Towards Improved Management, Interpretation and Integration of Dipmeter and Borehole Image Data

Historically in our industry, dipmeter and image log data, have generally bypassed the data management processes necessary to safeguard these data for future use. Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) is no exception to this, as concluded from a review of these data in 2011. BSP is perhaps one of the few E&P companies that has a significant amount of dipmeter and image data, more than 500 wells, exceeding 7000km, backdating to the early days of dipmeter tools, covering a wide range of historical recording mechanisms, computing platforms and principal databases. The current reality is that both raw and processed data are generally not readily available in a format usable by either petrophysicists or geologists. This is largely due to dipmeter and image tools having suffered a lag-time between tool evolution and effective data storage and archiving systems. As a consequence the potential value of the dipmeter and image logs has remained unrealized. In 2012 BSP embarked on a Borehole Image (BHI) pilot improvement project consisting of some 54 wells, covering a wide range of dipmeter and image tools, with the objective to define data management standards and interpretation workflows aimed at effectively rescuing and ultimately ensuring full integration of this data. Integral to these improvements are recent advances in software capability to handle dipmeter and image log data. Our system and procedures allows for initial data QC and saving a “ready-for-interpretation” data subset available from our corporate data store. Petrophysicists and geologists, who might not have the expertise to QC raw image log curves (maybe up to 30 curves types), now have the confidence to import and use the ready-for-interpretation dataset into Techlog. Legacy image logs are readily available for multi-well studies, reservoir correlation, structural ties to seismic, net-pay calculations over thin bed heterolithic intervals and facies logs for reservoir characterization.