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Spontaneous Potential (SP) Phenomena and Interpretation of SP Logs

This document provides an overview and objectives for a lecture on spontaneous potential (SP) logs. The lecture will cover the physical principles behind SP phenomena in boreholes, how to interpret SP logs to determine lithology, shale content, and hydrocarbon saturation. It will also cover calculating the electrical resistivity of connate water from SP readings and applying environmental and acquisition corrections. The summary includes discussing SP scales, practical uses of SP logs, an example SP log, and diffusion potential in porous media as it relates to discrimination by ion size.

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Mónica Alexandra Sedano Duarte
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60 views18 pages

Spontaneous Potential (SP) Phenomena and Interpretation of SP Logs

This document provides an overview and objectives for a lecture on spontaneous potential (SP) logs. The lecture will cover the physical principles behind SP phenomena in boreholes, how to interpret SP logs to determine lithology, shale content, and hydrocarbon saturation. It will also cover calculating the electrical resistivity of connate water from SP readings and applying environmental and acquisition corrections. The summary includes discussing SP scales, practical uses of SP logs, an example SP log, and diffusion potential in porous media as it relates to discrimination by ion size.

Uploaded by

Mónica Alexandra Sedano Duarte
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture Presentation

Fundamentals of Well Logging

Spontaneous Potential (SP)


Phenomena and
Interpretation of SP Logs

Carlos Torres-Verdín, Ph.D.


Professor
Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin

Objectives:

1. To understand the physical principles governing


spontaneous potential (SP) phenomena in
boreholes,
2. To learn how to interpret SP logs in terms of
lithology, shale content, and hydrocarbon
saturation,
3. To learn how to calculate the electrical resistivity of
connate water from SP readings,
4. To understand what environmental/acquisition
corrections are necessary for the quantitative
interpretation of SP logs.
Open Hole
SP
Measurement
Principle

SSP SUMMARY:
SP SCALES
• The SP is measured in millivolts, mV.
• The SP has a sign.
• The scale on the log shows a number of mV per division
for example 20mV/division. This gives a total for the track
of 200mV.
• The scale across the track is variable and depends on the
conditions in the well.
• The scale is set during logging to have the SP curve in
the track over the zone of interest and as much of the rest
of the log as possible.

Spontaneous Potential (mV)


Tracks 2/3
->10mV< +

PRACTICAL USES OF SP LOGS


• Differentiate potentially porous and
permeable reservoir rocks from
impermeable shales.

• Define bed boundaries.

• Give an indication of shaliness (maximum


deflection is clean sand; minimum is shale).

• Determine Rw in both salt and fresh muds.


SP LOG
EXAMPLE

Rmf > Rw

DIFFUSION POTENTIAL
IN POROUS MEDIA
(Discrimination by Ion/Cation Size)

NaCl NaCl

C1 CS=0 C2

+ --
+ C1 > C2 -
+
ATOMIC RADII OF SOME ELEMENTS

What is a clay?
Clay-Coated Sandstone
Clay Structure: SEM Images
Kaolinite Smectite

ILLITE:

CRYSTALINE
STRUCTURE
KAOLINITE: CRYSTALINE STRUCTURE

ELECTRICAL DOUBLE LAYER OF CLAYS


+ ++ + + + + + ++
+ + - + - - - - - - - - + +
- +
+ + +
- - +
+ - - +
+ +
+ - Si+4 Æ Al+3 - +
+ + +
+ - - +
+ +
- Clay -
+ + - - + +
+ - - - - - - - - +
+ + + + +
+ + + + + + + + +
Water Adsorption by Clays
[Cation-Exchange-Capacity (CEC) Mechanism]

MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
OF CLAYS

NaCl - - NaCl
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- Clay - C2
C1 - -
-- +
- C1 > C2 +
+
Where does borehole SP come from?

BOREHOLE PHENOMENON
SSP SUMMARY:

SOME
BASIC
INTERPRETATION
PRINCIPLES
SP LOG
EXAMPLE

Rmf > Rw

SP LOG
EXAMPLE

Rmf > Rw
DRIFTING OF SP LOGS
STATIC SP POTENTIAL:
Diffusion + Membrane Potentials

SP LOG

SALINITY
EFFECTS
Rw from the SP log
• Rw is often known from oil-company information
or local knowledge.
• The SP can be used to check the value of Rw or
to compute it when it is unavailable.
• It is especially useful when there are variations of
connate water salinity along the borehole
• SSP = -K log [ Rmfe / Rwe ]
• K is a constant - depending on the temperature.
Kc = 61 + 0.133 ToF
Kc = 65 + 0.24 ToC

ESTIMATION OF THE ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY OF


CONNATE WATER
Log Quality Control
• Logging Speed:
Any speed.
• Tool Positioning:
centered or eccentered
• Repeatability:
2 mV of baseline shift
• Operating Limitations:
temperature 350oF
mud - no oil based mud
• Data Quality:
Periodic variations should be less than 1mV.

Environmental Corrections:
• Borehole Size, Temperature

Interpretation
Issues/Corrections:
• Variable Membrane Efficiency in Shales

• Hydrocarbon Saturation

• Bed Thickness

• Shoulder Beds
COMBINED
GAMMA-RAY
and
SP LOG
INTERPRETATION

Some Review Questions (Part I):


1. How was the spontaneous potential discovered? why is
it an electrical phenomenon?
2. What are the units of SP?
3. Why can the SP potential be positive, negative, or null?
4. Define diffusion, membrane, and streaming SP potential.
5. What is the definition of static SP?
6. What are the necessary conditions for the existence of
diffusion and membrane potentials?
7. What is ion mobility? Describe the physical variables
that determine the mobility of an ion in water
8. Why don’t oil-base muds support SP potentials?
9. Why aren’t SP readings null across carbonate rocks?
Some Review Questions (Part II):
10. Why do SP logs drift with respect to depth?
11. Why are SP readings positive or negative? When is the
SP reading positive and when negative?
12. What is the relationship between the electrical
resistivity of connate water and the SSP measured
across a clean sand bed?
13. Do SP logs sense the solid or the fluid component of a
permeable and porous rock?
14. Are SP measurements sensitive to invasion?
15. What is the radial length of investigation of an SP log?
16. What is the effect of increased clay concentration on
the SP reading across a porous sand bed?
17. What is the effect of increased hydrocarbon
concentration on the SP reading across a porous sand
bed?

Some Review Questions (Part II):


18. Why is it sometimes said that the SP log is sensitive to
the permeability of a sand bed?
19. What are the environmental corrections that are often
applied to SP logs?
20. What are the interpretation corrections that one needs
to apply to SP logs?
21. Explain the procedure used to calculate the electrical
resistivity of connate water from SP readings.
22. What petrophysical information (either qualitative or
quantitative) does the SP log provide in addition to that
provided by a natural gamma ray log?
Acknowledgements:

• Baker Atlas
• Schlumberger

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