Abstract
Advanced Mud Logging (AML) has been named "Archie's Dream" since AML will fulfil what must have been Archie's dream. That is: obtain high resolution rock parameters as quickly as (wireline) logs. Up until the recent past, the idea of obtaining quantitative petrophysical parameters from mudlogging seemed a dream. However, AML is moving towards continuous, real time determination of rock and fluid parameters from drill cuttings, drilling parameters and mud (gas) returns, in aid of well evaluation and reserves calculation.
The value of (to a large extent conventional) mudlogging for hydrocarbon productivity prediction is already significant, confirming that mud gas measurements, if properly analysed, provide very valuable information for production testing decisions.
Through application of rock typing techniques and rock catalogues, amongst others, reasonable electrical parameters, which normally require elaborate core measurements, can be obtained near real time from cuttings descriptions.
Tests on a method for direct permeability measurement on cuttings confirm the potential for this method for many circumstances.
Micro and nano indentation techniques are being tested to provide rock mechanical properties also from drill cuttings.
As the techniques to determine several of the key parameters are becoming more firmly established, AML is entering the stage of actually providing a significant input for a complete formation evaluation.
