Enhanced Formation Evaluation and High-Resolution Facies Determination Using Spectroscopy Logs in the Nile Delta, Egypt

Computing clay volume using elemental neutron capture spectroscopy logs in combination with a multimineral solver for the complex, shaly sand reservoirs of the Nile Delta reservoir improved accuracy over using the mineral fractions output from the spectroscopy model alone. It was also found that the aluminium log from direct aluminium yield measurement leads to a better clay volume estimation, as opposed to using the aluminium log from the aluminium emulator algorithm.

Combining the spectroscopy data with borehole image data generated a high-resolution lithofacies column that provides an accurate stratigraphic interpretation. Applying cutoffs to generate a high-resolution sand count enabled us to sort the reservoir units from the poorest to the best quality sands and improved our understanding of the distribution of the best reservoir quality in the well. This approach provides a unique solution to characterize thinly bedded reservoirs in wells drilled with oil-based mud.