SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

DECONVOLUTIONOF PETROPHYSICAL IMS :

,,,,,
!W
APPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS
by
W.J.Looyesti jn
Koninkli
jke\ShellExploratieen Pr@iuktieLaboratorium
Rijswijk, the Netherlands

ABSTRACT

The feasibilityof improvingthe verticalresolutionof petrophysical

logs and\orthe equalisation of logging-toolresponsesby means of
deconvolution techniqueshave been studiedextensively.Under very
favorable boreholeand loggingconditionsdeconvolution provedto be
applicableto sonicand rdural @nma-ray logs.I& other log types,such
as radioactive(density,neutron)and electricalresistivitylogs,
deconvolution is seriouslyhamperedby the non-linearity of tool responses.
The limitedsuccessof log deconvolution in generalcertainlyrendersany
large-scaleroutineapplicationimpractical.
The maximumresolutionthat can be obtainedfran gamna-rayand sonic
logs is about 0.30 m; this compareswith resolutionsof 0.45 m and 0.60m
for the non-deconvolved gsnmra-rayand soniclogs, respectively.!Ibobtain
the maximumresolution,the noiselevel shouldbe establishedfor each
individuallog. A generaltechnique,basedon Wienerfiltering,has been
worked out for the actualdeconvolution.
Statisticaldeconvolutioh and spectralshapinghave also been
exsmined.!Ihesetechniqueshave prov~dto be ur&c~essful and to lead to
erroneousresults.

INTRODUCIIION

The vertical resolutionof a petrophysical log is determinedby the

physicalcharacteristics of the loggingtool. Any loggingtool registers
some averageof a formationparameterover a certainvolhe, ratherthan a
discretevalueat a specifieddepth.Especiallywhen dealingwith thin
layers,a low verticalresolutionleadsto a poor definitionof bed
boundariesand to incorrectbed readings.
Modificationof the tool designto improvethe verticalresolution
offerslimitedpossibilities, becauseother characteristics, such as
investigation depth or sensitivityto boreholeirregularities, are normally
adverselyaffectedto a similarextent.In effect,there are large
differencesin verticalresolutionbetweenvariousloggingtools.
The generalobjectivein the deconvolution of well logs is improvement
of the verticalresolutionin an indirectway, i.e. by subsequentcor-
rectionfor the averagingcharacteristics of the loggingtool. If this
procedureshouldprove to be successful,logs can be convertedinto
syntheticlogs with any desiredresolution.At the same time the possi-
bilitywould existto createa uniformresolutionfor a set of different
logs takenover the same interval.l’hisequalisationof tool responses
would find applicationin connectionwith depthmatching,correlationof
logs and layerwiseevaluations,in which the logs are blocked.
!Iheproblemof correctingobservational data for instrumentdistortion
is comnonto mny fieldsof science.In the oil industry,deconvolution or
inversefiltering of seistic tracesis a well establishedroutine,and many

-1-
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

detailedoutlinesof the applicationof signaltheoryon this subjectcan

be found in the literature(Wiener,1949;Robinson,1957;~ce, 1962;
papoulis,1965;Gold & Rader 1969).In the field of petrophysicspapers
have been publishedwhich claimpromisingresults(Forsteret al., 1962;
Georgeet al, 1964;Runge & Powell,1967; Czubek,1973;Branisa,1974;
Conaway& Killeen,1978;Howellet al., 1978;Wilsonet al., 1979).
In view of the obviousbenefitsthat couldbe derivedfrom the
deconvolution of well logs,we have carriedout a thoroughstudyaimedat
findingsuitablemathematicaltechniquesand pinpointingphysical
limitations, for the varioustypesof loggingtools routinelyapplied.

ASPECTSOF LOG DECONVOLUTION

The signalobtainedfrom the loggingtool may be consideredto be a

weightedaverageof the observedpropertyover the observedvolume.In our
investigation we concentrated on the verticalresolutionof the tools (i.e.
along the borehole).Therefore,insteadof a three-dtiensional function,we
assumeda one-dhensionalweightingfunction,which describesthe vertical
resolutionof the tool.‘Ibisone-dimensional functionis calledthe tool-
responsefunction.It should,however,be noted that this conceptis a
simplification, since it hnpliesthe assumptionthat the formationaround
the boreholeis laterallyhomogeneous.
In signaltheory,the signalaveragingby the tool Is calledthe
convolutionof the signalwith the tool responsefunction.As the word
indicates,deconvolution is the oppositeprocessand is aimedat
eliminatingthe influenceof the tool responsefunction.A basic condition
that has to be fulfilledto justifythe assumptionof a unique response
functionof a given loggingtool is that the systemis linear.This implies
that the responsefunctionnust be independentof the signalto be
measured,thus of the variationsand contrastin the propertiesof the
loggedformation.
The problemsthat are associatedwith deconvolution are mst easily
explainedon the basis of a syntheticexample.Figurela showsa synthetic
log of some formationproperty,e.g. its natural_ radiation.This log,
S(n),would be recordedby a hypotheticaltool with an Ideal,i.e. zero
verticalresolution.In this example,a bell-shapedresponsefunctionR(n)
is assumed.The measuredsignalT(n) will be the convolutional * R, which
is shownin ItLg.lb. l?lgure 2a showsthe amplitudespectrumSa of the ideal
log S, obtainedfrom a Fourieranalysisinathedepth domain.The smplitude
spectrumof the tool-respons: functionis Ra (seel?lg.2b). The amplitude
spectrumof the convolutionTa is simplythe product~a I?a.It @n be seen
from Fig. 2C (as comparedto l?lg.2a) that in the high frequencyrangethe
signalamplitudeis stronglyattenuatedby the tool response,which acts as
a low-passfilter.It is obviousthat in this exampledeconvolution only
requiresapplicationof aAhigh-passfilterwith a frequencycharacteristic
that exa:tl compensatesARa. The amplitudespectrumof this inverse
filter,Ra-Y , is thus l/Ra.This is shownin Fig. 2d. With referenceto the
phase spectrasimilarargumentshave to be used. This impliesthat the
phase spectrumof R-l shouldbe complemen~~ry to that of R.
A plicationof his inversefilterR to the recordedsignalT gives
T#R-~=~*R%R-f = S. This means that the influenceof the tool
responsehas been ruledout completely,as can be seen from the log in
Fig. 1c. The deconvolvedrecordedlog is thus exactlythe same as the true
formationsignalS(n).
 SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

In actuallogging,noise entersthe measuringsystem.As a result,the

recordedsignalis modifiedinto S * R + N. For the same true formation
signalS(n) as in l?Lg.1, Fig. 3a shows the recordedsignalwith a small
amountof white noise superimposed. Straightforward deconvolution,as we
did in the noise-freecase,leadsto the resultgiven in Fig. 3b. It is v!
clearthat this log is meaningless;it containsso much noise that the
signalitselfhas disappearedcompletely.
The reasonfor this stronglydifferentbehaviourof the inversefilter
can be seen from the amplitudespectrain Fig. 4. The first graph,Fig. qa,
showshcw the noisy recordedsignalis composedof the noise-freesignal
(cf.Fig. 2c) and the noise component.Eelow a certainfrequencyf. the
signalis not substantially affectedby the noise;above f. the reverse
occurs,so that the signalinformationis lost in the noise.Hence, roughly
speaking,throughthe presenceof noise the informationon the true
formationsignal~ is limitedto the low requencypart. It will be clear
that applicationof the inversefilterR-1 (Fig.2d) will resultin
undesirableboostingof the noise.
Much betterresultswill be obtainedif the deconvolution is
restrictedto the low-frequency region,leavingthe spectrumabove f
unchanged.The amplitudespectrumof such a filteris @ven in Fig. ~c. The
resultsof this restricteddeconvolution are given in Fig. 3C (log)and
Fig. qd (spectrum).
In addition,some noise filteringcan be appliedto obtaina smoother
representation of the log, withoutinfluencingthe verticalresolution.
This can be achieved,for instance,with a filterthat has a flat amplitude
spectrumfor O < f < f and decreasesexponentially for f > f. (low-pass
filter).The resultso? this filteringoperationare shown in Fig. 3d and
Fig. qe.
Summarizingthe preliminaryobservations nade in this section,it is
clearthat for the deconvolution of logs the followirgaspectsare
relevant:
Responsefunctions
Noise on the logs
Deconvolution techniques.

RESPONSEFUNCI’IONS

For the determinationof the responsefunctionsof actualtoolswe

used threedifferentapproaches.The firstapproachwas calculation, which
requiredknowledgeof all physicalprocessesinvolvedand of the exact tool
geometriesand instrumentation. In the secondapproachuse was made of
actuallog data.This requiredknowledgeof the formationproperties.For
this exercise,preferablya sharp transitionbetweentwo thickand
homogeneouslayersof differentproperties(e.g.differingin density)
shouldbe selected,or an isolat&lvery thin layer embeddedin a
homogeneousformation.
Finally,we made a thirdapproach,which was an attemptto obtainthe
tool responsefrom the spectraof logs. This statisticaldetermination
callsfor an assumptionas to the shapeof the spectrumof the formtion
signal (e.g.,a white spectrum)in orderto deducethe spectrwmof the
lowing tool responsefrom the observedsignal.The resultswere foundto
be unreliableand inferiorto thoseobtainedfrw the formertwo
,,, approaches.

-3-
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

- sonic tools

All sonic tools have in comnonthat the formationtransittime

obtainedis the integralof transittimesover all individuallayers
traversedby the sonicpath (Stripling, 1958).The impulseresponseof the
sonictool is thereforea linearaveraging‘box’functionof lengthequal
to the path throughthe formation.A Fburieranalysisof the actualsonic
logs confirmedthat thesetheoreticalconsiderations adequatelydescribe
the operationof the tool. A pictureof a box functionthat describesthe
responsefunctionof a 2 ft sonictool is shown in Fig. 5a.

- Densitytools

Initiallywe performedcalculations of the densityresponsefunction

under the approximation that the _ photonsthat reachthe detector
interactedwith the formationby a singlegama-electronscatterevent
only.On this basiswe found that the responsefunctioncan be represented
with a high degreeof accuracyby a box function,providedthat the logging
data are expressedin densityratherthan in count rate qnits.This result
would imply,as shownby the examplein Fig. 6, that the densitytool
averagesthe formationdensitylinearlyover a verticalintervalequalto
the source-to<etectorspacing.
Since the mean free path of ganm quantain formationsof practical
interestis smallin comparisonwith the spacingof practicaltools,we
decidedto also performMonte Carlocalculations of the tool response
function.This techniquesimulatesall statisticalprocessesthat deterndne
the path of each individualphoton.
Using the Monte Carlomethod,we found that the responseof a density
tool to a step in the formationdensityis not a straightline (lZLg. 6);
this impliesthat the tool responseis not a box function.In addition,we
found that the responsefunctiondependsto a smallextenton the density
and the magnitudeof the step.Co~aring the tool responseto a step
downwardswith that to the sane step upwardswe found a differenttool
response.
This behaviourof the tool responsemeans that a responsefunction
cannotbe strictlydefinedwithinthe frameworkof linearsignaltheory.If
howeverthe non-linearities are neglected,the best approximationof the
responsefunctionof a single-detector, non-focusseddensitytool is a box
function.
In some caseswhere layersare encounteredwhich from otherlogs are
known to be much thinnerthan the tool spacing,the responsefunctioncan
be obtaineddirectlyfrom the log shapeof theselayers,as mentioned
earlier.This methodhas led to the responsefunctiondisplayedin Fig. 5b
and this functionhas been used in an examplegiven laterin this paper.It
can be seen that a box functionis onlya very poor approxhntionin this
case.
The main conclusionfor densitytools is that thereis no unique
responsefunctionin the contextof lineardeconvolution.

- Naturalganma-raytools

The responsefunctionof _-ray tools is determinedboth by the

finitelengthof the detectorand by the attenuationof gamna-raysin the
formation.Fbr finitedetectorsthe theoreticalwork by Czubek (1973)and

-4-
 SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

Wilsonet al (1979)predictsthat the responsefunctionhas the form

,,.,,,,
L\2
R(z) = ~ ~exp(-a[z-z’l)dz’,
-L\2 VI
where a is an attenuationcoefficient, L is the detectorlength,B is a
build-upfactor,and z is the depthmeasuredalong the Wrehole; the
positionof the detectoris takenas the origin (z = 0).
The build-upfactorB allowsfor the gamna photonsthat afterone or
more scattersultimatelyreachthe detector,albeitwith lowerenergy
(Reactor~ysics Constants,1963).
For the Comptonattenution in pure sandstoneof the 1,46MeV
rays emittedby potassium(t0 K) we calculatedthe value a = 0.12 cme- .
This agreesperfectlywith the experimental valuesobtainedfrom the
measuredtool responseto potassiumzone/barrenzone interfaces(Wilsonet
al., 1979).Since a dependson the bulk density,the responsefunction
varieswith the formationcomposition. Therefore,strictlyspeaking,the
responsefunctionis not a fixedpropertyof the tool. Two extrem cases
are shownin ?fig.5c. The full curve is for zero porositysandstoe
-?
(a = 0.12 cm- ); the dashedcurveis for 100% water (a = 0.05 cm ); both
curvesare for 20 cm detectorlength.In practice,po~c)sity variesfrom
zero to, say, 30%.‘I!herefore,
a value of a = 0.11 cm- can safelybe used
withoutintroducinglargeerrors.

- Electricalresistivitytools

Analyticalmethcdshave been derivedfor constructingthe theoretical

tool responseof electricalresistivitytools.As expected,we foundthat
the tool responsedependson the actualresistivityvaluesin subsequent
layers,leadingto well-knownfeaturessuch as ‘blindzones’and
‘reflection peaks’.This impliesthat the systemis stronglynon-linear.
Such a type of tool responsecan only be appliedreliablyinmodelling
studiesin which varioussequencesof resistivelayersare assumedand the
calculatedresponsesare comparedwith actuallogs to selectthe best
match.This methodhas not been pursuedfurther,becauseapart from the
immensecomputational effortrequiredfor each deconvolution,the solution
is not consideredto be necessarilyunique.

NOISEON LO&S

In the presentcontextany unwantedcontributionto the measured

signalwill be referredto as noise.Cannonsourcesof noise are the
stochasticnatureof radioactive processes(countingstatistics),
electronicamplifiers,ml.crophonics, rounding-offerrorsin digitisation
(integernoise),aliasingeffectsand fluctuationsin loggingspeed.
We have made an experimental.
studyof the characterand intensityof
the noise on densitylogs.Comparisonof the spectralcompositionof
variousrepeatlogs, run at differentspeeds,has demonstratedthat the
noise is white and originatesfrom countingstatistics.‘Ibisimpliesthat
for densitylogs other sourcesof noisehave a minor effecton the total
noise level.The signal-to-noisepower ratioSfl, when due to counting
statistics,is given by:

-5-
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

S/N = 10IOlog(A.
fiv) dB

Here, A .VvI?epreSentS the averagenumberof countsper ssmple,where A is

the incrementof depth sampling,E is the averagenumberof countsper
secondand v the loggingspeed.Thus, for any @ven tool, the S/N ratiocan
be optimisedby the choiceof a largesamplingincrementsnd a lcw log@ng
speed.In practice,reductionof loggingspeed is limitedand the sample
incrementshouldbe kept a fw times smallerthan the resolutionaimedfor
by applicationof deconvolution.
In soniclogging,noise originatingfran fluctuationsin first-arrival
pickingdependson repetitionrate,samplingincrementand loggingspeed.A
secondsourceof noise,which is partlyassociatedwith the first,is
formedby boreholeeffects,such ss microphonicssnd wash-outs.‘The
magnitudeof theseeffectsis hard to estimatefrom the logs proper.Only
the occurrenceof wash-outscan be seen by inspectionof the caliperlog;
however,the effecton the log cannotbe quantified.
Althoughnot expectedfrcm repeatlogs,we found frcm analysisof the
Fourierspectrathat sonic logshave a signal-to-noise ratiocomparableto
that of density10SZS when run at standaticonditions(seefor exammle
.
Figs. 7 and 12j. -
Tne noise on resistivitylogs has not been investigatedin particular,
sinceit was clearfrom the beginningthat noise wouldnot be the bottle-
neck for this type of logs.In general,it can be statedthat the noise
levelon resistivitylogs is fairlylcw as comparedto noise in the above-
mentionedlogs.

DE~NVOLU’ITON
TECHNIQUE

‘I’he
techniqueof least squaresinversefiltering,or Wienerfiltering,
provedto be very successful.In this technique,the log data are fed
througha filterin the depth domain.The parametersof this so-called
inversefilterare calculatedon the basis of the responsefunctionand are
designedto eliminatethe averaginginfluenceof the tool responsefrcm the
log in an optimalnanneraccordingto a least squarescriterion(Wienerj
1949) ●

We have carriedout a largenumberof practicaltestson synthetic

logs to studythe influenceof filterlength,errorsin the response
functionand noise levelon the performanceof the Wienerfilter.Field
logs have also been used to checkthe performanceof the filterson actual
log data.
An illustration of the performanceand pdentialitiesof thesefilters
is providd by the examplesalreadydiscussed,shown in Figs.1 ard 3. In
Fig. 2 a Wienerfilteris used to retrievethe formationsignalfrom the
noise-freerecordedsignal.In Fig. 3, the applicationof the same filter
to the recordedsignalin the presenceof noise leads to a highlyunwanted
result.However,the Wienerfiltercan easilybe modifitito copewith
noise,resultingin an acceptableimprovementin resolution(Figs.3C and
3d).

-6-
 SPWLATWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

SUITABILITYOF LO&S FOR DECONVOLUTION

,,,
In the foregoingsectionswe discussedsubsequentlythe threeaspects
relatedto deconvolution,i.e. the responsefunction,noiseon logs and the
calculationof inversefilters.It was found that the applicationof Wiener w
filtertechniquesessentiallysolvesthe mathematicalproblems.Whether
actuallogs can be deconvolv~ to an appreciableextentis thus fully
determinedby the responsefunctionand the noise levelof the logs.
In this sectionwe reviewthe varioustypes of loggingtools,that are
routinelyapplied,with respectto their suitabilityfor deconvolution. The
resultswill be illustratedwith exampleson actuallogs.

- Acoustic10~

Acousticlogs have provedto be favorable candidatesfor

deconvolution. On the one hand the responsefunctionis well definedand
independentof the formationand on the otherhand, for good borehole
conditions,the noise levelis lcw enoughto enableimprovementin
resolution.
The Fourierpower spectrumof a sonictool responsefunction(2 ft
transducerspacing)is shown in Fig. 7b. Since the recordedlog is the
convolutionof the formationpropertiesand the tool response,the puwer
spectrumof the recordedlog is expectedto reflectthe same shape.
The pcwer spectrumof an actualsonic log is given in Fig. 7c. The
typicalshapeof Fig. 7b Is indeedapparent,be it only in the low-
frequencypart of the spectrum(f : 4 c/m).At higherfrequencies, a more
or less constantpower levelis observed,which also partlyrmsks the
notchesat lW frequencies(aroundf = 1.7 c/m and f = 3.3 c/m).As
discussed,relevantinformationcan only be presentat thosefrequencies
where the signalpower is higherthan this noise level.In Ittg.7C these
frequenciesare in the rangeO < f ~ 4 c/m, exceptfor the f-valuesaround
the notches.
We appliedinversefilteringto 5 ft, 3 ft and 2 ft sonic logs that
were processedfrcm the individualwave trainsrecordedin a specialrun
with a compensatedsonic sonde.Since theselogs are recordedsimultane-
ously,comparisonof logs deconvolvedto obtaina smiler effective
spacing,with an originallog of the same actualspacingprovidesan
excellentcheckon the performanceof the procedure.As a first example,
sonic logs are consideredwhichwere takenin a boreholewithoutwash-outs.
The samplingdepth incremnt is 2 inches (5 cm). In Fig. 8, a 2 ft
syntheticlog, calculatedfrom the 5 ft field log is comparedwith the
original2 ft field log. The agreementbetweenthese two logs is very good.
The increasein resolutionas comparedto that of the original5 ft log -
also shownin this figure- is obvious.All other combinations of synthetic
and originallogs with 5, 3 or 2 ft spacinghave been found to compare
equallywell.
If we wish to decreasethe effectivespacingfurtherto valuesof less
than 2 ft, thereare no field lo= availablefor directcomparison,so in
these caseswe can only comparethe processedlogs.Fig. 9 showstwo
syntheticlogs with an effectivespacingof 1.5 ft and two with 1.0 ft
spacing,processedfrom the 5 ft and 2 ft logs.These logs stillshow a
fair similarity,but in some places- for instancearound3118m -
,. discrepancies arise,indicatingthat at least one of the two logs is wrong.

-7-
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

Resultsof the sane procedureappliedto sonic logs run in a borehole

with many deep wash-outsare shownin l?lg.10, which shouldbe compared
with Ilg. 8. The log readingsare now affectedby boreholeeffects.Since
theseerrorsare not convolvedwith the tool response,deconvolution causes
many false signalson the processedlogs, even If the effectivespacingis
as largeas 2 ft. The 2 ft log calculatedfrom the 5 ft log is therefore
inferiorto the real 2 ft log, althoughthe resolutionof the 5 ft
processedlog has clearlyimproved.
Summarizing,deconvolution will make it possibleto improvethe
verticalresolutionof soniclogs frcm 2 ft to approximately 1 ft (provided
no largewash-uts are present).Of course,the samplingmust be denser
than one sampleper ft (e.g.2 or 3 per ft). Furtherimprovementis only
feasibleif the noise is reducedsubstantially. In principle,noisearising
from microphonics(’roadnoise’)and electronicinstrumentation, can be
reducedby modificationsIn tool design.It shouldhoweverbe realisedthat
the effectsof wash-outson the tool readingare very difficultto handle
in deconvolution.

- Naturslgsnma-raylogs

The suitabilityof the gsnm-ray log is Und.tedby the poor noise

level.Since the noise levelis relatedto the loggingspeed,better
resultscan be obtainedby loweringthe lo$@ng speed.The influenceof
logglngspeedon the possiblegain in resolutioncan be inferredfrom
Fig. 5c, which shows the power spectrumof a @n?.&ray tool with 20 cm
detectorlength.The signal-to-noise ratiois 10 log (A.wv) dB. ‘he noise
level calculatedfor a samplingincrementA = 15 cm, an averagecountrate
H = 50 c/s and a loggingspeedv = 15 cm/s (= 9m/mln s 1800 ft/h)is
-18 dB.
We have seen that the presenceof noise limitsthe information
containedin the signalmeasuredby the tool to that part of the power
spectrumwhere the signalpower is higherthan the noisepower.In this
examplethe informationis thereforerestrictedto the range
O g f ~ 3.3 c/m. As a result,any Improvementis limitedto a resolutionof
D = 1/3.3m~30 cm.
Becauseof the strongspectralattenuationof the responsefunction
towardsf = 5 c/m (seeFig. 5c), due to the detectorlengthof 20 cm, a
secondbranchin the spectrum(5 c\m < f < 10 c/m) will only contributeif
the signal-to-noise ratiois improvd to betterthan 40 dB. This,however,
would requireunrealistically low loggingspeeds,I.e. less than 0.1 cm/s
(6 cm/min= 100 ft/h),sincethe countratehas usuallya ratherlW value
(e.g.50 CPS) in formtions of conrmninterestfor oil and gas
applications.

- Radioactivelogs

All toolswith a gamma or neutronsourceand one or more detectorsmay

be regardedto belongto the classof radioactivetools.Since thesetools
usualzyhave a somewbt highercountrate than the GR tool,theirnoise
figuresare accordinglybe~ter.For instance,oppositea 15% porosity
sandstone-fonmtionthe count rate of ccxmnonly used densityand neutron
tools is about 600 cps, in contrastwith about 50 cps for the GR tool.
However,for thesetools the responsefunctionis not strictly
defined,as we have demonstrated previouslyfor the densitytool.Using

-8-

,, ,,
,,,
,,,,,,
,,.
,.,.,.--,.—..
”-—..
“b-.
.“,,-”
—.. .
 SPWLA TWENTY.THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

modelingexamples,we found that neglectingthe non-linearity of the tools

,,,
,“ ,,
may lead to unreliableresults,such as overshootsand boundaryshifting,
dependingon the rate of non-linearity.
An attemptwas made to increase,by deconvolution, the resolutionof a
log recordedwith a single~etectordensitytool: the so-calledlong-spaced
densitytool (LSD,spacing48 cm). For comparison,we used a high
resolutiondensitytool (HRDjspacing25 cm). A sectionof theselogs,
takenin a shallowboreholein a coal field,is shown in Fig. lla and d. On
both originallogs the width of isolatedpeaks (e.g.at 28, 30 and 34 m) is
about equalto the tool spacing.It is thereforea reasonableassumption
that the thicknessof the beds that are responsiblefor thesepeaks is nuch
less thsn the width of the tool responsefunction.Thus, by definition,
thesepeaks representthe tool responsefunction.Figure5b showsthe LSD
responsefunctionthus obtained,averagedover sevenpeaks,alongwith its
amplitudespectrum.
As mentionedbeforefor the sonic log, the power spectrumof the LSD
log is expectedto show to a certainextentthe shape of the tool response
spectmm. The spectrumof the LSD log from Fig. lla is given in FYg. 12a.
Again,up to aboutf = 5 c/m the lumpsof the tool responseare present,
whereasat higherfrequenciesthe spectrumbecomesflat.We have applieda
seriesof deconvolution filters,designedin the same way as for the sonic
log. Resultingsyntheticlogswith 35 cm and 25 cm effectivespacingsare
shownin Fig. llb and c.
It is clearthat deconvolution has improvedthe verticalresolutionto
some extent.However,it is questionable whetherall ‘resolved’ peaksare
real, sincethey do not all appearon the HRD log (e.g.in l?tg.lld at
41.7 m). These deviationsare too largeto be attributedto differencesin
investigation depth betweenLSD and HRD, and nust, therefore,originate
frcm non-linearityin the tool response.
It is notedhere that decreasingthe verticalresolutionby smoothing
of logs is of courseless sensitiveto deviationsfran linearity.‘Ibisis
illustratedby the bottompicturein Fig. 11, showinga syntheticlog with
48 cm effectivespacing,obtainedfrcm the HRD log. This log showsa fair
similaritywith the actualLSD log (toppictureof l?ig.11).

- Resistivity10ES

The bottle-neckin the deconvolutionof resistivitylogs is fully

determinedby the strongnon-linearityof the tools.Since this non-linear
behaviouris inherentin the way electriccurrentpropagatesthrough
inhomogeneousmedia,theseproblemsare believedto be fundamental.
Therefore,the resolutionof resistivitylogs cannotbe improvedin a
meaningfulmer by any deconvolution
method.

SPECTRALSHAPING

If for a seriesof logs takenover the same formationinterval

deconvolution is not possible,for instancebecausenot all response
functionsare lmown,a secondapproachseem evident:filterthe logs in
such a way that their spectrabecomesimilar.In consequence, all logs
employedin a petrophysical evaluationwouldhave the same resolution.
This approachseemsadvantageous becauseof its simplicityand
,,
,, suitabilityfor caseswhere the tool responsecannotbe determinedeasily.
However,in practicalapplicationsthe followingrestrictionsrequire

-9-
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

specialattention:
Both amplitudeand phase spectrahave to be considered,sincethey
containequallyimportantinformation. In practice,phase spectraare
much more difficultto calculate;often only at very low frequencies
(0 ~ f g 0.5 c/m).Neglectingdifferencesin phase spectramay lead to
unpredictableshiftsin depth.‘Ihus,althoughthe presenceof bed
boundariescan be distinguished, theirpositionsare not necessarily
correct.
The true formtion signalis not alwayssimilarfor all logs.
Differencesmay occurwhen the toolshave differentdepthsof
investigation(e.g.influenceof invasionon resistivitylogs)or
measurenot fully correlatedproperties(e.g.porosityand
resistivity). If this is the case,the basic conditionfor spectral
shapingis not fulfilled.
Effectsdue to non-linearity of the tool responsebeccmenmre
pronouncd when the resolutionis increased.

Close inspectionof the literatureexamples(suchas the work of

BranIsa,1974)and our own resultsrevealedthat,althoughspectralshaping
visuallyimprovedthe resolution,detailsare often createdwhich do not
appearon any of the originallogs showingthe highestresolution.
In conclusion,in view of the many restrictions
mentioned,thereare
too many doubtsabout spectralshapingto warrantany meaningfulresultsin
practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our investigationshave resultedin the developnmt of suitable

filtertechniquesfor petrophysical logs.Extensiveexperiencewith
applicationson actuallogs has led us to the followim conclusions:
1. Deconvolution of log~ can be appliedon a very l&ited scalesnd for a
few typesof tools only.Therefore,routineapplicationof this
techniqueto improvethe verticalresolutionand/orto equalisetool
responsesof the seriesof well logs normallytakenin practiceis not
feasible.
2. Acousticlogs are suitablefor deconvolution. Providedthe borehole
conditionsare favorable, the verticalresolutionof soniclogs can
be Improvedup to 30 cm (1 ft).
3. Naturalgamma-raylogs are in principlefairlysuitablecandidatesfor
deconvolution. The resolutionthat can ultimatelybe obtaineddepends
on the count rate and the loggingspeed.For comnonloggingconditions
the final resolutionis limitedto 30 cm (1 ft), as againsta standard
resolutionof about 45 cm withoutdeconvolution.
4. Radioactivelogs (density,neutron)are not suitablefor decon-
volution.The noise levelis normallyhigh, althoughin principlethe
noise can be reduced(somewhat) by loweringthe loggingspeed.The
principallimitation,however,is causedby the non-linearcharacter
of the responsefunction.
5. Resistivitylogs cannotbe deconvolved, since the tool r~sponse is
fullynon-linear.
6. Wienerfilteri ng is a suitabletechniquefor the deconvolution of
logs.As inputonly the tool responsefunctionis required.The
techniqueenablesnoise to be handledwell.
 SPWLA TWENTY.THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

7. Equalisationof tool responsesby means of spectralshapingshouldbe

,,3, discouraged,since thereare too many doubtsto warrantmesnhgful
results.
8. Statisticaldeterminationof tool responsefunctionsis not feasible
sincea prioriassumptionsaboutthe formationsignal (e.g.whiteness) w
are not realistic.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

‘Iheauthoris indebtedto ShellResearchB.V. for permissionto

publishthis paper.

,,,
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

NOMENCLATURE

B mild-up factor

D Optimumresolutionobtainable

f Frequency,or wave number

L Tool spacing

ii Averagenumberof countsper second

N(n) Noise

R(n) Responsefunction

R-l(n) Inversefiltercorresponding
to R

S(n) True formationsignal

Amplitudespectmm of S(n)

T(n) Recordedsignal

s/N Signal-to-noise
ratio

v Loggingspeed

z Depth

a Attenuationcoefficient

A Depth-sampling
increment
 SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSlUt4, JULY 6-9.1982

REFERENCES

Branisa,F., 1974, Filteringof well-logcurves.

Geophysics39, 545.
Conaway,J.G. & Killeen,P.G., 1978, Quantitativeuraniumdeterminations
from gamma-raylogs by applicationof digitaltime seriesanalysis.
Geophysics43, 1204.
Czubek,J.A., 1973, New theory,possibilities and practicein digital
interpretation of g--ray logs.
Transactionsof the SPWLA 14th annual loggingsymposium,paper W.
Forster,M.R., Hicks,W.G. & Nipper,J.T., 1962, Qddmum inversefilters
which shortenthe spacingof velocitylogs.
Geophysics27, 317.
George,C.F., Smith,H.W. & Bostick,F.W., 1964, Applicationof inverse
filtersto inductionlog analysis.
Geophysics29, 93.
Gold, B. & Rader, C.M., 1969, Digitalprocessingof signals.
McGraw-HillInc., New York.
Howell,E.P., Grant, O.J. & Crebs,T.J., 1978, Slimholeloggingand
analysisfor uraniumexploration.
SPE 7434.
Papoulis,A., 1965, Probability,randomvariablesand stochasticprocesses.
New York, McGraw-Hill.
ReactorPhysicsConstants,1963, ANL 5800 Chapter8-3.
United States AtomicEnergy Commission.
Rice, R.B., 1962, Inverseconvolutionfilters.
Geophysics27, 4.
Robinson,E.A., 1957, Predictivedecomposition of seismictraces.
Geophysics22, 767.
Runge,R.J. & Powell,N.J., 1969, 'Iheeffectof samplingrate on sonic span
adjustment.
Transactionsof the SPWLA, 10th annual loggingsymposium,paper D.
Stripling.A.A., 1958, Velocitylog characteristics.
P&r. Tran& 61ME213,-207:
Wiener,N-2 1949,Extrapolation, Interpolation and 3noothingof stationary
time series.
John Wiley & Sons, NY.
Wilson,R.D., Stromswold,D.C., EJra.ns, M.L., Jain, M. & Close,D.A., 1979.
Spectralgamma-rayloggingIII: Formationand thin bed effects.
Transactionsof the SPWLA, 20th annual loggingsymposium,paper FF.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

Wim J. Looyestijnis a researchphysicist

working at the Koninklijke/ShellExploratieen
PrcxduktieLaboratorium,Rijswijk,
the Netherlands.He studiedexperimental
physicsat the Universityof Leiden and was
awardeda Ph.D. for a study on magnetic
interactions in solids.
He joinedShell in 1979 and since then has
worked on a varietyof subjectsspecifically
relatedto loggingand log interpretation.

- 13 -
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 8-9, 1982
II
+9
7!
“z
n
—
-~
8
:
— -0
.0
c
-(n
E
i=
~
.-m
m
a!
a
I 1 I I
- 0 1= .--it
n
-14-
 Power Power
(dBl [dB)
o

-lo -10

-20 h -20
J
-30-
+ - .._— _ ——-----~ -30

5 Depth (ml -40- ........

-40
NOISE
a. Signal when noise is present \
-50-

:L
\
RECOROED
‘\ , SIGNAL
-60-
---
-----
+
-70
!i f. 5 F,equency [cim, 10 o 5 F,erquency
(, m, I O

a. Recorded signal with noise b. Recorded signal after full

deconvolution
POW,, Pow,,
(dEi} (dB1
o I —-
I ,, /---
4 ,.-
0 -10 -10
5 10 Oepth (m) ~<——
/
b. Signal after full deconvolution -20 -20

-30 -30

-40 -40

-s0 r
-50

1
-60 17

-70~o 5 Frequency (elm) Io

-704_-_--l
-60
1

Li i F,equency (c)m) 10

c. Inverse filter for reatrictad d. Recorded signal after restricted

~—- , ~“ 4 daconvolution deconvolution
o 5 10 Depth (m)
Pmwr
c. Signal after restricted deconvolution (d6)
o~ 1

-lo D
z
-20
:
-30 D
-1 I -40
r

-50

-6o
i w“ I
1 -70
o 5 10 Depth (ml 0 5 Frequency (mm) 10

d. Signal after restricted deconvolution and noise filtering

e. Recorded signal after restricted
daconvoiution and noise filtering

FIG.3 EXAMPLE OF DECONVOLUTION OF A LOG WITH NOISE FIG.4 POWER SPECTRA CORRESPONDING TO THE EXAMPLE OF FIG. 3

p
y
(9
m
N
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

Power
(dB)
0.0s [ o
SONIC SONIC

0.00 k
0 1 Depth
1
(m)
a.
-50
r

I
~
20 Freauency
(elm)

Power
(d:)
o. 05
LSD

b.
-50-

0. 00

0 1 Depth (m)
0 10 20 Frequency
(c/m)

Power
(dB)
o
Gti

o.

c,
-50-

0.

1 , , 1 ,
0 I Depth (m) i) 19 “ 21) Frequency
(c/m)

FIG. 5 RESPONSE FUNCTIONS (IN ARBITRARY UNITS) AND POWER SPECTRA

a. Sonic tool (BHC, 2 ft)

b. Density tool (LSD, 48 cm)
c. Natural gamma ray (20 cm detector)
full curve: sandstone, dashed curve: water

-16-
 SPWLA TWENTY.THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982
,,,! ,,
%
1-
.s
L.- -0
I 1 1 I
0000 Oc 0000,
0 mm *U Nm*,
“’E 0 II I II II
(9P) KIMOd (9;) H3MOd
dII
,
I I I
0
-17-
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982
80
90
100
110
120
!!~
80
90
100
110
1 i
120
40
50
60
70 i
80:
90-
1oo-
1103
1
120
R
90
100
110
* I
120
E E
0
0
80:
90-
1oo-
11o-
120
1
50
60
70
80
@o
100
110
120
::
80
70
80
80
100
110
120
1 1
E E
-18-
.....—.
—..-—— .— .-
 SPWLA TWENTY.THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982

SONIC TRANSIT TIME (ps/ft )

s,., ,

5 ft SPACING 2 ft SPACING CALl PER

ORIGINAL

FROM 5ft ORIGINAL

w

.*- o-be.
Neo(ga40)cll* lw-ocDcD40)cn*
000000000 000000000 s z
1,1,1,111,1,1, IIiil, ill, ill, 1 I I I I

8100 fr

,,,

8150 tt

FIG.10 INFLUENCE OF BOREHOLE EFFECTS ON DECONVOLUTION

-19-

.,, .. .
SPWLA TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL LOGGING SYMPOSIUM, JULY 6-9, 1982
>
L
-m
-
I I I I I 1 0
m
T--- ,