Gamma Ray Logging

Gamma Ray Logging 1

 Introduction

Radioactivity and Types of Emissions

The Origins of Natural Radioactivity
Operations
Typical Response
Physics of the tool
Calibrations
Environmental Corrections
Log quality control
Applications

Gamma Ray Logging 2

 Gamma Ray Logging
Gamma Ray logging is the continuous measurement of
the natural (or sometimes induced) radioactivity in a well.

It was introduced commercially in 1939 by Well Surveys

Inc. (eventually absorbed by Lane-Wells).

The gamma ray log can be recorded in open and cased

holes, in any type of fluid, and combined with virtually any
other log or with perforating guns.

It can be conducted as the common gross counts log, or

as the spectral log, which produces separate logs for
three different elements.

Gamma Ray Logging 3

 Natural Radioactivity
Stable Atom:
Alpha An atom which has a
Particle Beta balanced numbers of protons
+ Particle and neutrons (and electrons).

Radioactivity:
The spontaneous emission
Unstable by some elements of alpha,
Nucleus beta particles and/or gamma
rays, as their atomic nuclei
disintegrate.

Gamma Ray

Gamma Ray Logging 5

 Types of Emissions

Alpha Particles
Positively charged particle with 2 neutrons and 2
protons (nucleus of He atom).
Easy to stop by a thick cloth.

Beta Particles
B : electron emitted from an unstable nucleus when
a neutron decays to a proton.
B+: positron emitted when a protons decays to a
neutron.
Easily stopped by a thin sheet of metal.
May cause skin burn.

Gamma Ray Logging 6

 Types of Emissions (Contd.)

Gamma Rays
Massless, chargeless high-frequency electro-
magnetic energy emitted when an atom passes
from an excited state to a less excited ground state.
Travel at the speed of light.
Referred to as a photon when it has discrete
quantity of electromagnetic energy.
Penetrate rocks up to 15 (8 of concrete)

Gamma Ray Logging 7

 Natural Radioactivity
The three main radioactive elements in nature are:
Potassium (K40) - decays to stable Ar40
Thorium (Th232) - decays to Pb208
Uranium (U238) - decays to Pb208
These elements decay to their final, stable state through a
series of intermediate steps emitting alpha, beta particles
and gamma rays on their way.
They are found in various proportions in crystalline rocks.
During deposition these elements tend to concentrate in
shales.
Hence shales are more radioactive than sands.

Gamma Ray Logging 8

 Summary
There are naturally occurring radioactive elements in
the formation (K, Th and U).
These elements are primarily concentrated in shales.
Gamma rays are produced by the natural
disintegration of these elements.
These gamma rays may further interact with the
formation, losing energy on the way.
The detector sees these gamma rays and measures
the total count rate (number of gamma rays detected
per unit of time).
The detector can also sort incoming gamma rays
according to their energies.

Gamma Ray Logging 9

 Gamma Ray Detectors
The earliest type of gamma ray detector is the Geiger-
Mller detector.
This detector detects incident gamma rays by gas
ionization. It counts all the gamma rays received,
irrespective of their energy.
It is cheap to manufacture, rugged and can withstand
very high temperatures.

Gamma Ray Logging 10

 Geiger-Mller Detector

Incident gamma ray

ionizes the gas
Current flows from
anode to cathode

+ One electrical pulse

HV Supply is created for each
Low-pressure gas incident gamma ray

Gamma Ray Logging 11

 Gamma Ray Detectors
Modern logging tools use scintillation detectors.
A gamma ray hits a crystal (NaI) and its energy is
converted to a photon of light.
Light (scintillation) from the crystal hits the photo-
cathode in the PM tube, which emits an electron.
This is amplified in the photomultilpier (PM) tube to
reach a detectable current.
The amplifier-discriminator circuit gives an output pulse
with amplitude (voltage) proportional to incoming
gamma ray energy.
Gamma rays can then be counted and binned as a
function of their energies.

Gamma Ray Logging 12

 Limitation of Gamma Ray Detectors
As temperature increases, the high voltage supplied to
the detector varies. In order to make the measurement
consistent, this change should only marginally affect the
detector output.

The plateau is the portion

Number of Counts
Average plateau count
of the counting rate versus
Mid-point
voltage curve in which the
counting rate is almost Plateau length
independent of the applied
voltage
Detector Voltage

Gamma Ray Logging 13

 Limitation of Gamma Ray Detectors
Dead time is the period between the time a detector
establishes an event has occurred and the time it is ready
to count a new event. The lower the dead-time the better
the detector.

Thallium-doped sodium iodide Detector is ready to

NaI(Tl): Event Detection count a new event

250,000 counts per second

Detector

Voltage
Threshold

Cerium-doped gadolinium
orthosilicate GSO(Ce):
1,000,000 counts per second Dead time

Time

Gamma Ray Logging 14

 GR Primary Calibration

The API gamma ray unit is

defined as:
1/200th of the difference
between zones of high and
low radiation in the gamma
ray calibration pit of the
University of Houston.
It was designed so that the
average shale reads about
100 API units.

Gamma Ray Logging 16

 GR Calibration

Primary
Artificial radioactive formation at the University of
Houston
No field engineer involvement
It defines the measurement unit

Field Calibration
Reference source is 160 - 165 GAPI GSR-U/Y
blanket impregnated with monazite sand.

Gamma Ray Logging 17

 GR Field Calibration

A Zero measurement (background) is done

without the blanket
A Plus measurement is done with the blanket
Activity of the blanket (in GAPI) is written
inside the blanket - the reference value
The difference is calibrated to the reference
value to compute the gain of the tool

Gamma Ray Logging 18

 GR Measurement Advantages

The main feature of the gamma ray log is that it

can be run in almost any logging condition,
including:
cased wells,
open holes drilled with air,
open holes drilled with water-based mud,
open holes drilled with oil-based or fresh mud.

Gamma Ray Logging 19

 Gamma Ray Outputs (Schlumberger)
GR Gamma ray output from HGNS or SGT, 6 sampling.
HGR High-resolution output from HGNS or SGT, 2 sampling.
ECGR Environmentally Corrected GR from HGNS, 6 sampling.
EHGR Environmentally corrected high-resolution GR from HGNS,
2 sampling.

DPPM is a critical parameter for GR from SGT. It selects whether

the Hi-resolution (2) signals will be acquired.

The HGNS acquires 2 samples regardless of DPPM and

averages three 2 inch samples to get 6 sampling.

Gamma Ray Logging 20

 Gamma Ray Outputs (Halliburton)
GR Gamma ray, 6 sampling.
EGR Enhanced vertical resolution output, 2 sampling.
GRCO Environmentally Corrected GR, 6 sampling.
EGRC Environmentally Corrected GR, 2 sampling.

Gamma Ray Logging 21

 Environmental Effects
Log is affected by
Hole size and tool position (standoff)
Mud weight and, more importantly, barite in the mud
Casing

Correction charts and software settings exist to correct

the GR reading for these effects.
Since GR is primarily used as a correlation tool,
corrections may not be applied in some areas.
Output ECGR (from Platform Express) is fully
environmentally corrected (ECGR = GR * CFGR)

Gamma Ray Logging 22

 Gamma Ray Borehole Correction

Standard Conditions:

Hole Diameter = 8 inches

Borehole Fluid = water

Gamma Ray Logging 23

 Gamma Ray Borehole Correction

Actual Conditions:

Hole Diameter > 8 inches

Borehole Fluid = water

Gamma Ray Logging 24

 Gamma Ray Borehole Correction

Actual Conditions:

Hole Diameter = 8 inches

Borehole Fluid = mud

Gamma Ray Logging 25

 GR Applications

Gamma Ray Applications

General Lithology Indicator

Quantitative Shaliness Indicator
Correlation
Open hole to Cased hole
Well to well

Gamma Ray Logging 26

 Gamma Ray Applications
High gamma ray values (about 100 API units) are mostly
encountered in shales.

Clean sands (i.e., without shale) have low gamma ray

values (typically around 15 to 20 API units).

Carbonate stringers are clean and have low GR.

Coal beds also have low GR

The gamma ray log is therefore used to identify clean

layers, and for well-to-well correlation.

Gamma Ray Logging 27

 Gamma Ray Applications

Gamma rays can travel through the steel casing and be

detected in a cased hole. The gamma ray amplitude is
reduced because the casing absorbs some of the gamma
rays, but the shape is retained.

The gamma ray log can therefore be recorded in a cased

well, and is used to correlate cased-hole logs to the initial
openhole logs.

This is particularly useful to correlate gun depth before

perforating a hydrocarbon-bearing interval.

Gamma Ray Logging 28

 Typical Gamma Ray Response
0 GAPI 150

Shale
Coal

GR max Clean Sand

GR min Shaly Sand

Carbonate

Shale

Gamma Ray Logging 29

 Cased-Hole correlation to Openhole

One string of casing

Cased-hole Gamma Ray

Openhole Gamma Ray

Gamma Ray Logging 30

 Cased-Hole correlation to Openhole

Two strings of casing

Cased-hole Gamma Ray

Openhole Gamma Ray

Gamma Ray Logging 31

 Gamma Ray Spectrometry

The purpose of gamma ray spectrometry is to evaluate

the individual contributions of potassium, uranium
and thorium to the total gamma ray count.
This is done by measuring the energy of each detected
gamma ray and relating the energy spectrum to the
elements that emitted the gamma rays.

The main use of gamma ray spectrometry is to

differentiate clay types, based on their ratio of potasium
and thorium.

Gamma Ray Logging 32

 Gamma Ray Spectrometry

Schlumberger Chart CP-19 33

Gamma Ray Logging