CORING

ALI MOUSTAFA ELSAYED WAHBA ELLAITHY

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
PETROLEUM ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF PETROLEUM AND MINING ENGINEERING
SUEZ UNIVERSITY

E-mail: [email protected]
Tel.: (+20) 1021122314 – (+20) 1555545827
1
 INTRODUCTION
• While some estimates of reservoir rock properties can be made from indirect
methods such as electrical and radioactive log surveys, accurate
determination of various important properties that are discussed in this
course can only be obtained from direct tests conducted on physical rock
samples.

• In fact, the data obtained from core analysis are actually used for calibration
of the indirect methods such as well logs.

• Honarpour et al. have highlighted the importance of well-designed coring

programs and the need for reliable rock and fluid characterization for
reservoir management.
10/7/2023 2
 INTRODUCTION
• Collection of reservoir rock samples or coring is accomplished as part of
formation evaluation process..

• According to Santarelli and Dusseault, coring decision in the petroleum

industry is made on economical and technical grounds.

• From an economical standpoint, coring interrupts the regular drilling

activity.

10/7/2023 3
 INTRODUCTION

• Coring is typically accomplished by drilling into the formation with a hollow

section drill bit and drill pipe.

• For the most part, the recovered core sample is thus cylindrical in geometry,
with dimensions of, for example, up to 10 m in length and up to 15 cm in
diameter.

10/7/2023 4
 INTRODUCTION

• The core recovery index is traditionally used as a measure to assess the core
quality, which is simply the ratio of obtained core length and the drilled
length of the formation.

• Although good core recoveries can be achieved for consolidated formations,

unconsolidated formations (e.g., loose sands) do suffer from poor core
recoveries and the reservoir rock may end up as piles of sand when brought
to the surface.

10/7/2023 5
 INTRODUCTION

• During the coring process, reservoir rock material is also recovered in the
form of rock cuttings on which some basic properties can be measured on site
such as permeability using a handheld probe permeameter and organic
carbon content.

• However, this course limits the discussion to only geometrically well-defined

cylindrical core samples on which various rock properties are measured in
well-equipped core analysis laboratories.

10/7/2023 6
 CORING METHODS
• Coring operations in the petroleum industry are generally executed by
various service companies such as Baker Hughes, Halliburton, and
Schlumberger.

• Essentially, three different types of coring methods are used to recover

formation rock samples from petroleum reservoirs:

1. Rotary method. (conventional type)

2. Sidewall coring. (conventional type)
3. High-pressure coring. (much more advanced technique)

10/7/2023 7
 CORING METHODS

• The sample can be

obtained either via drill
string or via wireline.

• The cost of drill string

coring is high but the
value of information in
most cases justifies it.

10/7/2023 8
 CORING METHODS
• Coring In Oil & Gas Drilling Animation | Oil & Gas Exploration
Animation | Petrosains Museum | I3D – YouTube

• Core barrel – YouTube

• Core Barrel Assembly Animation – YouTube

• CORE DRILLING AND SAMPLE RECOVERY – YouTube

 ROTARY METHOD
• A typical assembly for the rotary coring method includes a coring bit
(generally diamond tipped to provide strength for penetrating the formation),
a core barrel, and a core catcher.

• The coring bit has a hole in the center allowing drilling around a central rock
cylinder, which is collected in the core barrel.

• A mechanism exists to apply tension to the drill string to break away the
collected core, which is eventually lifted to the surface.

• The core retrieved using the rotary method is called as the whole core.

10/7/2023 10
 ROTARY METHOD

• Unlike a normal drill bit, which

crushes the rock into small pieces,
a core bit can be visualized as a
hollow cylinder with cutters on the
outside.

10/7/2023 11
 ROTARY METHOD

• The cylinder of rock that is

cut by the bit is retained
within the core barrel by an
arrangement of steel fingers
or slips. (Core catcher)

10/7/2023 12
 ROTARY METHOD
• Drill string coring is done using special drilling bits, with an inner and outer
metal barrel, each of approximately 9 meters in length.

• These can be joined in multiples for an increased core recovery.

• In conventional coring methods, the inner barrel remains stationary, while

the outer barrel, on which the bit is attached, rotates, pushing the rock into
the inner barrel.

• The core catcher prevents the sample from slipping out.

10/7/2023 13
10/7/2023 14
10/7/2023 15
 WHOLE CORE AND CORE PLUGS

• Initially the core is placed on a lay out table and core depth is marked on the
whole core interval.

• Surface core gamma measurements are then made for log depth checking and
correction where necessary.

• Provides larger samples.

10/7/2023 16
 WHOLE CORE AND CORE PLUGS

• Better and more consistent representation of formation.

• Better for heterogeneous rocks or for more complex lithologies.

• One-inch diameter core plug samples are also drilled and collected at each
interval.

10/7/2023 17
Whole Core Photograph, Misoa Sandstone,
Venezuela

10/7/2023 18
 WHOLE CORE AND CORE PLUGS

• At the well site, the recovered core is carefully marked, cut into 1-meter
pieces, packed and sent to the laboratory for further analysis.

• At the laboratory, the plug samples are drilled out of the core sample, to
allow measurement of petrophysical and other properties.

10/7/2023 19
10/7/2023 20
10/7/2023 21
 WHOLE CORE AND CORE PLUGS

• When the core material arrives in the core laboratory, the most common
practice is to cut into two pieces (one-third and two-third pieces).

• The one-third section is slabbed, often photographed using regular and

ultraviolet light, described by geologists, and eventually archived for future
study or review.

• The two-thirds section is the part that is used to cut core plugs for routine
and special core analysis.

10/7/2023 22
 WHOLE CORE AND CORE PLUGS

• Core plugs for routine analysis might be selected on a one per foot or one per
two-foot basis.

• Core plugs for special core analyses may not be selected until the core is
sufficiently described.

• If the reservoir is very heterogeneous, core testing will be conducted using the
whole-core or full-diameter pieces of the whole core.

10/7/2023 23
• Different Lithologies Require
Careful Selection of Suitable
Core Plugs or Require Whole-
Core Analyses.

10/7/2023 24
 CORES
• Allow direct measurement of reservoir properties.

• Used to correlate indirect measurements, such as wireline/LWD logs.

• Used to test compatibility of injection fluids.

• Used to predict borehole stability.

• Used to estimate probability of formation failure and sand production.

10/7/2023 25
 CROSS BEDDING

• Note diagenetic effects near boundaries of co-sets and along some laminae.
Where should porosity be measured?
10/7/2023 26
 GEOLOGICAL AND PETROPHYSICAL
CONSIDERATIONS

10/7/2023 27
 SIDEWALL CORING
• Taking a full core from a formation by the rotary method is an expensive
operation; hence, the other inexpensive coring method called as sidewall
coring is used.

• The method employs hollow cylindrical core barrels (also called as bullets),
which can be shot in sequence, from the gun into the already drilled open-
hole formation.

• The orientation of the cores obtained in this case is parallel to the bedding
planes as opposed to the rotary method in which the whole core is
perpendicular to the bedding plane.

10/7/2023 28
 SIDEWALL CORING

10/7/2023 29
 SIDEWALL CORING
• The sidewall coring method typically obtains smaller samples, up to 1 in. in
diameter and 2 in. in length.

• Disadvantages of sidewall coring method include:

1. possible nonrecovery because of lost or misfired bullets.
2. a slight uncertainty about the sample depth.

• The samples of formation obtained by this method are called as sidewall cores
and can be categorized as core plugs.

10/7/2023 30
 SIDEWALL GUN
• The most common method
for coring using Wireline is
percussion coring.

• Hollow bullets connected

to the tool by wires are
fired into the formation
wall thereby collecting the
sample.

10/7/2023 31
 SIDEWALL GUN
❖ The advantages of percussion coring are:
1. They are fast and cheap.
2. They are available up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. One can individually select the sample depths.
4. A large number of samples, up to 90 in total, can be acquired in a single
trip.

❖ Disadvantages are that the sample are small and damaged due to the
impact of the bullet, leaving them good only for identification of lithology and
fluid type.

10/7/2023 32
10/7/2023 33
 ROTARY SIDEWALL CORING TOOL
(RSCT)

10/7/2023 34
 ROTARY SIDEWALL CORING TOOL
(RSCT)
• A Wireline rotary coring tool drills samples out of the borehole wall, using an
electronically-driven retractable rotary coring bit.

• The rotary action does not impact the formation and thus the samples can be
used for the analysis of petrophysical parameters.

• The sample depths can be selected individually, and up to 75 samples can be

taken per trip.

• The tool works well in hard formations and is ineffective in unconsolidated

formations and in wash-outs.

10/7/2023 35
 HIGH-PRESSURE CORING
• The two conventional methods discussed earlier suffer from some inherent
problems.

• Formation samples recovered are subject to loss of fluids due to pressure

reduction as these are brought to the surface and exposed to ambient
conditions.

• This may affect the in-situ fluid saturation determinations.

• However, the high-pressure coring method attempts to circumvent this

problem.

10/7/2023 36
 HIGH-PRESSURE CORING
• Although this method is relatively expensive, it does offer some distinct
advantages:

1. The pressure barrel collects the reservoir fluids in their natural

container, that is, the reservoir rock, by maintaining the core specimen
at bottom hole or reservoir conditions, until the core fluids can be
immobilized by freezing.

2. Additionally, pressure coring offers a method for obtaining

representative in-situ reservoir fluid (gas, oil, and water) saturations.

10/7/2023 37
 HIGH-PRESSURE CORING
• The technology used in cutting a pressure core is essentially the same as
capturing a conventional core.

• The use of a pressure-retaining core barrel is certainly not new.

• Sewell of Carter Oil Company reported the first design and application of
such a core barrel in 1939.

• Various other investigators have also reported the use of pressure core barrel.

10/7/2023 38
 HIGH-PRESSURE CORING
• Coring rates and core recovery are comparable to conventional coring since the
pressure core barrel retains the basic structure of conventional equipment.

• An additional requirement in high-pressure coring is the necessity of freezing the

core in order to immobilize the hydrocarbon fluids within the core.

• Once these fluids are immobilized, the core can be removed from the barrel after
depressurization and subsequently transported (in a frozen state) for laboratory
analysis, without the loss of valuable in-situ fluid saturation information.

• Trienen et al. have reported the successful use of pressure core for in-situ liquid and
gas composition determination for Prudhoe Bay oil field, Alaska.

10/7/2023 39
 CORING METHODS
• Once the core is retrieved from the well, it is common to do a lithologic
description at the wellsite.

• In addition, to keep the core from drying out, it is sometimes sealed in a

coating of hot wax and foil.

• At the laboratory, the core is photographed under normal and ultraviolet

light. (UV light will reveal the presence of hydrocarbons.)

• Routine and special core analysis may then be conducted.

10/7/2023 40
 IMPORTANT ISSUES RELATED TO
CORING METHODS
• Despite the fact that core samples recovered are representative of the physical
properties of the given formation, the petroleum reservoir fluid contents of
that particular core sample are not necessarily 100% of those of the native
rock.

• Basically, two different factors play an important role in affecting the changes
that take place in the recovered reservoir rock sample:

✓First, the core sample on its trip to the surface experiences a reduction in
pressure as well as temperature, thereby allowing the fluids contained
within the formation to expand and be expelled from the core.

10/7/2023 41
 IMPORTANT ISSUES RELATED TO
CORING METHODS
✓Second, drilling fluids (reduce frictional heat and provide overbalance)
used in recovering the core samples may also interact with the fluids
contained within the pore spaces of the core sample (and also the
formation), which may cause the displacement of native core fluids by the
drilling fluid.

• Therefore, as a net effect, the recovered core sample may not contain the
representative petroleum reservoir fluids, and additionally the wetting
preferences may also be altered.

10/7/2023 42
 IMPORTANT ISSUES RELATED TO
CORING METHODS

• The problem of loss of native reservoir fluids due to pressure and

temperature changes is, however, greatly alleviated in the pressure coring
system where formation fluids are kept intact within the core sample.

• The invasion of drilling fluid/mud filtrate to some extent can be mitigated by

selecting appropriate drilling muds or by using special techniques to
encapsulate the core.

10/7/2023 43
 TYPES OF CORES

• Generally, petroleum reservoir rock properties can be measured either on

whole core samples or small core plugs that are drilled from the whole core
samples or the sidewall cores.

10/7/2023 44
 WHOLE CORE

• A whole core sample is basically a complete section of a conventionally drilled

core from a given formation.

• The importance of whole core analysis lies in the fact that small-scale
heterogeneity (e.g., for variations in rock properties as a function of position)
may not be appropriately represented in measurements on small core plug
samples.

10/7/2023 45
 WHOLE CORE

• The advantage of whole core analysis is that it measures properties on a

larger scale, somewhat closer to that of the reservoir.

• Currently, many commercial laboratories are equipped to conduct various

rock property measurements on whole core samples.

10/7/2023 46
 WHOLE CORE
• The determination of rock properties using whole core samples is, however, a
much more demanding task considering the sample dimensions, larger size
equipment, and additional time are necessary, and hence the control of
experimental conditions, such as stabilizations, flow rates, pressure,
temperature, and so on, can be rather tricky.

• Moreover, cleaning of whole cores can also be difficult and time consuming,
and laboratory analysis is generally significantly more expensive than
conventional core plug analysis.

10/7/2023 47
 WHOLE CORE

• In summary, whole cores or full-diameter cores are tested only when there is
a reason to believe that smaller samples (core plugs) do not reflect average
properties.

10/7/2023 48
 CORE PLUG
• A core plug sample refers to a much smaller portion or subsample of the
whole core sample.

• A core plug sample is obtained by cutting cylindrical plugs of typically 1 or

1.5 in. in diameter and of lengths up to 3 in., from a whole core.

• All necessary rock properties are typically measured on a number of such

core plug samples.

10/7/2023 49
 CORE PLUG
• Generally, core plugs are cut from whole core samples in two different
orientations: perpendicular or parallel to the axis of the whole core.

• These core plugs, when drilled from a whole core from a vertical well bore,
are called horizontal and vertical plugs, respectively.

• The determination of rock properties using core plugs has some distinct
advantages such as relatively short amount of test duration and ease of
maintaining experimental conditions.

10/7/2023 50
 CORE PLUG

• The measurement of rock

properties on core plugs is
probably the most common
practice in the petroleum
industry.

Core plugs drilled from a whole

core sample.
10/7/2023 51
 ALLOCATION OF CORE DATA FOR MEASUREMENT
OF RESERVOIR ROCK PROPERTIES

• The data derived from core

analysis are typically utilized
by geologists, petrophysicists,
completion engineers, and
reservoir engineers.

10/7/2023 Allocation of core or core data. 52

 HANDLING OF RESERVOIR ROCK
CORE SAMPLES

• The reservoir rock core sample is only as good as the various rock properties
from which it can be measured.

• There is no guarantee that good-quality core samples always yield reliable

rock properties representative of the formation.

10/7/2023 53
 HANDLING OF RESERVOIR ROCK
CORE SAMPLES

• However, if core samples are properly handled in the laboratory, the

probability of obtaining accurate and reliable rock properties that are
representative of the formation is much greater.

• Therefore, proper handling of the core is as critical as its acquisition, and

core quality and its handling are key because they directly impact the
measured properties.

10/7/2023 54
 HANDLING OF RESERVOIR ROCK
CORE SAMPLES
• As far as handling core samples from well site to laboratory is concerned (and
also in the actual laboratory analysis), it is desirable to preserve the “native”
state of the core samples to the extent possible in order to maintain important
properties of the core sample such as “wettability”.

• If original wettability of the system is not maintained, it may significantly

impact measured rock properties that are functions of saturations such as
relative permeability and capillary pressure.

• Therefore, it is a common practice to store the core plug samples immersed in

formation fluids (normally crude oil) until they are ready for laboratory tests.

10/7/2023 55
 TYPES OF CORE TESTS

• The entire process starting from coring to the various laboratory tests
conducted on them is generally a very cost-intensive operation.

• However, given the fact that the core samples represent the ground truth in
the evaluation of petroleum reservoirs, a thorough laboratory testing
program specifically termed core analysis is a necessary integral component
of effective reservoir management strategy.

10/7/2023 56
 TYPES OF CORE TESTS

• The petroleum engineering literature is replete with reports of comprehensive

core analysis programs for various fields.

• For example, see Mookerjee and Alias, in which they report on the core
analysis program for a giant carbonate field in Oman, which gives an idea of
how extensive, yet valuable, this operation is.

10/7/2023 57
 TYPES OF CORE TESTS

• Through core analysis, a variety of tests are carried out on either the whole
core samples or core plug samples.

• The information obtained from core analysis aids in formation evaluation,

reservoir development, and reservoir engineering.

10/7/2023 58
 TYPES OF CORE TESTS

• The type of data measured as part of this analysis is porosity, permeability,

fluid saturations, capillary pressure, relative permeability, and so on.

• Core analysis is generally categorized into two groups: routine or

conventional core analysis or RCAL and special core analysis or SCAL.

10/7/2023 59
 ROUTINE OR CONVENTIONAL
CORE ANALYSIS

• Routine core analysis generally refers to the measurement of porosity, grain

density, horizontal permeability (absolute), fluid saturations, and a lithologic
description of the core.

• These measurements are carried out either on the whole core sample or core
plug samples or core plug end trims at ambient temperature (also sometimes
at reservoir temperature) and at either atmospheric confining pressure,
formation confining pressure (preferred), or both.

10/7/2023 60
 ROUTINE OR CONVENTIONAL
CORE ANALYSIS

• Routine core analyses also often include a core gamma log and measurements
of vertical permeability (absolute) and may also include quick directional
permeability measurements using a probe-type handheld permeameter.

10/7/2023 61
 SPECIAL CORE ANALYSIS
• Any laboratory measurements, either on whole cores or core plugs, that are
not part of routine core analysis generally fall under the category of SCAL.

• Probably the most prominent SCAL tests are two-phase or three-phase fluid
flow or displacement experiments in the formation rock sample, from which
reservoir engineering properties such as relative permeability, wettability,
and capillary pressure are determined.

• In addition to reservoir engineering properties, SCAL tests also include the

measurement of electrical and mechanical properties and petrographic
studies.

10/7/2023 62
 SPECIAL CORE ANALYSIS

• Electrical properties include the formation factor and resistivity index;

mechanical properties include the evaluation of various rock mechanics
parameters.

• Petrographic and mineralogical studies basically include imaging of the

formation rock samples through thin-section analysis, x-ray diffraction,
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and computerized tomography (CT)
scanning in order to obtain a better visualization of the pore space.

10/7/2023 63
 SPECIAL CORE ANALYSIS

• Sometimes, a preliminary fluid characterization such as density and viscosity

measurement of formation hydrocarbon samples and water samples, surface
and interfacial tension measurements, and the chemical analysis of water
samples are also considered as part of SCAL, since these properties are
required in proper representation of capillary pressure and relative
permeability.

10/7/2023 64
 WHOLE CORE ANALYSIS VS. PLUGS OR
SIDEWALL CORES

❖Whole Core:

• Provides larger samples.

• Better and more consistent representation of formation.
• Better for heterogeneous rocks or for more complex lithologies.

10/7/2023 65
 WHOLE CORE ANALYSIS VS. PLUGS OR
SIDEWALL CORES

❖Plugs or Sidewall Cores:

• Smaller samples.
• Less representative of heterogeneous formations.
• Within 1 to 2% of whole cores for medium to high porosity formation.
• In low-porosity formations, ∅ from core plugs tends to be much greater
than ∅ from whole cores.
• Scalar effects in fractured reservoirs.

10/7/2023 66
 CORE ANALYSIS
1. Routine Core Analysis:

• Whole core analysis: Description on full diameter core samples.

• Conventional analysis: Porosity, grain density, absolute permeability,
water saturation, etc.
• Sidewall core analysis: Same as conventional core analysis.

2. Special Core Analysis (SCAL):

• Relative permeabilities two and three phases, electric properties, capillary

pressure, CT scanning, etc. (CT scanning: Scanning using computer-aided
tomography).

10/7/2023 67
 INFORMATION FROM CORE
ANALYSIS
❖Petrophysics:

• Basic rock properties (porosity, permeability, grain density).

• Saturation from capillary pressure.
• Effect of stress and production induced compaction.
• Electrical properties (m, n).
• Cations Exchange Capacity.
• Acoustic Properties.

10/7/2023 68
 INFORMATION FROM CORE
ANALYSIS
❖Geology:

• Facies analysis.
• Mineral identification.
• Diagenesis and clay typing.
• Depositional information.
• Formation age.
• Microscopic and X-ray analyses.

10/7/2023 69
 INFORMATION FROM CORE
ANALYSIS
❖Reservoir Engineer:

• Relative permeability.
• Capillary pressure curves.
• Critical gas saturation.
• Pore volume compressibility.
• Flooding tests.

10/7/2023 70
 INFORMATION FROM CORE
ANALYSIS
❖Production Engineer:

• Well injectivity.
• Sand control parameters.
• Rock mechanical data.
• Mineralogy for acid stimulation.

10/7/2023 71
 INFORMATION FROM CORE
ANALYSIS

• Core data is interpreted and correlated with data acquired from open hole
logging, either via Wireline or Logging while Drilling to reveal the rock and
fluid properties.

10/7/2023 72
 REFERENCES
1. Tarek Ahmed “Reservoir Engineering Handbook”.

2. Ekwere J. Peters “Petrophysics”.

3. Abhijit Y. Dandekar “Petroleum Reservoir Rock and Fluid Properties”.

4. Tiab and Donaldson “Petrophysics”.

5. “Reservoir Rock Properties” Prof. Dr. Hamid M. Khattab.

6. “ROCK AND FLUID PROPERTIES” Dr. Tarek Elkewidy.

10/7/2023 73
THANK YOU