Estimation of the Rock Mechanical Properties Using Conventional Log Data in North Rumaila Field

Abstract

Hydrocarbon production might cause changes in dynamic reservoir properties. Thus the consideration of the mechanical stability of a formation under different conditions of drilling or production is a very important issue, and basic mechanical properties of the formation should be determined.
There is considerable evidence, gathered from laboratory measurements in the field of Rock Mechanics, showing a good correlation between intrinsic rock strength and the dynamic elastic constant determined from sonic-velocity and density measurements.
The values of the mechanical properties determined from log data, such as the dynamic elastic constants derived from the measurement of the elastic wave velocities in the material, should be more accurate than that determined by direct strength tests with core samples. This can be attributed to the scale effect and sampling disturbances.
The aim of this study was to present methods of determining measures of some mechanical properties, from available well log data (conventional sonic, density, and gamma ray) for a well in North Rumaila field.
The mechanical properties include formation strength and Poisson’s ratio. For the formation strength, combined elastic modulus (Ec) and shear modulus (G) were determined. The Poisson’s ratio was determined by using three different techniques to permit the accuracy of their values. The elastic modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio were then correlated with depth and effective stress.
The results show that combined correlations are important source of the prediction of overpressure zones which represent a major problem encountered in drilling and production process.