The relationship between mineral content and acoustic velocity of sandstone reservoirs in Junggar basin

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Sandstone reservoirs have generally high porosity in the Shawan formation of the Chunguang oil field, Junggar basin, because they developed in geological conditions of shallow and weak compaction. High porosity always links lower acoustic velocities in sandstone. However, when it is more than a certain value (approximately 27.5%), the porosity is not in accordance with acoustic velocities. In addition, cast thin sections illustrated incoherence between pore types and porosity. Fluids and mineral content are the two main factors changing acoustic velocities. This means that acoustic velocities of the high-porosity sandstone are mainly affected by the mineral content and fluid properties. Hence, data from litho-electric analysis are used to measure velocities of the compression shear waves, and thin sections are used to identify the mineral content. By the application of cross-plot maps, relations of acoustic velocities and mineral contents are proposed. Mineral contents include mainly quartz, feldspar, and tuff. In normal rock physical models, the shale content is calculated from well logs. The mineral grain is often regarded as pure quartz grain or average mineral composition. However, the application of the normal rock physics model will be inaccurate for high-porosity sandstone. Experience regression functions of the velocity model are established to estimate acoustic velocities. Also, mineral content logs could be predicted by using the P-wave acoustic log, and the rock physics model would be enhanced by using these logs of dynamic mineral contents. Shear wave velocity could also be estimated more accurately.