Practical Well Log Standards
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Sponsors
This project is expected to attract oil companies, well log data acquisition
companies (including LWD companies) and well log interpretation/processing
software/database companies as sponsors.
Project Sponsorship Terms
In order to complete phase 1 as outlined, it will require approximately
$200,000 for 18 calendar-weeks of work. Assuming a contribution of $10,000
per company, a minimum of 20 companies would be required. If additional
companies were willing to participate financially in the project, then
the fees could be lowered accordingly.
The $200,000 includes approximately 180 person-days of effort for
POSC and contract/industry expert personnel. This also covers funds for
travel and expenses for hosting work group and public review meetings in
both the United States and Europe. No capital expenditures are budgeted
for the project.
Budget items will be controlled by the project manager and a project
steering committee. The fee schedule will be agreed to and set by the steering
committee.
All intellectual property rights for this project would remain with
POSC.
Sponsor Benefits
Sponsors have direct participation in the project thus setting priorities,
providing input on values, helping to set business value, etc. Additionally,
sponsors will have the deliverables in advance of the public release of
the information.
Project Description
This project is designed in phases. The first phase would last 18 weeks
and will cover standards for approximately 20 well logging tools.
(Where a logging tool is a device recording multiple well log traces or curves; tools which
record very few traces would be grouped together.)
The first phase will concentrate on traces acquired during a well site logging operation;
i.e. on acquisition traces as opposed to processed traces. Trace attributes defined would
include: Curve Type reference values (including their structure), assessment of Business
Value and acquisition tool attributes. Tool attributes defined would include:
tool string name, tool string description and generic tool string name.
(An example of attributes and reference values can be
downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet.)
The second phase of the project is not currently defined in detail. However, the intent of the second phase would be to add the equivalent of another 20 tools and increase
the number of attributes defined for each log trace in the previous phase.
Additionally, the second phase of the project would begin to address/build a
system to allow the easy updating of new reference values by service providers
as well as a mechanism to allow software to easily be updated/kept current.
It is expected that the second phase of the project would require funding
approximately the same as phase one; i.e. around $200,000. This phase, as
outlined, would last approximately 4 months.
The third phase of the project could begin to address various well logging
activities such as processing. The third phase of the project would last
approximately 6 weeks and cost approximately $50,000.
After the successful completion of phase
one, it would then be decided how best proceed into subsequent phases.
Overall Objectives:
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reduce costs through process improvement
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increase data knowledge
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improve data access
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improve data loading efficiency
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reduce time for data preparation and acceptance for data exchange/sale
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Increase accessibility and understanding of logging data by non-petrophysicists.
Phase I Objectives:
Define business rules for sorting traces into defined classifcations.
Definition of standard attributes for 20 logging tools:
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trace attributes would include: Curve Type reference values (including
their structure), assessment of Business Value, acquisition tool attributes
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tool attributes would include: tool string name, tool string description,
generic tool string name
For an example of what the deliverables might actually look like,
you can download an
Excel spreadsheet containing sample values.
Business Impact
Log data consumers are over whelmed with the amount of data they are receiving.
Currently there are over 50,000 different types of well log traces; yet,
most will agree that the number of useful well log traces is somewherein the neighborhood of 500. The main objective of this project will be to clarify, simplify and standardize this complex enviromnent for the expert and non-expert alike.
The benefits from this project will include:
- Reduced costs
Globally, a huge amount of resource is wasted in maintaining local database load lists and naming convention initiatives which inevitably become outdated as soon as they are created. A centralized, responsive mechanism as proposed by this project will be far more efficient.
- Reduction in lost data, and, by implication, lost information and lost revenue. It is not uncommon for purchased data to be, effectively, thrown away because it would cost more to understand the data then it would to reacquire the data. Field studies are completely redone at a significant cost because:
- Data from previous studies can't be identified
- Data from the previous studies can't be adequately understood
- Lack of confidence in the previous results primarily due to the inability to understand the archived results from the previous studies.
- Improved data interchange
- At the organizational level - data purchases, trades and sharing of data on JV projects
- At the database level - data transfer between long-term storage and the short-term working (project) environment
- Improved data usage within your organisation
- Better communication of the usefulness of the data from the acquisition contractors
- Generic naming will enable non-expert users to find and understand results from petrophysics groups. For example, geophysicists will easily be able to identify the appropriate traces to use in generating a synthetic seismogram. Similarly, geologists will be able to easily identify traces suitable for correlation and the construction of stratigraphic and structural cross sections.
- More effective use of technology from software suppliers
- All to frequently both databases and applications are delivered to customers without sufficient guidance for using them in the most effective way. The organisation of data, which is what this project addresses, is a key factor in getting the most out these technologies.
This project, by concentrating on the high-value curve and well-log attributes should help anyone who is involved with loading, maintaining and using well-log data, irrespective of the technology they are using (assuming it has basic support for attributes).
Project Deliverables
The emphasis is to make sure deliverables are accessible and directly useable. We will use Web-based distribution to ensure that customers can get to the information when they need it and also to facilitate frequent updating to keep the standards current. The project will:
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Define business rules for sorting traces/tools/services into defined classifications
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Compile and enhance well log trace list for designated tools. (Designated tools to be determined by the Project Steering Committee.)
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Define generic names for traces and services (tool suites) and submit to
POSC for maintenance as an industry standard.
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Distribute defined standards (generic names) to project participants in agreed format.
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Provide database scripts which update reference values already in the project database.
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Produce usage examples and/or sample database queries to demonstrate the
usability of defined standards.
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Distribute recommendations to POSC membership and invite public review
of material.
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Maintain and distribute updates of defined standards.
Impact on Current POSC Specifications
Generic names for logging services are not currently part of the POSC reference
value set. Also, this project will be defining trace classifications in
more detail and with more scrutiny than the initial set of trace classifications
defined by POSC. But most importantly, this project will develop a peer
reviewed set of classifications. The POSC values have not under gone
such a review. Hence, changes will need to be made to the current set of
well log trace classifications and the classifications defined for logging
services will need to be added. As this project will also define a number
of attributes for the well log trace classifications, these will need to
be added to the POSC classifications as well.
Impact on Future POSC Maintenance
To the degree that POSC specifications are added to or refined to meet
the requirements of this project, these specifications will require maintenance
in the future along with all other current POSC specifications.
Role of POSC
POSC will serve as project manager using the POSC open process to ensure
completeness and fairness in the development of new and revised specifications.
POSC employees will perform technical work supplemented by the active participation
of sponsor companies. POSC will consult with industry experts for leadership
and guidance. Member participants will contribute to technical reviews
and be actively involved in presentations and technical workshops. Dave
Camden, Flare Consultants, will act as the Technical Project Leader under
contract to POSC.
Target Budget
Phase one of this project is budgeted at $200,000. This includes approximately
180 person-days of effort for POSC and contract/industry expert personnel.
This also covers funds for travel and expenses for hosting work group
and public review meetings in both the United States and Europe. No
capital expenditures are budgeted for the project.
Budget items will be controlled by the project manager and a project
steering committee. The fee schedule will be agreed to and set by the steering
committee.
All intellectual property rights for this project would remain with
POSC.
All reference values developed as part of this project will ultimately be released into the public domain. Additionally,
reference values will be shared with PPDM as part of the cooperative effort for the development and sharing of standard instance data.
Project Acceptance
A deadline of December 1, 1999, has been agreed for companies to express
their intent with regard to project sponsorship.
Based on comments from the companies that participated in the two
organizational meetings, there is a reasonable expectation for
the project to receive funding.
Last modified: February 22, 2001. Send questions and comments
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