Services

It has been widely acknowledged that core handling is critical to the maintenance of core integrity. Unfortunately, cores often don’t undergo adequate handling procedures

The rig site handling of unconsolidated core is a risky process that might hamper core integrity if appropriate procedures are utilized.

The main purpose of core preservation is to retain the pore fluids in the undisturbed core samples thus preventing saturation and wettability alteration.

Cases of invasion of core-stabilization products into fractures are often seen. This represents a common and often serious problem in the subsequent geological description of slabbed cores.

The fundamental objective of coring is to obtain core that is representative of the reservoir rock properties.

StoreCore primarily serves the Oil Industry but also provides services to numerous Universities and Research Institutions.

Kirk Petrophysics provides expert on-site core handling services.

EPSLOG

Determination of rock strength properties is fundamental to predict short- and long-term problems in well engineering and production that can ultimately lead to costly consequences such as wellbore instability of the well and sand production.

During the last decades, the Industry has therefore developed solutions that are based on correlations with well-logs (qualitative measurements of reservoir facies such as GR, Sonic, Density and Porosity), statistical estimates, or knowledge data to estimate the rock mechanical properties.

However, these techniques usually provide qualitative data with a poor resolution compared to the degree of heterogeneity of the different facies present in the reservoir. Although the sparse discrete measurements obtained from conventional lab tests are used to calibrate these estimates, results of simulations that rely on these estimated rock properties are not reliable as the predictions are not often corroborated by direct observation when available.

Epslog has developed a novel portable scratch apparatus (the "WOMBAT") to rapidly measure the continuous variation of the UCS and the internal friction angle φ along a core. The method relies on scratching grooves, which are 1 cm wide and less than 1 mm deep on the surface of the core. The unique measurement offers a centimetric spatial resolution with a very high precision capable of detecting variation in rock strength of less than 1 MPa. The scratch test is nowadays the only logging technique capable of directly measuring rock mechanical properties. Furthermore, the test is essentially non-destructive.

This portable equipment allows simple and rapid selection of weak sections of the reservoir for further extensive laboratory testing. This direct and precise measure of strength offers more objectivity and refinement in the decision making process, and mitigates the risk.

Moreover, this detailed variation of the rock mechanical properties along the well can later be used to extrapolate properties along nearby wells via adapted correlation with conventional wells-logs.

Finally, the scratch test can be conducted along different directions and across different planes in order to capture the material anisotropy. Such information is valuable not only for drilling engineers, but it can also be integrated in the reservoir characterization and hydraulic fracturing models.