ABSTRACT of Presentation

Wireline (WL) and Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) formation tester measurements provide a link between the static petrophysical measurements and dynamic rock-fluid properties for enhanced formation evaluation. However, despite the significant advancements in these services, there are still barriers to fast and accurate analysis of the test data.

The analysis of Wireline (WL) and Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) formation testing has traditionally been performed by a skilled test analyst using specialized software and theoretical models to generate analytical results and assess the data vitality. This can be a time-consuming process involving analyzing over 100 pressure transients. In practice, the petrophysicists and geoscientists rarely have access to a detailed test analysis in the time frame required and typically revert to other analysis methods.

Some of the methods are ad hoc, but there is a growing consensus that several convenient, simple, and effective real-time measurements can be used for an objective evaluation of the dynamic data. This talk demonstrates a straightforward automated process that has been developed by which real-time measurements, which are routinely recorded, are used to automatically analyze the test results in a short time frame.  This automated method is being applied routinely and several field examples are used to illustrate the utility and time savings of this new workflow.

Basic principles are used to develop quality parameters and a test rating system that can guide the analyst in the objective determination of the vitality of the results for each test. In this way, the highest quality testing results are used for fluid gradients and log correlations to improve the integration of the dynamic data into the petrophysical analysis. This also enables standards to be established for real-time data acquisition that can save testing time while improving data and quality.