Overview: Formation Evaluation (May 2005)

Abstract

A new generation of downhole intelligent systems has made real-time reservoir evaluation the new norm in the industry. Advances in formation-evaluation tools, such as the modern capture and near-infrared spectroscopy tools, allowing more-accurate determination of petrophysical data and in-situ fluid composition, have matched the growing sophistication in geosteering and well placement through improved measurement-while-drilling and logging-while-drilling technologies. The emerging real-time character of formation evaluation brings along a host of new challenges for the industry. We need to ponder the answers to questions such as the following. - How do we manage the enormous growth in the volume of data? - How do we convert the extra data to higher-accuracy reservoir characterization? Fuzzy logic and neural networks may point to potential pathways. Another noteworthy evolution is occurring in the area of formation imaging. Spanning across many scales, ranging from the pore throat to the wellbore, new dual-energy computer-tomography-scanning and nuclear-magnetic-resonance mapping techniques enable us to peer inside the rock to get a better understanding of multiphase-flow experiments. Wells with vastly complex subsurface architectures give us the ability to image reservoirs (e.g., fractures, boundaries, and orientation frequency) in greater detail than ever before. In short, formation evaluation is getting better and smarter. Additional Formation Evaluation Technical Papers Available at the SPE eLibrary: www.spe.org SPE 88688 Image Enhancement, Automated Interpretation, and 3D Visualization of Borehole-Image Logs in Characterization and Calibration of Fractures in Kuwait SPE 88636 Design Considerations for a New High-Data-Rate LWD Acoustic Telemetry System SPE 88519 A Case Study of Carbon-Oxygen Logging Through Multiple Tubular Strings Offshore Indonesia: Reservoir-Model Verification With Emphasis on Fluid Contact and Bypass Oil Identification SPE 91607 Damage Interpretation of Properly and Improperly Drilled Underbalanced Horizontals in the Fractured Jean Marie Reservoir Using Novel Modeling and Methodology