Discovery and prediction of high natural gamma sandstones in Chang 73 Submember of Triassic Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin, China

The large scale development of high natural gamma sandstones has been discovered in the Chang 73 Submember of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, China. High natural gamma sandstones consist of terrigenous detrital rocks with particle sizes ranging from silt to sand. They represent turbidite deposits characterized by high gamma ray values that are more than 180 American Petroleum Institute (API) units on a natural gamma ray log profile. For a long time, very high natural gamma sandstones had been identified as high-quality source rocks, such as oil shales, from conventional well log profiles, such as natural gamma ray well logs. Therefore, predicting the distribution of high natural gamma sandstones was studied. The sedimentary, lithological, and well log characteristics, as well as the genesis of the high radioactivity of high natural gamma sandstones were analyzed in the Chang 73 Submember. Thorium (Th), uranium (U) and other radioactive elements were found, carried by deep hydrothermal activity, and probably resulted in the formation of a relatively high radioactive zone in the cross-section, where high natural gamma sandstones usually develop in large quantities. This caused many turbidite sand bodies, which should have a continuous distribution in the cross-section, to appear to have a discontinuous distribution, when using conventional well log profiles, such as natural gamma ray well logs. From the above mentioned apparent discontinuous distribution of turbidite sand bodies in the cross-section, a continuous distribution can be predicted. It is obvious that the prediction of areas of continuous turbidite sand bodies in the cross-section usually corresponds with areas where high natural gamma sandstones are developed in large quantities. Exploration and development practice demonstrated that the developed method is fast and effective in predicting high natural gamma sandstones in the Chang 73 Submember.

Implementation of the direct demodulation method for natural gamma ray spectral logging

Spectrum analysis of natural gamma ray spectral logging （SGR） data is a critical part of surface informa- tion processing systems. Due to the low resolution, which is an inherent weakness of SGR, and the low signal-to-noise ratio problem of logging measurements, SGR is usually treated with a low confidence level. The Direct Demodulation （DD） method is an advanced technique to solve modulation equations interactively under physical constraints. It has higher sensitivity and spatial resolution than the traditional methods and can effectively suppress the logging noise. Based on standard count rate spectral data obtained from the China Offshore Oil Logging Company SGR Calibration Facility, this paper presents the application of the DD method to gamma-ray logging. The results are compared with four traditional algorithmic methods, showing that the DD method is a credible choice, with higher sensitivity and higher spatial resolution in gamma-ray log interpretation. The Point-Spread-Function of the Shengli Oil Logging Company＇s natural gamma ray spectroscopy instrument is obtained for the first time. The quantities of various radionuclides in their calibration pits are also obtained. The DD method was applied successfully to gamma-ray logging, offering a new option for SGR logging algorithm selection.