Petrophysical work flows are designed primarily to process static data for traditional openhole logs, which can provide estimates of porosity, saturation, lithology, and mineralogy. However, these estimates normally have a high degree of uncertainty and formation testing and sampling (FTS) data often are required for reservoir-condition calibration. This paper bridges the gap between operational petrophysicists and FTS specialists, introducing an automated work flow by which petrophysicists can conduct FTS jobs.

Introduction

Wireline formation testers (WFTs) were commercialized in the late 1950s; drilling formation testers (DFTs) were introduced more recently. The primary benefits for FTS by means of wireline (e.g., WFT) or drillpipe (e.g., DFT) tools always has been a link between openhole log static volumetric formation evaluation and dynamic reservoir properties such as reservoir pressure, mobility, and fluid-sample composition, with many more applications under development using advanced testing tools and methods. However, FTS always has faced challenges with the integration of formation-tester data into the petrophysical work flow, limiting the ability to take full advantage of this valuable source of dynamic data.  

Current work flows normally involve having an FTS specialist evaluate openhole log analyses, plan testing and sampling jobs, monitor data acquisition and quality-control (QC) results, and report on the final data interpretation. Thus, an FTS specialist should hold a wide spectrum of expertise, including FTS-tool use and data analysis and openhole logging and log analysis, as well as reservoir engineering and reservoir dynamics. Consequently, few petrophysicists are truly qualified to be FTS specialists. Therefore, automating FTS work flows is desirable.