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GEOSCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY REPORT
www.oilandgastechnology.net Issue 1 of 2012

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Electromagnetic impact of
seismic surveys

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Signal processing for sub-basalt imaging
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Optimising production in complex fields
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A new era of ghost free acquisition
 repared block of cuttings ready to be analysed in the RoqSCAN system

Revolution in real time

well site rock properties

Oil and gas production form unconventional reservoirs, in particular

shale gas plays, is one of the most rapidly expanding trends in onshore
exploration and production today.

explore the shale gas plays, one of the of the well or reservoir section and are costly
key challenges associated with shale to cut and recover. This is amplified when an

W hen we look at some of the

play exploration and production involves
understanding the reservoir characterisation
operator has no core samples or is limited
by the quality or calibration of the well log
in order to effectively manage a cost- information. In these situations drill cuttings
figures recently released by effective development program. are the only direct observation of particle size,
Traditionally core samples and logs lithology and reservoir character. In long and
the US Energy Information
have been the methods of choice for expensive lateral wells it is critical to make
Administration (EIA) estimating 862 trillion
reservoir characterisation. However, maximum use of all available data, and
cubic feet of technically recoverable shale
analysing drill cuttings has taken on a consequently extrapolating millimetre-scale
gas globally it is easy to understand what the
new importance, not only for reservoir observations in the cuttings for broader
excitement is all about. Indias Directorate
characterisation, but also for directly conclusions can be a powerful tool.
General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) recently
determining the nature of the sequence Besides the limitation of cores and well
announced plans to join the global race to tap
through which the drill bit has penetrated. logs for reservoir characterisation the loss of
unconventional Hydrocarbon resources with
Cores typically cover only a limited part rig time is consequential for the conventional
plans to launch the first bid round for
exploration of shale gas during the 12th Plan
Period (2012-17).
Whilst the upside is evident many
challenges await companies wishing to

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coring process (whole core) which may take
many days to cut and recover and several
months to analyse in the laboratory. In fact,
even analysing drill cuttings can take several
weeks of laboratory time before data are
presented to the operator.
Companies exploring for shale gas in the
US are now using new technique that allows
drill cuttings can be analysed in real time
at the well site with a new generation of
portable, ruggedised automated mineralogy
systems, such as Fugros RoqSCAN system,
which allow highly detailed analysis of
cuttings to occur on location at the oil and
gas well site, delivering quantitative analysis
of cuttings properties, such as mineralogy,
lithology, density and grain size to geologists
within one hour of a cutting sample arriving at
the surface. This enables geologists to better
understand the rock properties,
such as rock brittleness, in order to
refine their completion design for
cost-effective hydraulic fracturing.
The RoqSCAN unit has been co-
developed by Fugro Robertson & Carl Zeiss,
the worlds first manufacturer of portable
scanning electron microscope (SEM)
solutions. The unit consists of a ruggedised
base SEM equipped with energy dispersive x-
ray detectors, a micro analyser and an
electronic processing unit. It combines
powerful automated analysis with custom and
fully intuitive software-based oil and gas
interpretation tools within a single turnkey
solution to process vase amounts of chemical
and mineralogical data.
Wolfcamp application
The RoqSCAN technology was applied in a
ten-week field test in the Permian Basin,
West Texas for Forest Oil Corporation.
During the field test, Forest Oil drilled a
vertical pilot well and a long-lateral horizontal
well targeting the Wolfcamp Shale in
the companys Shannon Estate lease
in Crockett County, Texas, USA.
The portable automated mineralogy unit
was housed in its own cabin on site together
with a sample preparation area. Two
experienced field technicians worked 12-hour
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Geoscience Technology Report
shifts to provide mineralogy data 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. Over the ten-
week test more than 600 samples were
collected, analysed and interpreted.
During the drilling of Forests vertical pilot
well, data was collected at least every 30 feet
over a 6,000 foot interval generating a highly
quantitative rock properties data set within
one hour of the drill cutting returning to
surface and plotted on a down hole log
(Figure 1). The data has been plotted against
TVD (true vertical depth), GR (gamma ray)
and calliper (left-hand columns).
To the right of these are real-time data
generated by RoqSCAN, including bulk
mineralogy (15 key minerals plotted);
lithology (8 key lithologies plotted); a suite
of key minerals split out from RoqSCANs
extensive mineral dictionary (>130
minerals); mineral ratios; average quartz
Figure 1: Vertical well (above) and
grain size; and finally the RoqFRAC curve.
(below) Figure 2: Horizontal well
This data was then used in conjunction with
all other collected data to help characterise the
target zone for the lateral well and associated
kick-off point and curve build. Key mineral
assemblages (e.g. apatite, pyrite, dolomite and
calcite) were identified as increasing or
decreasing over the target horizon in the pilot
well. These minerals
are good proxies for a marginal marine
environment, typical of the Upper
Wolfcamp Shale formation and
concentrations of minerals such as apatite
are generally known to be correlatable.
In addition, the cuttings analysis
system identified a subtle difference in the
mineralogy (increase in carbonate
mineralogy) between the upper and lower
Wolfcamp formations, something that
other toolsboth downhole and
surfacefailed to properly identify.
Lateral drilling results
During the drilling of the subsequent lateral
well, cuttings data were collected every 10-
30 feet. On many occasions, and because
of a slower penetration rates, the system
was generating mineralogical data 20-30
minutes faster than the measurement-
while-drilling tool over the same interval.
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Geoscience Technology Report
Figure 2 is a vertical representation of the
collected dataset plotted against measured
depth (MD) and TVD and color-coded (third
column from the left) for the top vertical section
(blue), curve build (orange) and lateral section
(red). The red dotted line to the right of this
curve indicates the inclination of the wellbore. In
addition, the same mineral suites as were
plotted on the pilot well data summary chart
(Figure 4) are plotted on this chart.
Figure 3 is an illustration showing one of
the true values of the technology. Mineral
assemblages, such as pyrite and apatite,
were identified as anomalous spikes in
the target zone of the pilot well and appear
as continuous or repeated concentrations
within both the curve section and along the
Figure 3: Anomalous spikes in Target Zone (mineral
assemblages) and Figure 4: Lateral Section with curve
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length of the lateral section. The real-time
identification of key rock property indicators
and good communications between the
mineralogy and drilling teams helped keep
the drill bit on prognosis for the majority of
the planned 5,000 foot-long lateral.
Finally, the real-time curve analysis of
these results generated additional rock
properties data on brittleness versus ductility
to provide the Forest Oil team with additional
mineralogical-based data to assess the
formations fracability over the entire length
of the lateral target interval (Figure 4).
Summary
With a portable cuttings analyser on the rig site,
cuttings data can now be acquired in real
depicting Brittle versus Ductile Zones (below)
time with quantitative data sets available one
hour after the cuttings have arrived at the
surface. Cuttings contain a wealth of hard data,
which if captured at the well, can be used to add
huge value to real-time decision making.
Whether picking key marker horizons,
casing points or coring points, or using the
mineralogy to assist with the positioning of
lateral drilling or to assist with tactical
fracturing, quantitative mineralogical data
collected in real time at the well site is a
huge step change for the industry.
A variety of sample types can be
accommodated within the portable cuttings
analysis system, including washed and
unwashed cuttings, conventional diamond
drill core pieces, core trims (offcuts),
sidewall cores and conventional hand
specimens. Samples are presented to the
system as prepared blocks, a unique
process that takes approximately 15-20
minutes from unwashed cuttings at the
shaker. Applications include:
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allow improved calibration and
interpretation of geophysical wireline logs;
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which preserve textural context and enhance
interpretation and tactical fracturing of lateral wells to
improve well productivity.
In a conventional vertical well the
system quantitatively characterises the
rock properties of drill cuttings in real time,
giving directly measures (not inferred)
mineralogical data. Interpretations of these
data allow the recognition of lithologies,
key correlatable minerals, elemental ratios,
definition of formations and key sequence
stratigraphic surfaces between wells.
Important well and engineering
decisions are directly supported, such as
identifying casing, coring and total depth
horizons and probable penetrations of
reservoir units. The technology is equally
capable in arenaceous and argillaceous
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Geoscience Technology Report

clastics, as well as in carbonate rocks. Once

the pilot hole has been drilled, the RoqSCAN portable automated mineralogy system. By generating
detailed mineralogical characteristics can be lab-quality results in real time in the field, the technology improves
used to fingerprint the reservoir zone to be reservoir characterisation and well bore steering

drilled laterally. And, once lateral drilling is

underway, the continuous mineralogical data
provided by the system can be monitored
to impact well steering decisions. Changes
in geology, such as dip changes, lithology
variations or crossing subseismic faults,
can be identified and acted on. The correct
steering decisions mean longer laterals
and more productive wells.
In horizontal production wells where
mechanical stimulation is required, the
systems software provides the capability
to assist operators with a mineralogical-
based interpretation of brittle-versus-
ductile zones across a target horizon to
aid hydraulic fracture stage positioning
and spacing design along the length of the
well bore. This, combined with a wide
variety of quantitative mineralogy and
elemental ratio data, helps to highlight the
zones of greatest potential brittleness to
help the operator select the optimum
fracturing stations.
The rapid quantitative mineralogical
analysis of drill cuttings at the well site
offers a step change in the amount, type
and quality of rock properties data that can
now be used to support geologically-based
drilling decisions, providing additional value
to the operator and allowing them to drill
and complete wells in the shortest and
most cost effective manner. Q

Acknowledgements
Fugro would like to thank Kenneth Pfau and
Forest Oil Corporation for allowing us to
publish the results of this field test. Results
are reproduced with the permission of The
American Oil & Gas Reporter. For a detailed
review of the Forest Oil Corporation well site
test please see the November 2011 issue of
The American Oil & Gas Reporter
The RoqSCAN technology was applied in a
This article was written by Kenneth ten-week field test in the Permian Basin,
Pfau, Forest Oil Corporation & Dr
Guy Oliver, Fugro Robertson Inc. West Texas for Forest Oil Corporation

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