An integrated approach in determination of elastic rock properties from well log data in a heterogeneous carbonate reservoir

Abstract

Elastic rock properties are of particular importance for development of petroleum reservoirs. This paper demonstrates the adoption of an integrated multi-disciplinary practice workflow for determination of rock elastic properties. Since the availability of reliable sonic wave velocity leads to the improvement of determination of elastic rock properties, a rigorous data mining procedure is established to predict compressional wave velocity (Zoveidavianpoor et al., 2013a, 2013b; Zoveidavianpoor, 2014). Then, two empirical correlations are developed for measurement of shear wave velocity (Vs) and static Young's modulus (Es) and the results were compared with the literature. Correlation coefficients are used as criteria for checking whether the given results are appropriate for the purpose. The proposed framework has been applied successfully to a heterogeneous Middle Eastern carbonate reservoir. The predictions were in excellent agreement with the core data. Also, it was observed that the proposed correlations for Vs and Es provide better estimation when compared with the commonly used correlations in carbonate reservoirs. The results support the robustness of the proposed integrated approach for production decisions in developing a mature heterogeneous carbonate reservoir, which had previously not been possible.