Acoustic Properties of Rocks

Courtesy: Andrew Newman, Georgia Tech

Reading Assignment
Bassiouni Ch. 3 Acoustic Properties of Rocks Bassiouni Ch. 10 Sonic Porosity Logs

Where are we heading?

Acoustic measurement can be indirect measurements of porosity because sound travels faster in rock than in fluids

Waves travel where there is deformation and a restoring force

Definitions F = stress A L = longitudinal strain= l L d = transverse strain = t d Poisson's ratio (book uses but you will also see in the literature)

t l

Elastic Constants
Elastic constants take the form similar to k in F=-kx
Young's Modulus (colinear stress vectors) F A E= LL LL Shear Modulus (offset stress vectors; book uses G but you will more commonly see in the literature) F A G= LS LS Bulk Modulus (uniform compressional stress "pressure" vectors from all sides; book uses K but you will also see B in the literature) F = A K= V V p

Elastic waves
For the very special case of no spherical spreading A A0 e x cos(kx t ) = 2

= 2 f
v =

k=

= f k
Vp =

Compressional waves or also called P-waves

Shear waves or also called S-waves
vp vs > 2 and rule of thumb vp vs 2
VS = G

4 K +G 3

How long is an elastic wave?

v=f
Seismic Compressional waves in rock
V = 5000 20000 ft/sec, rule of thumb 8000 ft/sec f = 5 60 Hz, rule of thumb 30 Hz Therefore, ~ 300 ft V = 2000 10000 ft/sec, rule of thumb 4000 ft/sec f = 5 30 Hz, rule of thumb 15Hz Therefore, ~ 300 ft coincidentally V = 5000 20000 ft/sec, rule of thumb 8000 ft/sec f = 20-40 KHz, rule of thumb 20 Hz Therefore, ~ 4 inches V = 5000 20000 ft/sec, rule of thumb 8000 ft/sec f 1 MHz Therefore, ~ 0.01 inches

Seismic Shear waves in rock

Logging Compressional waves in rock

Lab Compressional waves in rock

How are acoustic measurements related to porosity?

Wileys travel time average (very poor model but it shows the idea)
Very short wavelength limit Assumes equal areas for pores and grains Nevertheless, often gives reasonable qualitative answers
tb = t f + tma (1 )

( t

( tb tma )
f

tma )

Borehole is acoustically complicated

Compressional head wave Shear head wave Pseudo-Rayleigh waves Stoneley waves
Borehole flexure Refraction along the borehole wall

Retrograde elliptical surface wave at approximately shear wave velocity

Leaky modes

Head waves that radiate back into the borehole

Generic Dual Receiver Sonic Tool

The ray paths to receivers R1 and R2 contain exactly the same borehole contamination.
t =

( t2 t1 )
LS

Frequency of source 20-40 kHz Velocity of P-waves in sedimentary rocks 5000 - 15000 ft/sec

Borehole Compensating Tools (BHC)

Further corrects for tilt in the borehole Two, two, two tools in one

Long Space Sonic (LSS)

Necessary to obtain critical refraction in large boreholes

Log Interpretation Advice

Know the acronyms for the logs, e.g., CNL Think of the physics:
What is the log actually measuring? What formation property are we approximating? What corrections are likely to be needed?

Find correction charts and read carefully. They can be constructed in many ways. Compare numerous logs if available
Are they consistent? What do the discrepancies mean?