VIETNAM OIL AND GAS GROUP

PETROVIETNAM UNIVERSITY

RERERVOIR PETROPHYSICS
Chapter 7
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES

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 CONTENT

1. Fundamental

2. Electrical properties of rock components

3. Specific electrical resistivity of rocks

4. Rocks with electrolytic conductivity and a
second conductivity component-shaly rocks,
shaly sands

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 FUMDAMENTAL

v Electrical measurements are an important group of methods in

applied geophysics, powerful tool in mining, hydrogeology
v Resistivity measurements in a well: Schlumberger brothers were
the first commercial type of well logging
v Two electrical parameters are relevant:
▪ specific electrical resistivity
▪ dielectric permittivity
v Ohms law : Res = U/I
v Electrical resistance is connected with the material property
“specific electrical resistivity” (or its inverse-the conductivity)
RES = ρ .l
A

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 Electrical properties of rock components

Minerals-Solid Rock Components

v Silicates and carbonates, have very high specific resistivities
(>109 Ω𝑚𝑚)
v Conductive minerals are sulphides and some oxides. They are
rare in the earth’s crust

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Electrical properties of rock components

Minerals-Solid Rock Components

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 Electrical properties of rock components

v Pore Fluids
▪ Among the pore fluids, water is the only effective conductor
▪ Gas and oil are non-conductors: the specific electrical
resistivity is in the order of >109 Ω𝑚𝑚

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 Electrical properties of rock components
v Pore Fluids

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 Electrical properties of rock components
v Pore Fluids

Correlation between specific electrical resistivity, concentration, and temperature for a NaCl
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 Electrical properties of rock components
v Specific electrical resistivity of rocks Principle of
laboratory rock resistivity measurement

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 Electrical properties of rock components

v Specific electrical resistivity of rocks Overview

Mean value ranges and tendencies for specific electrical resistivity and dielectric
permittivity; the arrow indicates the effect of water-filled pores and fractures

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 Electrical properties of rock components

v Specific electrical resistivity of rocks Overview

Effect of various geological processes on resistivity

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 Electrical properties of rock components

v Specific Electrical Resistivity of Dense Rocks, Rocks Without Water

Content

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 Electrical properties of rock components
v Specific electrical resistivity of rocks Porous clean rocks –
Archie’s equation

Archie’s equations—a schematic picture. The left figure demonstrates the

increase of the formation factor with decreasing porosity for a water-
saturated rock. The right figure demonstrates the increase of the
resistivity index with decreasing water saturation in a partially water-
saturated rock.

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 Electrical properties of rock components

v Specific electrical resistivity of rocks Porous clean rocks – Archie’s

equations

▪ Formation resistivity factor F

- R0: formation resistivity (water saturated)

- Rw: water resistivity

m: empirical quantity
= 1,3 for unconsolidated sands
= 1,8-2,0 for consolidated sandstone

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 Electrical properties of rock components
v Specific electrical resistivity of rocks Porous clean
rocks – Archie’s equations

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 Electrical properties of rock components
v Specific electrical resistivity of rocks Porous clean
rocks – Archie’s equations

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands
v Additional conductive components in natural rocks are clay
minerals with clay-bound water-forming shaly rocks or shaly
sands. Clay and grain surface phenomena create a “double layer
or interface conductivity”.
v Two conductivity components: water saturated (C0) as a function
of Cw, excess conductivity c

The two conductivity components in a shaly rock

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands
v The shaly sand problem: presence of shale in a reservoir
▪ Decrease the reservoir quality (porosity, permeability)
▪ Create an additional electrical conductivity component,
Archie’s equation results are overestimated
v Additional conductivity depends on:
▪ Shale type (mineral)
▪ Shale content (volume fraction)
▪ Distribution of shale in the formation (laminar shale,
dispersed shale, structural shale)

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands

Two fundamental types of clay presence in a sedimentary rock

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands
v Laminated shaly sands – Resistivity

Resistivity as a function of the water saturation at different shale

contents calculated. (Poupon et al., 1954). Input: Rw = 0.05 Ohm m;
Rsh =5 Ohm m; f = 0.20; m = n = 2.

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands
v Dispersed shaly sand-the Waxman-Smits equation: shale
conductivity − For water saturated shaly (Sw=1) sand, the
conductivity:

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands
v Dispersed shaly sand-the Waxman-Smits equation: shale
conductivity−For water saturated shaly (Sw=1) sand, the
conductivity:

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands
v Dispersed shaly sand-the Waxman-Smits equation:
shale conductivity−For water saturated shaly (Sw=1)
sand, the conductivity:

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands

Indonesia equation 1971 (Poupon and Levaux):recommended

for shaly formation with faily freshwater

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands

• Comparison of some shaly sand

equation:
Following methods and techniques are applied in well
logging
(1)Shale content: Preferred are shale content calculations
based on gamma-
log and/or neutron – density combination.
(2)Shale distribution type (laminated, dispersed): There are
different techniques to estimate shale distribution type: Cores
and images, Thomas – Stieber analysis (Thomas and Stieber,
1975), conductivity investigation of the formation by
measurement of conductivity in an orthogonal axis system
(3)Shale properties (Rsh, BQv) : Shale resistivity or shale
conductivity in many practical applications is derived from the
resistivity of an “adjacent thick shale bed” or by crossplot
techniques. The property for the Waxman-Smits equation
BQv,CEC is subject of special core analysis measurements.

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 Rock with electrolytic conductivity and second
conductivity component-shaly rocks, shaly sands
Laminated shaly sand and laminated sands

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