20 RESERVOIR ISSUE 07JULY/AUGUST 2014
INTRODUCTIONPotashwasahottopicintheearly1960s
whenIwasayoungloggingengineer assignedatLanigan,SKwithoneoperator
andabreadwagon(equivalenttotodays cube-van). We dripped oil-base
mud into the motel and all along the Yellowhead from
SaskatoontoYorkton.Potashpricepeaks
in2010encouragedarenewedinterestin
potash,especiallyonIndianReservesand deeper plays where solution
mining is more practical than subsurface mining.
Thepricepeakin2010hassubsidedto morerationallevelsbutexplorationand
development,nottomentiontalkof
acquisitionsandmergers,arestillactive.
Thislevelofinteresthasgenerateda
modestamountofpetrophysicalanalysis, using logs that date from the
mid-1960s to the present.The major source of potash in the world is
theDevonianPrairieEvaporiteFormation in Saskatchewan, which
provides 11 million POTASH PETROPHYSICS Then and Now| By E. R.
(Ross) Crain, P.Eng, Spectrum 2000 Mindware Ltd, www.spec2000.net,
[email protected] 1. Recent potash price per tonne FOB
Vancouver, courtesy
InfoMine.com.((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
(( (( (( (( ((
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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")")")")") ")")")")")")")!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! !!!!!!! !! !!
!!!30403535354
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03535516755319011845108210542743048817592142390224101109142
202200300143 289155120Alberta British Columbia
SaskatchewanManitobaProjection: UTM; Central Meridian -115.5;
NorthAmerican Datum19831:600,0000 10 20 30 40KmWell s! Duvernay
Producers! Gas Condensate Ratio") Duvernay Cores (Preliminary)" )
Duvernay Geochemistry Data (GSC, AGS)Duvernay / Muskwa Isotherms
(C)6080100120Geothermal Gradient (All Uni ts) /1000mCI
=5C/1000mHigh: 59Low: 21Structuraland GeologicalEdges(( ((
Paleozoic DeformationFrontLeduc Reefs (WCSB Atlas,
1994)DuvernayGeothermal Gradient (All Units)Copyright 2013 Canadian
Discovery Ltd. All Rights Reserved.Author: M FocklerCartographer: C
Keeler 1EnclosureReviewer:Filename:
DVRN_GEOTHERMAL_ALL_MAP_PRELIM.mxdProject: DVRNCreated: 21-J
anuary-2013Last Edited: 16-J uly-2013DVRN
T30T45T60T65T70T75T80R10R20 R15 R10 R5 R1W5 R25R15T50T40T30T35R5
R1W6 R25R20R10W4T80T75T70T65T60T55T45R10W4R15 R20 R25 R1W5 R5 R10
R15T35T50T55WestShal e Basi nEastShal e Basi nKaybobT40EdsonKar rWi
l l esdenGr een(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((124697.23
miles322965.63 km22British
ColumbiaManitobaAlbertaSaskatchewanSASKATCHEWANALBERTABRITISH
COLUMBIATHE DUVERNAY
PROJECTWorkonCanadianDiscoveryandpartnersDuvernayProjectiswell
underway.ThisstudyevaluatestheGeomechanics,HydrocarbonSystems and
Geological Setting of the Devonian Duvernay Formation in the Kaybob
to Willesden Green Area.TRICAN GEOLOGICAL
SOLUTIONSCanadianDiscoveryLtd.GRAHAM DAVIESCONSULTANTS
LTD.GEOLOGICALGDGCSubscribe now and qualify forpre-completion
pricingContact Cheryl [email protected] |
403.269.3644Image Left: Geothermal Gradient (All Units)Results to
date indicate: Variable lithology and a well-defined
facies/lithology dependent fracture fabric
Stratigraphyshowsapossibleextensionto the current play areas
Geochemistry shows source rock maturity is strongly related to heat
flow variationsA geomechanical evaluation, detailed geochemistry,
hydrogeology and reservoir mapping will be completed prior to study
delivery. RESERVOIR ISSUE 07JULY/AUGUST
201421tonnesperyear.Russiaissecondat6.9
millionandtheUSA(mostlyfromNew Mexico)at1.2milliontonnesperyear.A
dozenothercountriesinEurope,Middle
East,andSouthAmericaproducepotash from evaporite deposits.The main
potash salts are sylvite, carnalite, langbeinite, and polyhalite,
mixed in varying concentrationswithhalite(rocksalt).
Themainuseofpotashisasfertilizer. Sylvinite is the most important
ore for the productionofpotashinNorthAmerica.
MostCanadianoperationsminesylvinite withproportionsofabout31%KCland
66% NaCl with the balance being insoluble
clays,anhydrite,andinsomelocations carnallite. PETROPHYSICAL
PROPERTIES OF POTASH MINERALSPotassiumisradioactivesothegamma
raylogisusedtoidentifypotashbearing
zones.Potashmineralshavedistinctive
physicalpropertiesonotherlogs,so
conventionalmulti-mineralmodelscanbe
usedtodeterminethemineralmixture, justaswedoincarbonatesintheoiland
gas environment.Table 1 POTASH MINERAL PROPERTIESMineral Halite
Sylvite Carnallite Insolubles Langbeinite Polyhalite UnitsFormula
NaCI KCIKMgCI3 6H2OClay K2SO4Mg2(SO4)2K2SO4Mg(SO4)(Ca(SO4))2
2H2OPotassium (K) Content 0.00 0.524 0.141 0.08-0.10 0.188 0.130
weight fractionGamma Ray 0 747 200 120-150 268 185API Units(linear
tool)Apparent K20 Content 0.00 0.63 0.17 0.10-0.15 0.225 0.156
weight fractionHydrogen Index 0.00 -0.02 0.60 0.30-0.40 -0.01 0.25
fractionalSonic Travel Time 67.0 74.0 78.0 90.0-120.0 52.0
57.0microsecondsper footDensity (log) 2.03 1.86 1.57 2.35-2.65 2.82
2.78 gram/ccDensity (true) 2.16 1.98 1.61 2.35-2.65 2.83 2.79
gram/ccPhotoelectric 4.72 8.76 4.29 1.45-3.50 3.56 4.32 capture
unitsFigure 2. Potash production statistics 2010.(Continued on page
22...)22 RESERVOIR ISSUE 07JULY/AUGUST 2014 The Vp/Vs ratio for
most salts is near 1.90, so shear travel time is about 1.90 times
the compressional travel time given above.
AdensityversusK20(orgammaray) crossplothelpstodefinewhichminerals
might be present. POTASH ANALYSIS CONCEPTS OLDER
LOGSSincepotassiumisradioactive,theK2O
contentcanbederivedfromgammaray logs,andthistechniquehasbeenused
since the mid 1960s(Crain and Anderson, JCPT,
1966).Mostanalogoil-fieldGRlogswerenon-linearaboveabout300APIunitsdueto
deadtimeinthecountingcircuit.These
olderlogsarestillavailableinthewell
files.Thenon-linearrelationshipisshown
below.Digitaltoolsfromthe1980sand onwardweremorelinear.Holesizeand
mudweightcorrectionsarestillneeded forboththeoldandthenewversionsof
the logs.POTASH ORE GRADE FROMGAMMA RAY LOGSK2O content was derived
from GRc using thelookuptableshownattheright.
Itislinearupto400APIunitsand exponential thereafter. Values in the
table representa6inchboreholefilledwith
dieselat7.2lb/gal.Thelinearportion ofthelookuptableisrepresentedby:
3: IF GRc