Sonic to ultrasonic Q of sandstones and limestones: Laboratory measurements at in situ pressures

Abstract

Laboratory measurements of the attenuation and velocity dispersion of compressional and shear waves at appropriate frequencies, pressures, and temperatures can aid interpretation of seismic and well-log surveys as well as indicate absorption mechanisms in rocks. Construction and calibration of resonant-bar equipment was used to measure velocities and attenuations of standing shear and extensional waves in copper-jacketed right cylinders of rocks ([Formula: see text] in length, [Formula: see text] in diameter) in the sonic frequency range and at differential pressures up to [Formula: see text]. We also measured ultrasonic velocities and attenuations of compressional and shear waves in [Formula: see text]-diameter samples of the rocks at identical pressures. Extensional-mode velocities determined from the resonant bar are systematically too low, yielding unreliable Poisson’s ratios. Poisson’s ratios determined from the ultrasonic data are frequency corrected and used to calculate thesonic-frequency compressional-wave velocities and attenuations from the shear- and extensional-mode data. We calculate the bulk-modulus loss. The accuracies of attenuation data (expressed as [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the quality factor) are [Formula: see text] for compressional and shear waves at ultrasonic frequency, [Formula: see text] for shear waves, and [Formula: see text] for compressional waves at sonic frequency. Example sonic-frequency data show that the energy absorption in a limestone is small ([Formula: see text] greater than 200 and stress independent) and is primarily due to poroelasticity, whereas that in the two sandstones is variable in magnitude ([Formula: see text] ranges from less than 50 to greater than 300, at reservoir pressures) and arises from a combination of poroelasticity and viscoelasticity. A graph of compressional-wave attenuation versus compressional-wave velocity at reservoir pressures differentiates high-permeability ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) brine-saturated sandstones from low-permeability ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) sandstones and shales.