. Estimation of permeability
4. Estimation of grain size
5. Estimation of pore type
6. Determination of multiple lithologies

0
t
(%

sw O!O -
Figure 1: The bulk volume water plot.

THE LOG ANALYST 21

 REVIEW OF THE PICKETT CR0SSPU)T
The Pickett crossplot, as developed by G.R. Pickett is
a graphical representation of the solution to the Archie lines of
equal saturation
water saturation equation

where a = Tortuosity factor (a function of the com-

plexity of the flow path)
Rw = Formation water resistivity at formation
temperature
$I = Porosity
Rt = Deep, uninvaded formation resistivity (rock log
plus fluids) Rt
m = Cementation exponent
n = Saturation exponent
As detailed in Appendix A, equation 2 can be rewritten as
log Rt = -mlog4 - nlogSw +
log(aRw) (3)
As shown in equation 3 a log-log plot of Rtvs 4
will give a family of parallel lines of equal saturation with
a slope of -m and a logarithmic spacing controlled
by n (see Figure 2). Larger n values increase and log R t = - m log 8 - n log Sw t log (a Rw)
smaller n values decrease the perpendicular distance
between these lines. The Sw = 100% line (also called the
Ro line) intercepts the 4=100% line at a value of
aRw. As evidenced from equation 3, when $I = 100%
the -mlog+ term becomes zero and on the Ro line
the -nlogSw term also becomes zero leaving log
Rt = log(aRw).
By plotting values of 4 and Rt, one can graphi-
cally estimate the saturation of any point by its position
relative to a given saturation line. Using both the absolute in Figure 3. When m is less than n, the slope is
position of the points and pattern analysis, one may positive and the lines slope up and to the right as in Figure
estimate productive, marginal, and wet regions of the plot. 4; and when m is greater than n the slope is negative
Until now this has been the primary use of the Pickett as depicted in Figure 5. Note that the parallel lines shown
crossplot. in Figures 3,4, and 5 are equivalent to the hyperbolic lines
of equal BVW values of Figure 1.
Graphical Construction
GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF BULB
VOLUME WATER Having shown that constant value BVW lines are
straight and parallel on the log-log resistivity-porosity
Theory Pickett crossplot and noting that for saturations greater
Substituting Sw = BVW/$I from equation 1 into equa- than loo%, BVW values are meaningless, we construct
tion 2 gives the following equation for a bulk volume lines of equal BVW by solving the BVW equation at two
water crossplot (see Appendix B). endpoints and connecting them with a straight line. End-
log Rt = (n-m)log& - nlogBVW + log(aRw) (4) points used are the Ro line and the 4=100% line.
The Archie equation may be solved for Rt giving,
As shown in equation 4 a log-log plot of 4 vs Rt
gives a family of parallel lines of equal BVW with a slope
of (n-m) and a logarithmic spacing of n. Larger
n values will increase and smaller n values will
decrease the perpendicular distance between these lines. On the Ro line Sw=l.O and 4=BVW. Therefore,
Unlike saturation lines, BVW lines may change slope by substitution into equation 5 we have
depending upon the relative values of m and n.
When m equals n regardless of the value, BVW lines
have a slope of zero and the lines are horizontal as shown

22 MAY-JUNE, 1986
 Similarly, on the 4 = 100% line, 4 =1.0 and Sw = BVW.
Again, substitution into equation 5 gives
Rt =-. aRw
BVW
For a given BVW Value, the only difference in the Rt
value at Sw = 100% and the Rt value at 4 = 100% is
the exponent to which the BVW value is raised; either
m or n.
When m equals n, the value of Rt at each end-
point is the same and the BVW lines are horizontal. This
is shown in Figure 6. Therefore, since BVW = 4 on the
Ro line, when m equals n, simply construct
horizontal lines at the intersection of the Ro line with 4
values equal to desired BVW values.
When m doesnt equal n, equations 6 and 7 are
still used to calculate Rt values on the Ro and
4 = 100% lines respectively. However, we may again find
the endpoint on the Ro line at its intersection with
the 4 value equal to the desired BVW value. All that
remains to be done is to calculate the Rt value of the
upper (4 = 100%) endpoint using equation 6. Figures 7
and 8 show the enhanced Pickett crossplots with both
I
Figure 3: The log-log bulk volume water plot for m = n.
THE LOG ANALYST
saturation and bulk volume water lines for m less than
n and m greater than n respectively.
As a simplification to the construction of BVW lines
(7) on a Pickett crossplot, note that for all relative values m
and n the BVW = 10% line always has as its endpoints
the intersection of the Ro line at 4 = 10% and the
intersection of the Sw = 10% line at 4 = 100%. These rela-
tions result directly from equation 1. Therefore, after con-
struction of the Ro and the Sw =10% lines, we con-
struct the BVW=lO% line as noted above. All other
desired BVW lines are drawn in parallel to the BVW = 1OVo
line, at the intersections of the Ro line and 4 = BVW
values. This method of construction may be used with
any value BVW line. For example, the BVW = 30% line
will intersect the Ro line at 4 = 30%,a nd the 4 = 100%
line at Sw = 30%.
The Pickett crossplot is commonly used to estimate the
value of m when points plot along the Ro line, in-
dicating a zone at or near Sw = 100Vo. Morris and Biggs
(1973) have shown that for zones at irreducible water
saturation (Swi), BVW is constant. Theoretically, using
a pattern analysis technique similar to that used in the
estimation of my, one may estimate the value of the
quantity (n-m) when points plot along a BVW line,
lines of equal B V W
I
Figure 4: The log-log bulk volume water plot for m c n.
23
 /lines of equal BVW
log Rt :( n - m ) log 0 - n log BVW t log(a R w )
I
I 10
B
100
Figure 5: The log-log bulk volume water plot for rn > n.
implying that the zone in question is at or near irreduci-
ble water saturation. Therefore, if the analyst can locate
the same formation at a constant rock type both at Swi
and at Sw = 100V0,then he may estimate the value of m
and (n-m) and therefore the value of n.
CONCLUSIQNS
Both the BVW plot and the Pickett crossplot have been
used for many years as aids in formation evaluation. Each
has its own relative merits in the analysis of log data
through the use of documented methods of pattern
analysis. Recognizing that the hyperbolic lines of equal
BVW on the bulk volume water plot of Figure 1 are
equivalent to the straight BVW lines of the Pickett
crossplot in Figures 6, 7, and 8,the log analyst may now
perform a dual interpretation from a single plot.
24
I 10
b
loo
Figure 6: The enhanced Pickett crossplot for rn =n.
REFERENCES
Pickett, G. R., 1966, Y4 Review of Current Techniques for
Determination of Water Saturation From Logs, Jour. Pet.
Techn. Nov., 1966 Pgs. 1425-33
Morris and Biggs, 1967, Using LogDerived Values of Water
Saturation and Porosity, Transactions of the SPWLA, 1967
Paper X.
Picket, G. R., 1973, Pattern RecognitionAs a Means of For-
mation Evaluation, SPWLA 14th Annual Logging Sym-
posium, 1973 Paper A.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JERRY GREENGOLD is a geological engineer with
Tenneco Oil Exploration and Productions Southwestern
Division in San Antonio, Texas. He received his B.S. degree
in Geology from Queens College of the City University
of New York in 1979,and in 1981 he received his M.S.
degree in Engineering Geology from Purdue University
in West Lafayette, Indiana. He is a member of the
SPWLA, AAPG and the Association of Engineering Geo-
logists, and has presented papers in the fields of Engineer-
ing Geology and Log Analysis.
MAY-JUNE, 1986
 f
-
I1

3
D
5
\

?
i
= log
Rt

I 10 I00 I 10 100
P 0
Figure 7: The enhanced Pickett crossplot for rn < n. Figure 8: The enhanced Pickett crossplot for rn > n.

APPENDIX A APPENDIX B
DERIVATION OF THE PICKETT CROSSPIMF DERIVATION OF THE BULK VOLUME
Solving the Archie equation for "Rt" gives WATER CROSSPLOT
Substituting the BVW equation for "Sw" in the Archie
aRw equation gives
Rt =-3
fb"SW"
BVW" - aRw
or ---,
4 4"Rt
Rt = (aRw) ~-"SW-"
Distributing the exponent "n", multiplying through by
Taking the logarithm of each side and rearranging gives " I $ ~ " and solving for Rt gives
log Rt = -mlog& - nlogSw + log(aRw) Rt = (aRw) 4n 4-" BVW-".
Combining like terms we have
Rt = (aRw) # J ( " - ~ ) BVW-".
Taking the logarithm of both sides and rearranging gives
+
log Rt = (n - m)log4 - nlogBVW log(aRw).

THE LOG ANALYST 25