Approximately 40 different reservoir and surface rock samples were lased using high power COIL (1.315 micrometer), CO2 (wavelength = 10.6 micrometer) and Nd:YAG (wavelength = 1.06 micrometer) lasers. Spectrum of the samples (sandstones, shales, and limestones) in the wavelength region from 0.35 to 15.387 wavelength were obtained. Spectral signatures and optic coefficients of the reservoir and surface sandstones were discussed by the authors in a previous paper (SPIE 5273-97). In this contribution, a detailed study of the spectral properties and optic signatures of shale and limestone samples is presented. The optic coefficients (extinction/reflection (E), scattering (S), absorption (K) and emission (F)) of these rocks are mathematically and statistically calculated and are critically investigated against rock chemistry, grain size, porosity, cementing matrix and rock textures, and total organic content.
Our investigations show that: 1) Porosity and grain size are the only rock properties that exhibited a strong statistical relation with the absorption and reflection coefficients. 2) Rocks with high porosity have greater reflection coefficients (at the COIL and Nd:YAG wavelengths) compared to those having lower porosity. 3) The reflectance at the CO2 laser wavelength (10.6 wavelength) is not a function of porosity or grain size. 4) Surface and reservoir shales have almost the same spectral features and hence similar optic coefficients. This indicates that mode of occurrence does not influence the spectral signatures of rocks. 5) Spectrum of limestones is dominated by the four (v1 v2, v3, and v4) fundamental stretching carbonate absorption bands.
KEYWORDS: Computed tomography, Chemical analysis, Laser drilling, Analytical research, Thermal analysis, High power lasers, Scanning electron microscopy, Signal attenuation, Laser energy, Minerals
The focus of this paper will be on the analytical techniques used to study laser/rock destruction. High-power COIL, CO2, and Nd:YAG lasers were used to drill holes, melt, crack, and vaporize rock samples. Rock types used in the research include: surface sandstones, reservoir sandstones, surface shale, reservoir shale, surface limestone and dolomite, and granite. Physical and chemical properties of the unlased and lased rocks are analyzed. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is used to determine rock chemistry while carbon content is determined by a coulometer. Permeability is determined by the Pressure-Decay Profile Permeameter (PDPK), and Computerized Tomography (CT) imaging is used to calculate the volume of material removed by laser and pixel porosity and density around the lased holes. Thermal properties, such as endothermic and exothermic reactions, clay disassociation, and melting temperatures, are determined using Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA). Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS) is used to map laser-induced fractures and mineralogical transformations. Mineral assemblages, rock texture, and average porosity are determined using petrographic thin sections.
Approximately 40 different reservoir and surface rock samples were lased using high power COIL (λ = 1.315 μm), CO2 (λ = 10.6 μm) and Nd:YAG (λ = 1.06 μm) lasers. Spectrum of the samples in the wavelength region from 0.35 to 15.387 μm was obtained. The objectives of this research are to make a detailed study of the spectral properties and optic signatures of rock samples, including reservoir rocks collected from a depth of more that 8,000 ft, in order to predict the energy absorbed when a laser hits a rock. The optical coefficients [extinction/reflection (E), scattering (S), absorption (K) and emission (F)] of these rocks are critically investigated against rock chemistry, grain size, mode of occurrence, porosity, cementing matrix and rock textures, and total organic content. This research, initiated for the petroleum industry, develops a relationship between reflectance and rock properties that are commonly known and used as correlation parameters for other reservoir characterization uses. Our results show that: (1) More than 25% of the COIL and Nd:YAG laser energy is reflected and/or scattered by rocks with more than 85% SiO2 content. (2) Surface and reservoir sandstones have almost the same spectral features and hence similar optic coefficients. (3) Rocks with high porosity have greater reflection coefficients (at the COIL and Nd:YAG wavelengths) compared to those having lower porosity. (4) The reflectance at the CO2 laser wavelength (10.6 μm) is not a function of porosity or grain size.
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