PGE 381L: Advanced Petrophysics

Homework #1
Due: Monday, September 17, 1:00 PM
65 points total

1. A bucket of sediment with grain diameters distributed between 1 and 100 microns is dumped
in a stream with a depth of 1 m flowing at a velocity of 1 m/s. Assume that the flow velocity is
the same everywhere in the stream (this is not the way real streams work, but let’s keep it
simple).

Make a plot of grain size deposited on the bed of the stream versus distance downstream from
the dumping point. How far downstream will the smallest grains be carried? (10 points)

Useful information:
Sediment grain density = 2.65 g/cm3
Water density = 1.00 g/cm3
Water viscosity = 0.001 Pa.s
Acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 m/s2

2. How long would it take a grain 2 microns in diameter to settle to a depth of 4000 m in the
ocean? Assume the same grain and water properties as above. (5 points)
3. Determine the porosity of monodisperse (all the same size) spheres in body-centered cubic
packing. The relevant unit cell is shown below. Remember that the center sphere is in point
contact with the spheres at the corners, and that the unit cell is a cube whose edge length is
greater than twice the radius of the spheres. (20 points)

4. Explain why conglomerates often make very poor oil and gas reservoirs. (10 points)
5. Explain what the types of clay minerals you find in sediment can tell you about the sediment
source. (10 points)

6. Explain why the sandstone reservoirs at higher temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico typically
are poorer quality reservoirs (i.e., lower porosity, more resistance to fluid flow) than those at
lower temperatures. (10 points)