Channel Sand Reservoir Characterization Based on Features Identified From Electrical Borehole Images

1
Channel Sand Reservoir Characterization Based on
Features Identified From Electrical Borehole
Images
HEF Petrophysical Consulting Inc.
This presentation is entitled Channel sand
reservoir characterizations based on features
identified from electrical borehole images
Example from the lower cretaceous McMurray
Formation, northeast Alberta, Canada.
2
Channel Sand Reservoir Characterization Based on
Features Identified from Electrical Borehole
Images Example from the lower Cretaceous
McMurray Formation, northeast Alberta, Canada

• Authors Richard Shang, Kris Vickerman, Susan Xu
  and Paul Heffernan
• Presenting Kris Vickerman

Before I get going, I'd like to thank my
co-authors at HEF Petrophysical Consulting,
Richard Shang, Susan Xu and Paul Heffernan.
3
Acknowledgements

• Brian Rottenfusser of Redfoot Enterprises Inc.
• Computalog
• Schlumberger of Canada

For further acknowledgements, Id like to say
that we were very lucky to have had Brian
Rottenfusser involved and impressed with this
technique because of his vast experience and
knowledge in the field of tar sands core
interpretation. Id also like to acknowledge
computalog and schlumberger whose imaging and
interpretation techniques that will be employed
in this presentation as well as Gord Stabb of
Durando Resources, John Cox, and all the other
people who were involved in this project who
would rather remain unnamed.
4
Outline

• Introduction
• Objectives
• Comparison of EMI and Core Images
• SAGD Concerns
• Sand Body Orientation
• Example Well
• Conclusions

Just to give you all an idea about where this
presentation is going, here is an outline of
things to come. After some introductions into
the project background and objectives, I will
discuss a comparison between some electrical
borehole images and some digital core photos,
Ill then talk about some SAGD concerns, and
about using the established techniques of
determining the sand body orientation from
computed dip data. Finally, I'll show a complete
example well in the tar sands environment and
conclude.
5
Project Description

• 30 tar sands wells in the McMurray Formation
• To be developed using steam assisted gravity
  drainage (SAGD)

This 30 well project was drilled in the
Cretaceous McMurray tar sands formation in
northeastern Alberta. The ultimate goal of the
operators was to produce the field using steam
assisted gravity drainage or SAGD. Please notice
the SAGD diagram on the next slide, where there
are two horizontal wells, one placed over the top
of the other.
6
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD)
The top well is used as an injector by pumping
superheated steam into the formation which
liquefies the heavy tar sands oil enough that it
drains into the production wellbore, below. This
project was an interesting one because
environmental concerns over caribou and moose
calving in the area forced a shortened season so
innovative ways to drill the year's quota of
wells had to be found. Our solution to this
problem was to see if the wells could be logged
with images rather than resorting to the slower
method of coring to obtain data. This will be
the main focus of the presentation.