SPE

International

Society of Petroleum Engineers

SPE 88889

Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning
with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs: Example from Niger Delta
Oguntona, J.A., Kelsch, K., Osman, K., ChevronTexaco
Ingebrigtsen, E., Butt, P., Saha, S., Schlumberger

Copyright 2004, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc. Obtaining this information while drilling has a
significant impact on drilling and completion decisions
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 28th Annual SPE International
Technical Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, Nigeria, August 2-4, 2004. in Niger Delta.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following
In the first case study, based on the information of NMR
review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of LWD from a pilot hole, a horizontal sidetrack was
the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum
Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, optimised in the high permeable section of the thin
does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication
reservoir. In addition, NMR logs demonstrate the
review by Editorial Committees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Electronic horizontal section was placed generally within the sweet
reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial
purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is spot of high free fluid section.
prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more
than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain
conspicuous acknowledgement of where and by whom the paper was presented.
Drawing experience from the first case study, a more
Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01- difficult situation of drilling a horizontal well with a six
972-952-9435.
feet window was addressed. The objective was to place
Abstract the well within the sand and drill an optimal length that
will meet hydrocarbon deliverability. First, resistivity at
The horizontal well placement within a thin sand with
bit was used to restrict the well within the target sand.
structural dip and economically produce these reserves
Within this heterogeneous sand, the while-drilling
are a challenge for the oil industry. New Reservoir
resistivity image and up and down deep Resistivity
Management and Formation Evaluation techniques are
measurements allowed the geosteering team to stay in
making these very thin hydrocarbon sands accessible and
the “sweet spot” of the reservoir. Concurrently,
economic for development. Upfront planning by multi
permeability was estimated from the NMR log. Based on
functional team to define well placement, uncertainty
this permeability, hydrocarbon producibility was
management and tool selection are key. Next execution
computed and decision was reached to drill the optimal
of landing and lateral require maximum flexibility and
length. This novel approach combining geosteering
accuracy from tools and team.
techniques using flexibly LWD tools are key to future
In this paper, two case studies are presented where development of thin hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) resistivity and Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance (NMR) were utilized to geosteer a Introduction
horizontal section through a thin sand and to geo-stop Many oil exploration and production companies have
the horizontal well after drilling an optimal drain hole been awaiting for new LWD drilling technology which
length. can aid them in horizontal well placement in dipping
Resistivity and NMR-LWD provides critical formation thin sand reservoirs. Integration of near bit resistivity
evaluation information such as resistivity at bit, up and imaging, LWD NMR and new rotary steerable systems
down resistivities, structural dip, formation porosity, provide key information like relative well position
bound-fluid volume, free-fluid volume and permeability. within the reservoir, lithology independent porosity and
2 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

permeability. With the inclusion of this technology in An integral, cylindrical electrode is used to provide a
the bottom hole assembly (BHA) transmitting in real high-resolution lateral resistivity referred to as ring
time, well placement decisions that impact the overall resistivity. The ring resistivity has a 7 inches depth of
economics and productivity of a well can be readily investigation. The tool also provides bit resistivity in
addressed. conductive mud environments.
A clear, continuous and consistent communication In addition to these five resistivity measurements the
between rig and multidisciplinary team is key to a tool also acquires azimuthal gamma ray data, radial and
successful horizontal well placement. A working lateral shock records, and temperature measurements.
relationship among rig, operations and geosteering
While drilling the Ewan-YH well, the deep button up
teams are critical and should be built and maintained.
and down resistivity, gamma ray up and down, ring
The process of drilling horizontal wells in CNL is rersistivity, bit resistivity and the deep button images
generally executed in three main sections: planning, were transmitted while drilling with 6 bps mudpulse
execution and post-job phase. The planning phase telemetry. The resolution of the LWD logs were good
includes creating a well plan and reviewing it in a cross to excellent even though the ROP exceeded 100 ft/hr on
functional team consisting of geologists, reservoir the average ROP was 90 ft/hr. High ROP coupled with
engineers, drilling engineers, petrophycisists, Rotary Steerable System kept the average bore hole size
geosteering coordinators, the rig site and others to 8.6”, which helps in preparation for completion phase
involved. It also consists of making contingency plans of the well. An example of Ewan-YH real time log of
and scenarios, based on risks in structure, stratigraphy the azimuthal resistivity and the images are displayed in
and/or fluid contacts. The execution phase is typically Figure 2.
to execute the desired well plan. This includes landing
the well in a strategic place in the reservoir, and then NMR while drilling technology
horizontal placement and adjustments while drilling the The magnetic resonance provides critical reservoir
lateral section. The objective with the horizontal parameters, such as permeability and bound fluid
placement is to adjust the well trajectory and stay within volume, that traditional LWD tools cannot measure
the defined reservoir zone. The post-job phase normally (Figure 3).
consists of reports and an after action review. It is
critical to learn from both mistakes and successes in The LWD NMR tool can be placed anywhere in BHA
each well, and bring the experience to subsequent wells. with no detrimental effects on drilling operations. A
rotationally symmetric magnetic design results in
Resistivity imaging technology minimized interference that is independent of tool face.
The tool is available as a 6 ¾ in.API drill collar for 8
The new azimuthal resistivity tool provides a laterolog
3/8 to 10 5/8 in. hole sizes and with 14-in diameter of
type resistivity-at-the-bit (GVR), a high-resolution ring
investigation.
resistivity and three azimuthally focused buttons with a
successive depth of investigation of about 1, 3 and 5 The magnetic resonance tool was set up with an
inches (Figure 1). These measurements are essential expected ROP of 100 ft/hr. six bits per second data
for steering horizontal wells in complex reservoir where transmission was programmed into the mudpulse
either the structural or stratigtraphic risk is significant. telemetry tool to enable high quality real-time data to be
provided despite the five tools included in the drilling
The three button electrodes are approximately one inch
string and the large amount of data that was required to
in diameter and are longitudinally spaced along the axis
be sent up in real time. Update rate for all variables was
of the tool. The spacing provides shallow, medium and
41 seconds enabling good real-time data at the expected
deep depths of investigation for quantifying invasion
ROP’s.
profiles. These azimuthally acquired button
measurements are also displayed as 56 sectors resistivity The tools acquisition modes are highly programmable
images, which is essential for structural interpretation and extremely flexible, allowing a wide range of future
while drilling. acquisition sequence development. Typically, a multiple
wait-time acquisition sequence is used, providing a fully
The deep button image and azimuthal deep button
polarizing, long wait time (3 to 12 seconds); a partially
resistivity was transmitted in real time for steering the
polarizing, medium wait time (normally 0.6 to 1
Ewan-YH well within a thin sand. The resistivity
second); and a very fast wait time, (typically 0.08
images were used continuously for dip interpretation,
seconds), usually repeated at least 20 times (Figure 4).
based on this adjusts the well trajectory to place the well
However as we were expecting much higher rate of
within the most productive part of the sand.
penetration (ROP), in order to completely polarize the
3 Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs SPE 88889

oil productive intervals for wells under study a pulse The well crossed a major fault just before penetrating
sequence is designed with a single longer initial wait- the target sand, making the landing challenging. After
time of 12.5 sec. Porosity and BFV were calculated and crossing the fault the well drilled into the target sand at
transmitted to surface in real time. X,431 ft TVD, accordingly the GOC at X,455 ft TVD
and it was decided to land the well 7 ft higher than
Rotary Steerable System Technology planned with a tolerance window of +/- 2 ft TVD. When
The new rotary steerable system used for Ewan-YH has the well entered the oil zone the NMR data showed
a steering assembly that continuously orients the tilted permeability of 2-3 Darcy and porosity between 25 to
bit shaft to control the drilling direction and the dogleg 30 pu (Figure 8).
severity of the borehole. The tool does not push against The structural map indicated the structure was generally
the borehole to build angle, and is therefore more flat in the direction of the lateral drainhole, before a
effective for steering in unconsolidated formations like rollover could cause down dip in the end of the 1500 ft
the Ewan target sand. Hole angle was built with lateral section. The landing was approximately 11 ft
minimal dependence on the borehole for deflection. It TVD below the GOC, so the plan was to drill out with
is a fully rotating tool with no stationary external parts, 90 degrees hole inclination and stay within the tolerance
which reduces the risk of sticking pipe assembly. It window (Figure 6).
looks and acts very much like a conventional drilling
motor although it has the ability to adjust azimuth and The NMR while drilling logs indicated the well stayed
inclination of the bit. within the productive sand with high permeabilities (2
to 3 Darcy), and high porosities (25 to 30 pu). However,
The tool is comprised of a slick collar with 2 spiral the well encountered a siltier interval where both free
stabilizers are positioned just behind the bit and 12 ft fluid volume and permeability decreased, as seen on the
back. The bit shaft is deflected internally allowing only log in Figure 9. By dropping within the tolerance
the bit box to show the offset. (Figure 10) window, the well was steered back to the productive
sand again.
Penetration rates are improved because there are no
Results Meji-4XH
stationary components to create friction that reduces
efficiency and anchor the BHA in the hole. In soft The results shown here illustrate the data acquisition of
formations the ability of this rotary steerable system to the while-drilling nuclear magnetic resonance tool
develop dogleg severity as high as 8ft‹/100 ft. Ewan- delivers near wireline quality data at rate of penetrations
YH is an example where this technology combined with in excess of 200 ft/hr. The complete data processing
near bit azimuthal measurements while drilling enabled was performed down hole in real-time so that decision-
the well to land successfully and to be steer in 5 ft target quality measurements and answers were available for
window “sweet spot”. transmission by mud-pulse telemetry and could be used
to provide a magnetic resonance interpretation while the
Case Study 1, Meji-4XH borehole was being drilled.
Meji field is located offshore Nigeria and is a large The main objectives of Meji-4XH were achieved. The
northwest-southeast anticline closure on the down lateral section of 1,500 ft was placed within the most
thrown side of the main Meji structure building fault productive part of the target sand, and the production
(Figure 5). A pilot hole was programmed to provide rate exceeded 2,200 BOPD (Figure 5).
structural control on the target sand in the area, as well
as appraise a 45 foot column updip of the reservoir. The Case Study 2, Ewan-YH
top structure map is displayed in Figure 8. The
Ewan-YH targeting the thin BXX sand was planned
objective of Meji-4XH was 1,500 feet lateral section
with a horizontal length of 1,200 ft. The objective of
within the most productive part of the sand 30 ft TVD
this well was first to land within the 7.2ft thin reservoir.
above the OWC.
Then after casing set drill a lateral section of 1,200 ft
Real Time Geosteering Meji-4XH with 90° ± 2° inclination within the sand.
The pilot hole was drilled into a separate fault block, The target or "sweet spot" was very thin (aprox. 5 ft),
and penetrated the target sand in a wet zone. The NMR real-time near bit azimuthal resistivity imaging, LWD-
log indicated permeability between 2 to 3 Darcy, and NMR, and new rotary steerable system were used to
porosity between 25 to 30 pu. The T2 distribution did successfully stay within the target zone of the thin sand.
not contain much early time arrivals, indicating very The TD was declared with 1,400 ft of lateral section
clean sand with larger pore size (Figure 7). from landing point. The lateral section was extended
4 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

from the planned due in part real time productivity additional geo-steering member on the rig. In cases
analysis derived from LWD-NMR images indicated low where loss of information technology (IT)
permeability in the first two hundred feet of the well. communications is lost, decisions then can be made at
The additional 200 ft of drainhole section was the rig.
geosteered within medium to high permeability sand.
The GVR tool operates in water based mud system.
Risk Assessment Case 2 Concern was suggested by the team that care should be
made to verify proper salinity was achieved in the water
The target sand structure had good well control as about based mud system. This would then improve the
13 wells penetrated the reservoir in the oil zone (Figure resistivity measurements made by the GVR tool.
11). Some structural uncertainties in target depth results
from seismic mapping due to local variations in the Traditionally the directional drilling team on the rig are
velocity model. Offset wells provided structural not included in the pre-drill planning. Due to the
controls in the updip and down dip directions from the complexity of this well, the team opted to bring in the
target. However the key factor to reduce structural risk directional drilling staff to review the objectives and
is the use of near-bit azimuthal resistivity. The drain issues associated with the future well prospects. For the
was planned along strike of the sand to help in reducing Ewan-YH well case this helped to locate the optimal
the possibility of exiting the sand directional driller familiar with equipment and this
experience was passed onto other staff members in
The offset wells provided stratigraphic control all Nigeria.
around the field. A better reservoir quality was
expected towards the fault. Lack of well control near Case 2 Pilot Well
the fault coupled with high structural dip limits the
The pilot hole was planned to evaluate the reservoir
ability to target the drain hole along strike of the NW
thickness, permeability and placement of the heel
trending fault. The team optimally placed Ewan-1XH
position of the well. It was found that the strike of the
between two wells where one supported placement of
formation was in northeast direction at about 62°
the toe while the other defined a zone of likely poor
degrees. The current well plan for the drainhole section
productivity. One of the risks associated with this well,
was therefore adjusted, to place the drainhole along
was productivity of the reservoir due to shaliness. The
strike. The objective was to plan the well along strike
target sand decreases in both thickness and sand quality
to reduce the structural uncertainty and achieve
towards the west and SSW direction within the
generally flat dip.
reservoir. The increase in shaliness and decrease in
reservoir thickness are due to lack of accommodation The objective sand was 5 ft TVD thick in the pilot hole,
space derived from listric normal fault to the north. The which was believed to be thick enough to place a lateral
nuclear magnetic resonance measurement while drilling producer within the sand. The gamma ray decreased to
was added to evaluate the permeability both in the pilot 75 GAPI, resistivity increased to about 8 to 10 ohmm,
and also while drilling the drainhole section. To verify and the neutron porosity and density overlapped.
if productivity is possible in the 5ft window,
The NMR data in the pilot hole indicated permeabilities
engineering ran sensitivity on reservoir thickness,
permeability and drain hole length. It was determined up to 800 mD in the middle part of the sand (Figure
that 5ft target with 1200ft lateral drain hole section was 12). The total porosity was approximately 25 pu, but the
needed for initial production estimate of 1200 BOPD. free fluid porosity was only about 15 to 20 pu. The early
T2 arrivals indicated some shaliness, and that the most
The bottom hole assembly for the 6-inch drainhole clean sand were found in the middle of the sand.
section was optimised to reduce the geological risks. It
was recommended to use at-the-bit resistivity, near-bit This also confirmed that the sand thickness and
azimuthal button resistivity and azimuthal resistivity permeability is good enough for drain hole placement
images to be geosteer the well within the thin sand and targeted production.
(Figure 1). Nuclear magnetic resonance measurement Real Time Geosteering Case 2 Landing
was also included to calculate effective porosity and
permeability, and analyse the productivity of the The landing can be the most difficult aspect in drilling
drainhole while drilling (Figure 3). This allowed horizontal wells. The Ewan-YH heel position was
determining the length of drainhole required to achieve targeted about 30 m away from the pilot well. The
the target productivity. section above the target sand consisted mainly of shale,
with no specific sand markers. Shale markers were used
To enhance communication between geo-steering, rig when applicable for other than small shale markers.
and asset team personnel the team opted to place an The target sand for the landing came 3.2ft TVD deeper
5 Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs SPE 88889

than the pilot hole and as such it was decided to land 3 decrease the inclination even more to 88.5°, to drop
ft TVD deeper, to position of the heel in the middle part down to the cleaner sand in the middle of the target
of the sand. sand.
In past CNL examples, the team would go further to The apparent dip sustained at about 1.5° for the rest of
attempt landing the well at 89° or 90° degrees. During the well and the inclination was kept between 87° and
the landing, it was clear the formation was soft and that 88° to follow the sand down dip. The permeabilities
any attempt to increase the dogleg severity would result ranged from medium (200 to 300 mD) to high (300 mD
in drilling out the bottom of the thin sand. The landing up to 1 Darcy). The heel of the well contained low
BHA assembly drilled 12 ¼" hole and is heavier and permeabilities (<100 mD) and reservoir simulation
pushes against the formation for directional drilling estimates showed that this was not sufficient productive
changes. It was clear once entering the sand we were sand. It was then decided to extend the well by 200 ft
losing the ability to increase inclination to get to 90° MD and TD the well with 1,400 ft MD drain hole
inclination. The team decided to stop at 88° inclination, within the sand. Figure 12 displays the post geosteering
case and change-out the drilling assembly to drill 8 ½" interpretation of the lateral section.
lateral using an enhanced rotary steerable assembly
using "point-the-bit" technology with GVR and LWD- A total of 15 adjustments called by geosteering staff
NMR tools. were made during drilling of the 1400ft lateral section
(Figure 14). After twenty minutes the change would
Real Time Geosteering Case 2 Drainhole Section be realized by geosteering staff via changes in tool read-
out at the RIG and geosteering work area. The average
After drilling out of casing the hole inclination dropped ROP was about 90ft/hr. This ROP in comparison to
to 87.5° due to casing and back reaming. It was decided past CNL laterals was the high; however, confidence
to increase the dogleg severity to 4 to 4.5. Drilling the was quickly realized through GVR measurements,
first 100ft of the lateral the incination of the bit was 90° which allowed the team to move quickly and
and geosteering using the GVR was initiated. successfully to navigate through the thin sand and finish
During the first 100 ft of lateral section, the resistivity the lateral section. The high ROP also prevented the
image indicated the stratigraphically down in the sand. ability of the BHA to produce washouts that can affect
The apparent dip calculated from the button resistivity completion of the well. In the Ewan-YH case the
images indicated 0.5° up dip along the wellbore. The average diameter was 8.6".
NMR log showed early T2 arrivals, indicating silty sand Productivity Case 2 Ewan-YH well
with less free fluid volume (Figure 13). It was decided
to build to 91° to climb back up to the middle part of the The decision to employ the use of the GVR tool to drill
sand. While drilling ahead the well climb up to the the lateral section, limited in the type of completion
cleaner sand in the middle of the target sand. The equipment to use. In the case of the Ewan-YH well the
sample description from the rig increased from 40% deployment of Concentric Annual Production System
sand to about 90-100% and sand grain size from fine to (CAPS) was used. Ewan field is known for sand
medium and resisivity measurements between 9-12 production once water is realized at the well bore and
ohms. the decision to the deploy sand control was deemed
critical for production success in Ewan-YH well.
However, the up resistivity decreased after 25 ft MD
within the clean sand, indicating the well was drilling Initial production estimate was 1200 BOPD but after
towards the top of the sand. Dip interpretation from the bringing on the well the actual IP was 1600 BOPD
resistivity image showed that the apparent dip was (Figure 16 & 17). Future tests on the well will be
flattening out, and it was decided to level off at 90° conducted to verify productivity along the well bore.
inclination (Figure 15).
Conclusion
Permeability estimates showed that the silty sand in the
These two case studies have showed that it is possible to
lower part of the well had permeabilities less than 100
develop thinner sand targets through enhanced
mD. The middle lobe though had increased permeability
geosteering and reservoir planning. The first example
between 300 mD to 1 Darcy and the free fluid volumes
showed reservoir evaluation both while drilling the pilot
increased when the well drilled up to the middle part
hole, and also while drilling the horizontal section. The
again.
NMR data was used for steering the drainhole section in
Drilling ahead, the resistivity images showed that the the more productive sand. In the case of Ewan-YH
well was coming along the top of the sand. The apparent well, the subsequent production test exceeded the
dip had dropped to 1° down dip, so it was decided to expectation by 33%. More important the impact to
6 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

CNL, millions of reserves is tied up on thin sand Efnick, M., Shamri, A., Madjidi, A. and Shade, C.:
development. Employing the Ewan-YH case study “Using New Advances in LWD Technology for
provides a map how to move P2 and P3 reserves to P1 Geosteering and Geologic Modelling”. Paper 57537
and increases production. presented at the 1999 SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling
Technology Conference held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 8-10
To develop thin sand both azimuthal resisitivity near the
November 1999.
bit was used together with the NMR while drilling tool.
The azimuthal resistivity data is essential for steering Tribe, I.R, Burns, L., Howell, P.D., Dickson, R.:
the well within tight target as in 2nd case study, to “Precise Well Placement using Rotary Steerable
calculate dips and adjust the well trajectory Systems and LWD Measurements” SPE Paper 71396
continuously. The well was extended after reservoir presented at the 2001 SPE Annual Technical
evaluation of the first hundreds feet indicated poor Conference and Exhibition held in New Orleans,
reservoir. The well achieved its objective with 1,200 Louisiana, Sept/Oct 2001.
feet of productive sand.
Carpenter, W., Best, D., Evans, M.: “Application &
It is strongly recommended to use while drilling nuclear Interpretation of Azimuthally Sensitive Density
magnetic resonance technology to evaluate reservoir Measurements Acquired While Drilling” Transactions
quality in shaly sand reservoirs. The azimuthal of the SPWLA 38th Annual Logging Symposium, paper
measurements while drilling are essential for EE
geosteering either within thin sand lobes or within thin
Labat, C.P., Doghmi, M., Tomlinson, J.C.: “Image-Dip
reservoir. The teamwork and geosteering was key to
Calculation Using New-Deneration LWD Density-
success for Ewan-YH.
Porosity Tools” SPE Paper 74370 presented at the SPE
Acknowledgments International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition in
Mexico, held in Villahermosa, Mexico, Feb-2002.
The authors would like to thank the Chevron Nigeria SPE/IADC 79917
Limited and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation for
granting permission to publish this paper. Special Abbreviations
thanks are also extended to Jerry Flaherty, Brad CNL Chevron Nigeria Limited
Middelton, Jim Logan, John Bartges, Florent Pin and
array of staff from Schlumberger for their support TVD True Vertical depth
during the writing of this paper. All the people MD Measured depth
involved in this paper are thanked for their support in
bringing the paper to a successful conclusion. LWD Logging while drilling
MRWD Magnetic Resonance While Drilling
References
NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Jan Morley, Ralf Heidler, Jack Horkowitz, Bruno
Luong, Charles Woodburn, Martin Poitzsch, Tim BFV Bound Fluid Volume
Borbas and Brett Wendt “Field Testing of a New FFV Free Fluid Volume
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Logging-While-Drilling
MWD Measurement while drilling
Tool” SPE Paper 77477 presented at SPE Annual
Technical conference and exhibition at San Antonio, AIM At the Bit Inclination Measurement
Texas October-2002. ARC Array Resisitivity Compensated
Garrity, J., Onyirioha, R., Logan, J., Ingebrigtsen, E., ADN Azimuthal Density Neutron
Butt, P.: “Real-Time Dip Applications For Geosteering BHA Bottom Hole Assembly
In Swamp Fields Of Nigeria” SPE Paper 85660
presented at the SPE International Petroleum AAR After Action Review
Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, Nigeria, July-2002 GOC Gas Oil Contact
Akinsanmi, O., Anwasi, L., Ogundana, M., Aibangbe, OWC Oil Water Contact
O, and Kienitz, C.: “Application of Azimuthal Density
ROP Rate of penetration (ft/hr or m/hr)
While Drilling Images for Dips, Facies and Reservoir
Characterization – Niger/Delta Experience”. Paper TD Total Depth.
65460 presented at the 2000 SPE/PS-CIM International NNPC Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation
Conference on Horizontal Well Technology held in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 6-8 November 2000 GVR Geovision Resistivity
 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

Figure 1 – Azimuthal near bit laterolog-resistivity tool (GVR) configuration. The GVR was run behind the new
rotaray steerable system in the Ewan-YH well drainhole section. The up and down resistivity and the resistivity
image from the deep button was essential for geosteering within the thin target sand.

Figure 2 – Real time LWD log Ewan-YH, azimuthal gamma ray, up and down resistivity, bit and ring resistivity
and the deep button resistivity image (static and dynamic). The real time logs were transmitted to surface by
mudpulse telemetry (6 bits per second).
Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs SPE 88889

Turbine Assy.
S p e c ific a tio n s

H o le S iz e : 8 3 / 8 ” t o 1 0 5 / 8 ”
D ia m e t e r o f in v e s t ig a t io n : 1 4 ”
F le x ib le R e a l t im e c o n n e c t io n
7 ¾” OD O v e r a ll L e n g t h : 3 7 f t
W EARBAN DS
AN TEN N AS
N o r a d io a c t iv e s o u r c e s
6 ¾ ” A P I D r ill C o lla r
F lo w R a n g e : 3 0 0 t o 8 0 0 g p m

Electronics Assy.
M a x . T e m p : 1 5 0 ° C (3 0 0 ° F )
Magnets and

M a x . o p e r a t in g p r e s s u r e : 2 0 ,0 0 0 p s i
D o g L e g S e v e r it y
R o t a t in g 8 d e g / 1 0 0 f t
O P T IO N A L S lid in g 1 6 d e g /1 0 0 ft
S T A B IL IZ E R

Figure 3 – Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) while drilling tool specifications. The NMR while drilling tool
was used in both case study wells for reservoir evaluation in the pilot holes and while drilling the drainhole
sections.

Figure4 – Magnetic Field Configuration for the new NMR while drilling tool.
 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

Figure 5 – Top structure map for the Meji-4X wel. The pilot hole was targeting another fault block than the
horizontal well, which was targeting the central block.

G R O ffset #1 G R O ffset #2 G R O ffse t #1

GOC

R ea l T im e
G a m m a R ay
Figure 6 –Geosteering Interpretation of the 1,500 ft drainhole section of Meji-4X within the clean sand lobe (red curve is
actual trajectory, blue is planned).
Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs SPE 88889

Figure 7 – Pilot Hole, NMR and neutron porosities are in good agreement across the wet zones. No bound fluid / early
T2 distribution from NMR confirmed the sands are clean and permeability in the range of 2-3 Darcy.
 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

Figure 8 – Horizontal well landing section, nuclear magnetic resonance and azimuthal resistivity confirmed that the
well landed in clean
Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs SPE 88889

Figure 9 – Horizontal well drainhole section. NMR confirmed that first 500 feet of drain hole is clean high
permeability reservoir and then we hit the silty part of reservoir with relatively lower permeability. Well path was
adjusted to get out of silty sand and back into cleaner more permeable sand.
 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

Figure 10 – New advanced rotaray steerable system - point the bit – used for the drainhole section of Ewan-YH.

278,000 279,000 280,000 281,000 282,000 283,000 284,000 285,000

208,000 208,000
OKG-XX

207,000 207,000
EWA-XXST1
EWA-XXH
EWA-XX EWA-XXHST1
EWA-01

EWA-XXH EWA-XXS
EWA-XXS

EWA-XXH
EWA-XX Ewan-YH
EWA-XXHST1 EWA-XXHST2
EWA-XX EWA-XX
EWA-XXH
EWA-XXS
206,000 EWA-XX 206,000

EWA-XX
EWA-XXi
EWA-XXH OKG-XX

EWA-XXB EWA-XX

EWA-XXiI

EWA-XX

205,000 205,000
EWA-XX

EWA-XX EWA-XXI EWA-XXI

EWA-XXH
1:12500
KILOMETERS 0.0 0.5 KILOMETERS
STATUTE MILES 0.0 .1 .2 .3 .4 0.5 STATUTE MILES

204,000 204,000
CHEVRON NIGERIA LIMITED
ASSET MANAGMENT DEPARTMENT, LEKKI LAGOS
EWA-XXI

Top Structure Map

Ewan B-XX
C.I. 50 (ft)
SCALE: 1:125000 DRAWN: KDK DATE: 06-OCT-2003
203,000 INTERPRETATION: KDK 203,000

278,000 279,000 280,000 281,000 282,000 283,000 284,000 285,000

Figure 11 – Top structure map of theh BXX sand, Ewan field. Planned well, Ewan-YH, with surrounding offset
wells. The Ewan-YH drainhole section was planned along strike to reduce the risk of drilling out of the sand.
Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs SPE 88889

Ewan-Y Pilot
LW D Log NMR T2
Distribution

Density

Neutron
Porosity

Late arrivals:
Effective porosity
BXX TOP

Free Fluid Volume

GR

Bound Fluid Volume

Resistivity

BXX BASE

Caliper

Perm

Early arrivals:
Bound Fluid Porosity

Figure 12 – Ewan Pilot hole NMR log. The permeability was up to 1 darcy and the free fluid volume was up to
15% in the target sand, and from this result it was decided to drill a horizontal well within the sand. The resistivity
was aqcuired by an induction tool, and as such a polarization effect was observed when the well crossed the bed
boundaries.
 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

Ewan-YH
Drainhole Section
LW D NM R Log

Perm eability Image Orientation

UP Down UP
.
Bound Fluid

Bottom of the hole

Volume

Silty Sand
Perm

Density

Neutron
Porosity

Late arrivals:
Free Fluid

Free Fluid Volume

Clean Sand
GR

Silty Sand in the top of the hole

Silty Sand in the top of the hole
Early arrivals:
Bound Fluid

Caliper

AVG ROP
90 ft/hr

Figure 13 – Ewan-YH drainhole section NMR log and azimuthal resistivity image. Free fluid volume and
permeability estimates from the NMR while drilling tool correspond very well to the interpretation of the resistivity
image. The first 200 ft in the lower part of the BXX sand, consisted of more silty sand. The permeability log and the
free fluid volume indicates the last 1,200 ft MD of the well mainly was drilled within more productive sand. All
decisions was taken while drilling, and together with the new rotary steerable system this made the hole smooth with
nearly no wash outs, as seen from the caliper log.
 Thin Sand Development Made Possible through Enhanced Geosteering and Reservoir Planning with While-drilling Resistivity and NMR Logs SPE 88889

Figure 14 – The geossteering interpretation of Ewan-YH. Up and down resistivity was used for steering within the sand,
together with dip interpretation from the resistivity image displayed at the top. All the 15 X points along the wellbore are
decisions point for steering the well in the thin sand.

Figurer 15 – Zoom View of the Geosteering Interpretataion. Resistivity up and down were continously interpreted while
drilling to analyze if the well was drilling closer to the top or base. In this figure the well was drilling closer to the base in
the first 200 ft, and as such it was decided to steer up with 91.0º inclination. When it was interpreted that the well was
drilling in the middle part of the sand, it was decided to level off at 90.0º inclination.
 Oguntona, Kelsch, Osman,Ingebrigtsen, Butt, Saha SPE 88889

EWAN-YH

6000 24
5000 20
Oil Rate [BBL/D]; GOR

4000 16

WATER-CUT
[SCF/STB]

3000 12
2000 8
1000 4
0 0
31-Dec 30-Jan 29-Feb 31-Mar 30-Apr 31-May 30-Jun

OIL BBLS/D FORMATION GOR SCF/BBL BS&W %

Figure 16 – Production data for the Ewan-YH well March to June 2004. Initial production estimate was 1200 BOPD
but after bringing on the well the actual IP was 1600 BOPD.

EWAN-YH

350 70
Tubing Pressure [psig]

Sand [lb/MBBL]; Choke

300 60
250 50

[64ths]
200 40
150 30
100 20
50 10
0 0
31-Dec 30-Jan 29-Feb 31-Mar 30-Apr 31-May 30-Jun

TBG. PRESSURE PSIG CHOKE SAND CONT. IB

Figure 17 – Ewan-YH production data March to June 2004.