Porosity from the Measurement of

Bulk Density

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 Compensated Density and
Spectral (Litho or Z) Density Logs
• Gamma ray source
– Cs137
– 662 KeV
• 2 or 3 Gamma ray detectors (various spacings)
– Scintillation counters [ NaI, Tl activated ]
• Pad (mandrel) type devices with Caliper
• Two main interactions:
– Compton scattering e-  b (g/cm3)
– Photoelectric absorption Pe (barn/atom or
barn/electron)
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Correction not valid
if > 0.15 g/cm3

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 Porosity Derivation from Density Log
• Rearranging to solve for porosity

ma  b From log


ma  f
From invaded zone
From rock knowledge fluid knowledge
• Where do parameters come from?
• Are they readily available?
• What about propagation of error?

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 Porosity Derivation from Density Log
• Matrix densities • Fluid densities
– 2.65 g/cm3 for quartz (sands, – 1.0 g/cm3 for fresh mud
etc.) – 1.1 g/cm3 for salt mud
– 2.68 g/cm3 for limey sands or – 1.2 g/cm3 for super-saturated brine
sandy limes mud
– 2.71 g/cm3 for limestones – 1.0 + 0.73 N g/cm3 for salt mud
– 2.85 g/cm3 for dolomites (where N is NaCl concentration in
ppm x 10-6)

• Log can be presented as – What about the residual

density porosity hydrocarbon density?
• Parameters must be – What about oil based muds?
supplied and annotated

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 Effect of Gas on Density Logs
• Gas effect looks like increased density porosity
• Fluid in volume of investigation is
residual gas and mud filtrate

f  mf S x0  h 1  S x0 

• Density log really needs help to establish

– Matrix type
– Identify gas
– Simplify porosity determination in gas zones
• Neutron log and Pe curve can help considerably
• Micro Resistivity Logs can be used to estimate Sxo

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Core/Log porosity calibration
Should be
100
realistic !!
Apparent
80
fluid
density
Core porosity (% bv)

60

40

20 Matrix
density

0 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0

Log density (g/cc)
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 water-bearing
sand, oil-base
Apparent mud
fluid
Core/Log density
Porosity
Calibration:

Example
NWShelf Matrix density from
Australia core samples
Mean 2.646
Median 2.646
Mode 2.640
Standard 0.011
Deviation
Range 0.065
Minimum 2.618
Maximum 2.683

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 Apparent Assumed
gas density fluid density

100
Core/Log
porosity
Core porosity (% bv)
calibration
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Apparent 
in-situ  !! True 
0
0 1.0 2.0 3.0
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Density log (g/cc)
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Barns/atom

 change
has minimal
effect on Pe

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 Newest Density Logs
• Schlumberger's Litho-Density Sonde (LDS)
– Full spectrum analysis to obtain
• Bulk density
• Photoelectric factor
• Schlumberger’s Platform Express
– 3-Detector, high-resolution density log
– Smaller, lighter, more robust
• Atlas FOCUS Z-Densilog

• Other service company equivalents

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