Assessment of clay content from the analysis of K, U, and Th distribution in different grain-size fractions of the productive sediments of the Lovin Field, Western Siberia

Abstract

During the calculation of the oil and gas resources of Western Siberia, especially in the sediments of the Tyumen Formation, the presence of thin nonreservoir clay intercalations must be accounted for. However, the resolution of standard geophysical methods that are used to identify productive sequences is insufficient, and the clay intercalations are included into the total thickness of reservoir rocks, which leads to considerable errors during resource assessment. The most efficient method for the estimation of clay mineral content in sedimentary rocks is the gamma method or gamma-ray well logging, which is typically used for this purpose. However, its application requires the knowledge of correlations between the abundance of clay minerals in the sediments; the contents of K, U, and Th; and total radioactivity. To solve this problem, four grain-size fractions (sand, coarse silt, fine silt, and clay) were separated from the sediments of the Tyumen Formation at the Lovin Field and were analyzed for naturally radioactive elements (NRE), total radioactivity, and mineral composition. The tendencies found in the distribution of NRE and total radioactivity in different grain-size fractions provided a methodical basis for the determination of clay mineral contents in the productive sediments of the Tyumen Formation at the Lovin Field using gamma-spectrometric data.