Meeting Information

"Bakken Formation Evaluation using Laboratory Core Data and Advanced Logging Technologies "

Dick Merkel
Newfield Exploration Company

Unconventional reservoirs have come into intense focus for exploration and development of their oil and gas potential. The Bakken Shale is such an unconventional reservoir as are the Bakken's neighboring reservoirs, the Three Forks dolomite, Sanish mudstone and Lodgepole limestone. The primary oil target within the Upper Devonian Bakken complex is the Middle Bakken dolomitic sand/siltstone. The Upper and Lower Bakken Shales are organic rich source rocks.  

Hydrocarbon fluid identification, volumes, and permeability are necessary inputs for a strategy to determine horizontal well placement within the Middle Bakken and its associated formations and to effectively design horizontal well steering and completions.  

The challenges to formation evaluation including hydrocarbon identification are multifold. Formation porosities and permeabilities are low, ranging from 5-10% and 0.001-0.1 millidarcy respectively. There is a complex distribution of reservoir and clay mineralogies, formation fluids and reservoir quality present in the four formations. In wells drilled with oil base mud, light-medium native oil identification is complicated by filtrate invasion.  Oil base mud invasion may also hinder core analysis due to rock dehydration and wettability alteration during the drilling and coring process. Accurate determination of fluid volumes and permeability in this challenging environment requires an unconventional solution with a higher level of reservoir understanding.  

A suite of advanced logging sensors in addition to conventional measurements were utilized to acquire a significant body of data for analysis, comparison and calibration to laboratory core measurements. Logs and core were taken from vertical pilot wells which were subsequently sidetracked into laterals in the most prospective intervals. Laboratory core measurements were beneficial to understanding the range of mineralogies, formation fluids and porosities present in the four formations.  XRD, mercury injection, laboratory NMR SCAL were used to calibrate logging sensor response for reservoir evaluation in these North Dakota Bakken wells.   

A good match between laboratory determined bound fluid volumes and NMR bound fluid volumes was crucial in accurately determining the fluid volumes and the resulting estimation of permeability. Hydrocarbon identification was aided by 2D NMR analysis which resolved the different fluid types and quantified the individual fluid volumes. A petrophysical model appropriate for these reservoirs was then developed. This methodology allows us to determine optimum logging suites for development wells and full field evaluation that include wells where less sophisticated logging data were obtained.

From the President

Tony Holmes, Digital Formation

Greetings and welcome back to all!

Summer always seems to short, and this year was no different.  A colleague mentioned that "July is more of a concept than an actual month."  Everyone seems to think they need to cram in a bucketful more activities than are possible into the summer months, which makes them just fly by.  I'm sure our June social was just a couple of weeks ago, but no, here we are getting back into the fall swing of things.

Besides our monthly meetings resuming, your Denver Chapter has some exciting happenings on the agenda for the next year.  First off, the DWLS is again hosting another Fall Workshop, titled Shale Petrophysics.  Terri Olson, from your Board of last year, and Dawn Burgess, your current VP Technology, have done an outstanding job of putting together a group of distinguished speakers for this course.  The plans are done and we are already taking reservations - but if you want in, you'd better hurry.  The spaces are filling faster than I remember seeing for any of our other workshops.  I think we punched a button with the topic - a HUGE thank you to Terri and Dawn!

The other momentous occasion will be next May when we host the national SPWLA Symposium at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.  The committee, co-chaired by Dominic Holmes and Sue Cluff, are joined on the Steering Committee by Stefani Whittaker, Bob Cluff, and Dick Merkel.  The supporting cast is like a Who's-Who in Denver; somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 of the brightest and most energetic people around.  This group has already put in countless hours getting this far.  They have countless more to go, but the sailing appears to be smoothing out - at least from the deck chair I sit in.  I will be surprised if this doesn't turn out to be one of the best symposiums put on by the SPWLA, ever.  Giant kudos to the steering committee, and the rest of the cast, for putting in the massive effort these things take.  We can all look forward to a grand time, next "spring in the Springs."

I would be remiss if I didn't thank our Board from last year in getting everything about our society so well organized, and better advertised out to the community.  In particular, Stefani Whittaker took on so many new tasks, I'm not sure how she held down a job at the Discovery Group.  She's been a big help to me in getting started on this adventure, and she plans to hang around still doing as many things as we'll let her.  Thanks for leaving everything so ship-shape, Stefanie!

Finally, thank you to our new Board for volunteering.   A society, or should I say a community, like this needs the dedication and experience that these folks bring to maintain its vitality and usefulness.  Together, we'll make this a great year.  Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

From the Vice President - Technology

Dawn Burgess, Core Laboratories

The DWLS 2010-2011 season promises to be an exciting one with the increasing interest in Rockies Oil & Gas Plays.  It's great to see new faces along 16th street and new companies moving in. 

Additionally, the Annual SPWLA Meeting will be held in Colorado during 2011, an important event for our society.

My predecessor, Terri Olson, did a great job of scheduling speakers with relevant topics for Petrophysicists and Unconventional Plays.  My goal for the DWLS Luncheons this year is to continue this successful trend.  Suggestions for speakers are encouraged and welcome – please contact me if you have an idea for a luncheon talk.

The Fall Workshop, titled 'Shale Petrophysics', is planned for Oct 27th and we have an excellent lineup of speakers and topics which will explore the major areas of consideration for Petrophysicists and Log Analysts:  Characterization, Geochemistry, Geomechanics & Anisotropy, Pore Scale Imaging and NMR.  Additionally, Randy Miller will present a comparison of various shale plays.   See the announcement for specific details, and as we are limited in capacity, don't delay in signing up.  This event could sell-out very quickly!

From a Vice President - Membership

Danielle Strickler, EnCana Corporation

September is already upon us and, with September, comes the time to renew your membership dues. The renewal fee for members is only $10; however, if you don't want to bother with annual renewal, become a lifetime member for $75. If you are a new member, or a full-time student, you're eligible for a free membership to the Denver Well Logging Society. All dues can be paid online at our PayPal page. If you cannot pay via PayPal, you may pay by cash or check at the September Luncheon, or send your payment to: DWLS VP-Membership, P.O. Box 3006, Denver CO 80201-3006 USA.

Ultimately, you have until December 1 before you are removed from our membership roster; however, we encourage you to pay dues now to avoid a barrage of reminder e-mails.

Benefits of membership include discounted workshop fees, a chance to network with colleagues, and the opportunity to explore the frontiers of petrophysics.

The DWLS is among the largest and most active chapters of the SPWLA and your participation in our society is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your continued participation!

From the Editor

Dominic Holmes, Digital Formation

If you are interested in advertising in the newsletter, please click this link.  It's only $120 / year to appear in each newsletter, in the browser presented during the luncheons, and on the website at all times. This is an extremely inexpensive way to reach all of the professionals in the Denver area associated with petrophysics and log analysis.

From the Webmaster

Tony Holmes, Digital Formation

Another year, another dollar (or a few) heading to your local DWLS.  The PayPal setup we began last year seems to be working smoothly for nearly everyone.  Using it for the luncheons has made the task of tracking payments much simpler, and the lines coming in moved very quickly due to the pre-printed nametags.  The same can be said for our workshops.  However, the payment side of things was the easy part (at least for me); the big thanks need to be directed to Noga Holck, who took care of the actual tracking and making the nametags.  Without her organization, we'd still be fumbling with Sharpie's and a bag of "Hello, My Name Is" tags.  Thank you, Noga!

Look for some additional updates in the coming months, as we begin posting additional items for sale.  These will include past workshop books and CD's, Phil Nelson's textbook, and the now infamous Rw Catalog put together by the Cluff's years ago.

As always, if you have comments or suggestions for anything on the website, not just the PayPal stuff, you (should) know where to find me.

SPWLA Events

Meeting Details

Sponsors