New capabilities of application of gamma-ray logging in borehole geophysical investigations through steel string

Abstract

Borehole geophysical investigations through steel string (both drill and casing) are becoming increasingly important. Gamma-ray logging (GR) is a mandatory and one of the main methods for investigating oil-and-gas reservoirs and near-surface rocks. It is characterized by high efficiency under the aforementioned measurement conditions. GR is used to identify bed boundaries, evaluate lithology, estimate shaliness, identify reservoirs, etc. Traditionally, the determination of granu- lometric shaliness is the main goal of quantitative interpretation for GR. Gamma-ray logging has been successfully used for many decades. However, increasing the accuracy of determining granulometric shaliness, expanding the informativeness of the method to determine mineral clayness, and developing procedures for using GR data in estimating other petrophysical parameters are topical issues. Based on logging materials, the paper examines the features of using the main interpretation parameter of GR (the relative difference parameter – index ΔІγ) in boreholes in the presence of a steel column and proposes new methodological approaches to the use of GR data when interpreting measurements in oil-and-gas and engineering-geological boreholes. Through numerous ex- amples, the invariance (constancy) of the interpretation parameter of gamma-ray logging has been proven under different borehole conditions, types of logging tools, etc. An approach has been proposed for obtaining optimal reference values when determining this parameter, which increases the accuracy of estimating shaliness parameters. A method has been developed for determining mineral clayness, which is an important quantity in itself and is necessary for determining other petrophysical parameters from loggingdata. A multiplicative method has been created for determining the total porosity of shaly rocks using a combination of neutron logging and gamma-ray logging, which makes it possible to avoid using the hydrogen index of clay minerals. The novelty of the developments is supported by patents, and their effectiveness is confirmed by the results of borehole tests and comparisons with independent determinations of parameters (laboratory core studies, traditional methods of interpretation). The proposed approaches are an important component of the investigation technologies for oil-and-gas reservoirs and near-surface rocks, developed at the Institute of Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.