Browse > Article

Empirical Rock Strength Logging in Boreholes Penetrating Sedimentary Formations  

Chang, Chan-Dong (Geology and Earth Environmental Sciences, Chungnam National University)
Publication Information
Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration / v.7, no.3, 2004 , pp. 174-183 More about this Journal
Abstract
The knowledge of rock strength is important in assessing wellbore stability problems, effective sanding, and the estimation of in situ stress field. Numerous empirical equations that relate unconfined compressive strength of sedimentary rocks (sandstone, shale, and limestone, and dolomite) to physical properties (such as velocity, elastic modulus, and porosity) are collected and reviewed. These equations can be used to estimate rock strength from parameters measurable with geophysical well logs. Their ability to fit laboratory-measured strength and physical property data that were compiled from the literature is reviewed. While some equations work reasonably well (for example, some strength-porosity relationships for sandstone and shale), rock strength variations with individual physical property measurements scatter considerably, indicating that most of the empirical equations are not sufficiently generic to fit all the data published on rock strength and physical properties. This emphasizes the importance of local calibration before one utilizes any of the empirical relationships presented. Nonetheless, some reasonable correlations can be found between geophysical properties and rock strength that can be useful for applications related to wellhole stability where haying a lower bound estimate of in situ rock strength is especially useful.
Keywords
unconfined compressive strength; sedimentary rocks; wellhole stability; empirical strength log; velocity; Young's modulus; porosity;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Drucker, D. C., and Prager W., 1952, Soil mechanics and plastic analysis or limit design, Q. App!. Math., 10, 157-165
2 Ewy, R. T., 1998, Wellbore stability predictions using a modified Lade criterion: Eurock 98, SPEIISRM Rock Mechanics in Petroleum Engineering, Vol. 1, SPEIlSRM paper no. 47251, 247-254
3 Militzer and Stoll, 1973, Einige Beitrageder geophysics zur primadatenerfassung im Bergbau, Neue Bergbautechnik, Lipzig, 3, 21-25
4 Moos, D., Peska, P., Finkbeiner, T., and Zoback, M. D., 2003, Comprehensive wellbore stability analysis utilizing quantitative risk assessment, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Special Issue on Borehole Stability, B.S. Aadnoy and S. Ong, eds., 38, 97-110
5 Vemik, L., Bruno, M., and Bovberg, C, 1993, Empirical relations between compressive strength and porosity of siliciclastic rocks, Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. & Geomech. Abstr., 30, 677-680
6 Zheng, Z., Kemeny, J., and Cook, N. G., 1989, Analysis of borehole breakouts, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 7171-7182
7 Zoback, M. D., Moos, D., Mastin, L., and Anderson, R. N., 1985, Wellbore breakouts and in situ stress, J. Geophys. Res., 90, 5523-5530
8 Moos, D., and Zoback, M. D., 1990, Utilization of observations of wellbore failure to constrain the orientation and magnitude of crustal stresses: Application to continental, Deep Sea Drilling Project and Ocean Drilling Program boreholes, J.Geophys. Res., 95, 9305-9325
9 Rzhevsky, v., and Novick, G., 1971, The Physics ofRocks, MIR Publ
10 Lal, M., 1999, Shale stability: drilling fluid interaction and shale strength, SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference held in Caracas, Venezuela
11 Vernik, L., Zoback, M. D., and Brudy, M., 1992, Methodology and application of the wellbore breakout analysis in estimating the maximum horizontal stress magnitude in the KTB pilot hole, Sci. Drill., 3, 161-169
12 Haimson, B. C., and Song, I., 1995, A new borehole failure criterion for estimating in situ stress from breakout span, 8th International Congress of Rock Mechanics, 341-346, Tokyo, Japan, 341-346
13 Stock, J. M., Healy, J. H., Hickman, S. H., and Zoback, M. D., 1985, Hydraulic fracturing stress measurements at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and relationship to the regional stress field, J. Geophys. Res., 90, 8691-8706
14 Brudy, M., Zoback, M. D., Fuchs, K., Rummel, E, and Baumgrtner,J., 1997, Estimation of the complete stress tensor to 8 kID depth in the KTB scientific drill holes: Implications for crustal strength, J. Geophys. Res., 102,453-18,475
15 Fjaer, E., Holt, R. M., Horsrud, P., Raaen, A. M., and Risnes, R., 1992, Petroleum Related Rock Mechanics, Elsevier, Amsterdam
16 Horsrud, P., 2001, Estimating mechanical properties of shale from empirical correlations, SPE Drilling & Completion, 16, 68-73
17 Moos, D., Zoback, M. D., and Bailey, L., 1999, Feasibility study of the stability of openhole multilaterals, Cook Inlet, Alaska, SPE Mid-Continent Operations Symposium held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
18 Santarelli, F. J., Detienne, J. L., and Zundel, L. P., 1989, Determination of the mechanical properties of deep reservoir sandstones to assess the likelihoodof sand production, Rock at Great Depth, edited by Maury, V. and Fourmaintraux, D., AA Balkema, Brookfield, Vt., 779-787
19 Lashkaripour, G. R., and Dusseault, M. B., 1993, A statistical study on shale properties; relationship among principal shale properties, Conference on Probabilistic Methods in Geotechnical Engineering, Canberra, Australia, 195-200
20 Kwasniewski, M., 1989, Laws of brittle failure and of B-D transition in sandstones: Rock at Great Depth, edited by V. Maury and D. Fourmaintraux, AA Balkema, Brookfield, Vt., 45-58
21 Lund, B. and Zoback, M. D., 1999, State of stress to 7 km depth in the Siljan drill holes from observations of drilling-induced tensile wall fractures, Int. 1. Rock Mech., 36, 169-190
22 Colmenares, L. B., and Zoback, M. D., 2002, A statistical evaluation of intact rock failure criteria constrained by polyaxial test data for five different rocks, Int. J. Rock Mech. & Mining Sci., 39, 695-729
23 Freyburg, E., 1972, Der Untere und mittlere Buntsandstein SWThuringen in seinen gesteinstechnischen Eigenschaften, Ber. Dte. Ges. Geo!. Wiss. A; Berlin, 176,911-919
24 McNally, G. H., 1987, Estimation of coal measures rock strength using sonic and neutron logs, Geoexploration, 24, 381-395
25 Carmichael, R. S., 1982, CRC Handbook ofPhysical Properties of Rocks, VolumeII, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton
26 Bell, J. S., and Gough, D. I., 1979, Northeast-southwest compressive stress in Alberta: Evidence from oil wells, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 45, 475-482
27 Fairhurst, C, 1968, Methods of determining in-situ rock stresses at great depth, Tech. Report, 1-86, Missouri River Div., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
28 Plumb, R. A, and Hickman, S. H., 1985, Stress-induced borehole elongation: A comparison between the four-arm dipmeter and the borehole borehole televiewer in the Auburn geothermanl well, 1. Geophys. Res., 90, 5513-5522
29 Zoback, M. D., Barton, C. A, Brudy, M., Castillo, D. A, Finkbeiner, T., Grollimund, B. R., Moos, D. B., Peska, P., Ward, C. D., and Wiprut, D. J., 2003, Determination of stress orientation and magnitude in deep wells, Int. 1. Rock Mech. Mining Sci., 40, 1049-1076
30 Golubev, A A and Rabinovich, G. Y, 1976, Resultaty primeneia appartury akusticeskogo karotasa dlja predeleina proconstych svoistv gomych porod na mestorosdeniaach tverdych isjopaemych, Prikladnaja GeofizikaMoskva, 73,109-116
31 Jizba, D., 1991, Mechanical and Acoustical Properties of Sandstones and Shales, Ph.D. thesis, Stanford University
32 Bradford, I. D. R., Fuller, J., Thompson, P. J., and Walsgrove, T. R., 1998, Benefits of assessing the solids production risk in a North Sea reservoir using elastoplastic modelling, SPEIISRM Eurock '98,261-269
33 Lama, R. D., and Vutukuri, V. S., 1978, Handbook on Mechanical Properties of Rocks, Vol. II: Trans Tech Publications, Clausthal, Germany
34 Vernik, L., and Zoback, M. D., 1992, Estimation of maximum horizontal principal stress magnitude from stress-induced well bore breakouts in the Cajon Pass scientific research borehole, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 5109-5119
35 Wong, T.-F., David, C., and Zhu, W., 1997, The transition from brittle faulting to cataclastic flow in porous sandstones: mechanical deformation, J. Geophys. Res., 102,3009-3025
36 Haimson, B. C, and Herrick, C. G., 1986, Borehole breakoutsA new tool for estimating in situ stress?, International Symposium on Rock Stress and Rock Stress Measurements, Lulea Univ. of Technol., Stockholm, Sweden