Broadband electrical properties of clays and shales: Comparative investigations of remolded and preserved samples

Abstract

The dielectric permittivity of mudrocks cannot be determined from the mixing ratios of the constituent minerals and brine and their individual dielectric response. The high-frequency dielectric permittivity is linked ([Formula: see text] correlation) to water content, but the relationship is complicated by mineral type and the hydration state. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) and specific surface area (SSA) determine the establishment of a polarizable electrical double layer and give rise to the long range diffusion of ions leading to Maxwell-Wagner polarization. This ultimately determines the dielectric response below 50 MHz. Procedures for SSA analysis based on sorption of 2-ethoxyethanol and CEC analysis based on methylene blue titration, were developed for investigating swelling clays. These were combined with a procedure for preparing remolded paste samples from pulverized rock and drill cuttings to form the basis of this investigation. In a case study of 123 drill cutting samples retrieved from an undisclosed well, dielectric analysis of the remolded samples exhibits [Formula: see text] correlation with SSA, [Formula: see text] correlation with CEC, and [Formula: see text] correlation with clay content. A pseudodielectric log of the remolded drill cuttings exhibited a weak correlation with downhole resistivity, gamma ray, and compressional slowness logs measured by a service company in the shaly sections of the well, but no correlation in the sandy section of the well. This attributed to better preservation of shaly cuttings due to finer microstructure and therefore less alteration during uphole transport and sample preparation.