NCPGG

The sonic and density log expression of

overpressure in Brunei Darussalam
Mark Tingay1, Richard Hillis1, Richard Swarbrick2,
Scott Mildren1, Chris Morley3 & Eugene Okpere4
1

National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics

2
Durham University
3
University of Brunei Darussalam
4
Brunei Shell Petroleum

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND
DENSITY LOGS
DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

RESPONSE OF POROSITY ESTIMATORS TO OVERPRESSURE

AND UNDERCOMPACTION

CONCLUSIONS

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND
DENSITY LOGS
DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

RESPONSE OF POROSITY ESTIMATORS TO OVERPRESSURE

AND UNDERCOMPACTION

CONCLUSIONS

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
Most oil & gas fields in Brunei contain overpressures, often of large
magnitude and with rapid transition zones
Detection of overpressure from wireline logs is important in pore
pressure prediction
Sonic & density logs are often used to estimate shale porosity to
detect overpressure associated with undercompaction
Can overpressure that is not associated with undercompaction be
detected using wireline logs?
Hermanrud et al. (1998) suggested that the sonic log is directly
influenced by overpressure

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND
DENSITY LOGS
DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

RESPONSE OF POROSITY ESTIMATORS TO OVERPRESSURE

AND UNDERCOMPACTION

CONCLUSIONS

113

114

115

116

NCPGG

South China
Sea
5

Sabah
Brunei

km

113

Sarawak
50

114

115

116

NCPGG

GEOLOGICAL SETTING
Baram Basin is a Tertiary delta located on an active margin
Deltaic sequence consists of bottomset Setap Shale overlain by thinly
bedded sands and shale foreset units
Rapid sedimentation, some subsidence rates of up to 3000 m/Ma
Overpressure primarily located in the thick, fine-grained Setap Shale
High sedimentation rates and fine grain size suggests disequilibrium
compaction as the origin of overpressure in the shales (Osborne &
Swarbrick, 1997)

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND
DENSITY LOGS
DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

RESPONSE OF POROSITY ESTIMATORS TO OVERPRESSURE

AND UNDERCOMPACTION

CONCLUSIONS

NCPGG

CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND

DENSITY LOGS
Shale porosities estimated from sonic and density logs using method
suggested by Hansen (1996)
Logs from 14 wells in 2 offshore fields are used
Shale intervals determined as having gamma ray >60 API
Only shales adjacent to normally pressured reservoir units were used
to determine porosity relationships

NCPGG

CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND

DENSITY LOGS
Density porosity (RHOB) determined from log bulk densities (b) by:
RHOB = (ma-b)/(ma-f)
Where f=1.01 g/cc and ma=2.72 g/cc
Sonic porosity (t) determined from sonic transit time (t) using a
corrected Wyllie time average equation (Raymer et al., 1980):
t = (1/Cp)(t -tma)/(tf-tma)
Where tf=613.5 s/m
Cp and tma determined by fitting a linear relationship between RHOB
and t (Hansen, 1996)

NCPGG

Density Porosity vs Sonic transit time to determine Cp and Matrix transit time
0.5
0.45

Density porosity

0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

Sonic transit time (us/m)

Values of Cp=2.16 and tma=169 s/m were obtained for the two
fields

600

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND
DENSITY LOGS
DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

RESPONSE OF POROSITY ESTIMATORS TO OVERPRESSURE

AND UNDERCOMPACTION

CONCLUSIONS

NCPGG

DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

An exponential normal compaction curve (Athy, 1930) was
determined from a best fit of both the sonic and density porosities as:
=0.4084exp(-0.0006z)
Porosity
0
0
500

Depth

1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND
DENSITY LOGS
DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

RESPONSE OF POROSITY ESTIMATORS TO OVERPRESSURE

AND UNDERCOMPACTION

CONCLUSIONS

Well A
Pressure (MPa)
0

Gamma (API)
80

10 0

NCPGG

Density (g/cc)
2

Sonic ITT (s/m)

2 .8 2 0 0

50 0

Shale Porosity
0

0 .4

Sonic
Equivalent
Depth

500

1000

Top
Overpressure

1500

Top
Shale

Density
Equivalent
Depth

Mud
Weight

3500

Sonic &
Density
Reversals
Hydrostatic

RHOB

Density
Porosity

RFTs

3000

Equivalent
Depth

Equivalent
Depth

2000

2500

Normal
Compaction

Sonic
Porosity

NCPGG

WHY THE DIFFERENCES IN EQUIVALENT DEPTHS?

Hermanrud (1998) suggests that the sonic log may respond to
overpressure directly
In Well A the sonic log may be responding to overpressure directly as
well as to undercompaction associated with overpressure
The density log may be only responding to undercompaction
Between 1800-2400m the sonic log is responding to sediments that
are overpressured but not undercompacted
Below 2400m the shales are overpressured and undercompacted,
which is being witnessed by both the density and sonic logs

Well B
Pressure (MPa)
0

Gamma (API)
80

10 0

NCPGG

Density (g/cc)
2

Sonic ITT (s/m)

2 .8 2 0 0

Shale Porosity

50 0 0

0 .5

Normal
Compaction

500

Density
Porosity

1000

1500

Top
Overpressure

2000

RFTs

Equivalent
Depth

2500

3000

Sonic
Porosity
3500

Hydrostatic

NCPGG

INTRODUCTION
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
CALCULATION OF SHALE POROSITIES FROM SONIC AND
DENSITY LOGS
DEFINING A SHALE NORMAL COMPACTION CURVE

RESPONSE OF POROSITY ESTIMATORS TO OVERPRESSURE

AND UNDERCOMPACTION

CONCLUSIONS

NCPGG

CONCLUSIONS
Shale porosity estimated from sonic and density logs can be used to
detect zones of overpressure and undercompaction in Brunei
The sonic log shows a greater overpressure effect than the density
log
It is suggested that the sonic log is responding to overpressure
directly as well as to undercompaction, whereas the density log is
responding only to undercompaction

NCPGG

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Brunei Shell Petroleum for providing
data for this study and the Australian Research Council for funding
this research.