OTC 18192

Normal Resistivity Trends for Geopressure Analysis in Mexican Offshore Wells

Vctor Lpez-Sols/Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX); David Velazquez-Cruz/Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP); Agustn
Jardinez-Tena/Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX); Gustavo Espinosa Castaeda/Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP)

Copyright 2006, Offshore Technology Conference

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Abstract
The normal compaction trend and the pore pressure gradient
play a very important role in oil wells design for drilling
operations. It is essential understand the physical principles
originating these pressures and evaluate the models of
quantification for a particular geographical area. In this paper,
we show the results from our analysis of geopressures in 11
(eleven) offshore wells drilled in the Offshore Area in Gulf of
Mexico from PEMEX. Our work focuses in the normal
compaction trends using curves of Resistivity Logs. Moreover,
the Eatons model was regionalized in order to defining the
magnitude of the pore pressure with high precision. From
those results we inferred that the accuracy of the predictions
depends of slope from normal compactions trend. Finally,
using the profiles of real pressure data, we built a Pore
Pressure Cube for the area of study, which simplifies the
quantifications of pressures during the process of planning and
design of the wells.
Introduction
There are several mechanisms originating abnormal pressures.
This phenomenon is related to physical, geological,
geochemist and mechanical processes. Frequently is difficult
to establish what phenomena is the most important for a
particular geological frame due to their dependences in the
abnormal pressures origins. Between the causes of abnormal
pressures, referred in the literature 1, we picked up the
following:
1. Compaction disequilibrium
2. Tectonic stress
3. Aquathermal expansion
4. Mineral transformation
5. Hydrocarbon Generation
6. Thermodynamic effects

7. Osmosis
8. Hydraulic head
From our point of view the main cause cited of abnormal
pressure behaviour is sediment compaction disequilibrium.
Present work focuses in the identification of compaction
changes. Our approach considers Terzaghi 2 theory, and
Hottman & Johnson3 Log Analysis method in order to define
changes in the shale compaction trend and we exploit Eatons 4
Pore Pressure Equation for resistivity logs. We describe pore
pressure results using Eaton equation considering resistivity
compaction trends from Mexican offshore wells. Further, we
analyze resistivity compaction trends and defined a series of
trends that we call overlay graph of resistivity trends.
Finally, we define a new alpha exponent for Eatons equation;
such changes in the exponent allow us to define pore pressure
behaviour with more accuracy, this fact was successfully
validated using resistivity logs from several offshore wells.
Pore pressure results with original Eatons exponent
From previous works in pore pressure prediction to offshore
Mexican wells5,6. We found that original Eaton equation for
resistivity and transit time overestimate pore pressure than
results obtained from well real measures.
In figure 1, the red line at right, show pore pressure with
1.2 Eaton exponent; green lines; in same figure, show ECD
and mud weight used to drill well. We can see that pore
pressure is higher than real mud weight.
From this analysis we already verified that when we used
original Eaton exponents, predicted pore pressure is higher
than real. We considered that those coefficients in the Eaton
equation must be adjusted to obtain more accurate results for
Mexican Offshore wells.
Resistivity compaction trends analysis
In 1965 Hottman y Johnson3 developed a relationship between
logs response and abnormal pressures in shale. In brief, they
were reasoning that well compacted shale rock with less
quantity of water (less porosity) is more resistive than a less
compacted shale rock. Then they concluded that a sequence of
normally compacted sediments should have a normally
increasing shale resistivity trend. Then, any shale resistivity
decrease from the established normal trend indicates the
presence of abnormal pressure zone.

We define from a gamma-ray log the shale points to

translate on a resistivity curves for all wells in analysis. In
figure 2, we show typical behavior of normal resistivity trend
from offshore wells. We observed, from previous
experiences7,8 that in Mexican offshore fields the normal
pressure zone is since mud line to up 2,000 m.
We identified the normal trend from any well; it can be
represented by an equation as such we show in figure 3. From
several wells, we can obtain a set of equations that represent
normal pressure trends for any study area. In figure 4, we
show our results from wells drilled in the Mexican Offshore
fields (North Area). The resistivity normal trend analysis
showed that trends have an average slope of 5x10 -4 and a
mode of 4x10-4. The origin ordinate varies from 0.8 to 1.0
ohms-m.
Overlay graph of normal trends
The overlay graphs were product from normal trend analysis
from Mexican Offshore wells. In figure 5, we show overlay
graph that describe normal resistivity trends from our study
area. This graph is used to track pore pressure while drilling
exploratory wells. The graph allows us to define normal trend
even in first stages of wells with high accuracy. The pore
pressure predicted when we used overlay graphs is more
precise.
Regionalized pore pressure model
In his paper, Eaton admitted that validation process of his
model was by trial-error tests. In addition, he recognized that
correct value from alpha coefficient from his equations was a
great question mark until was evaluated with much data.
However, his equations are the most used for drilling
engineers worldwide due to predicted pore pressure with good
accurate.
We analyzed several wells drilled in Mexican Offshore
fields with Eatons equation. We calculated pore pressure with
several values of alpha coefficient until we found correct alpha
values for pore pressure measures. In table 1 we show our
results. With regionalized Eatons equation main component
(alpha), we have pore pressure prognosis more accurate to real
measures.
In figure 6 we show pore pressure analysis from Mexican
offshore well. We can see quantitative differences in pore
pressure calculated with alpha=1.2 and with alpha=0.40. The
pore pressure calculated with alpha=1.2 is higher than ECD
and mud weight used to drill well.
From all wells drilled in Lankahuasa center cube, we built
a pore pressure volume that we used to design casing sets.
Figure 7 shows Lankahuasa area and a view of pore pressure
cube.
Conclusions
We define a resistivity normal compaction trend in order to
decrease uncertainty of pore pressure prognosis. This
resistivity normal compaction trend was used with LWD to
determine pore pressure while drilling in exploratory wells
with good results. Behavioral differences of resistivity normal
trends slopes from Mexican Offshore fields, affect pore

18192

pressure magnitude when we used equations originally

published. Pore pressure models published in oil industry,
must be adapted to behavioral pattern of resistivity normal
trend from Mexican Offshore Fields.
References
1. Ben E. L.: Abnormal Pressures in Hydrocarbon Environments,
AAPG Memoir 70, 1994.
2. Terzaghi, K. and Peck, R. B.: Soil Mechanics in Engineering
Practice, John Wiley and Sons, 1948.
3. Hottman, C. E. and Johnson, R. K.:Estimation of Formation
Pressures from Log-Derived Shale Properties, JPT, June 1965.
4. Eaton, B. The Equation for Geopressure Prediction from Well
Logs SPE 5544, 1975.
5.Velazquez-Cruz, D., Lpez-Sols, V., et al Estudio de
Geopresiones y Estabilidad de Pozos en el rea Marina de la
Divisin Norte, Proyecto F.42461, Instituto Mexicano del
Petrleo, Julio del 2005.
6.Velazquez-Cruz, D. et al: Anlisis de Geopresiones de los campos
Ku-Maloob-Zaap, Proyecto F.30545, Instituto Mexicano del
Petrleo, 2004.
7. Velazquez-Cruz, D., Mancilla-Castillo, J. et al.: Sistema de
Computo para la Deteccin de Presiones Anormales a partir de
Informacin Ssmica (SISMIC 1.0), Proyecto CDC-0302,
Instituto Mexicano del Petrleo, 1996.
8. Velazquez-Cruz, D., Banuet-Sanchez, S. et al: Detection of
Abnormal Pressures System from Seismic Data and
Geophysical Well logs, paper SPE 39903 presented at the SPE
International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition of Mexico,
Villahermosa, Tab., March 1998.

18192

WELL

ALPHA

KOSNI-1

0.4

KOSNI-101

0.4

LANKAHUASA NTE-1

0.4

LANKAHUASA DL2

0.4

LANKAHUASA-1

0.4

LACAZTZU-1

0.4

SIHINI-1

0.3

CHIHUIX-1

0.4

AVERAGE

0.39

Table 1- Eatons alpha exponent for wells drilled in Mexican Gulf

Coast.

Figure 2- Typical behavior of normal resistivity trend from

Mexican Wells.

Figure 1-Pore pressure analysis from offshore Mexican well.

Figure 3- Normal trend equation from resistivity logs.

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Figure 6- Results from regionalized pore pressure model.

Figure 4-Normal resistivity trends analysis from Mexican offshore

wells)

Figure 7- Pore pressure volume from Lankahuasa area.)

Figure 5- Overlay graph of normal trends