The Synergy Between Borehole Imaging and Geosteering

Abstract

The quest to gain more knowledge of the subsurface and to reduce uncertainty in the interpretation of subsurface data has been an age-long effort in the oil and gas industry. To achieve this, asset owners use tools with improved resolution, utilize different types of logging tools and integrate the interpretation from these logging tools. This paper will review some projects where data from borehole imaging tools were used to support geosteering decisions and to gain more knowledge of reservoir structure. Borehole images are logs based on the circumferential measurement of a petrophysical parameter along a borehole wall. Logging-while-drilling borehole images can be used for structural, sedimentological and petrophysical analysis. These near-wellbore analyses contribute greatly to the success of most geosteering jobs. Geosteering is a process used in placing high-angled and horizontal wells in subsurface intervals of interest. It involves the use and integration of data from varied sources. This paper will show different scenarios, in different depositional environments, where borehole imaging supported the geosteering process and how geological interpretations from geosteering brought more clarity to borehole imaging analysis. Examples of these will highlight the stratigraphic relationship between geological structures and wellbore trajectory, detection of subsurface structural discontinuities, primary sedimentary structures, and the interpretation of complex geological structures. This paper will broaden our understanding of the applications of borehole imaging and how it integrates with geosteering in achieving oil and gas well objectives.