Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts

The Society of Petrophysicists Well Log Analysts is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the advancement of the science of petrophysics and formation assessment, through well logging and other formation evaluation techniques and to the application of these techniques to the manipulation of gas, oil and other minerals. Founded in 1959, SPWLA provides information facilities to scientists in the petroleum and mineral industries, serves as a voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a most important role in strengthening petrophysical education, and strives to increase the awareness of the part petrophysics has in the Oil and Gas Industry and the scientific community.

The term "petrophysics" was coined by G.E. Archie and J.H.M.A. Thomeer in a discreet bistro in The Hague. By their definition, petrophysics is the study of the physical and chemical properties of mainstays and their contained fluids.

Petrophysics emphasizes those properties concerning to the pore system and its fluid distribution and flow characteristics. These properties and their relationships are used to identify and evaluate.

The petrophysicist or petrophysical engineer practices the science of petrophysics as a member of the reservoir managing team. The petrophysicist provides answers on products needed and used by team members, as well as physical and chemical perceptions needed by other teammates.

It is easy to define these characteristics and to appreciate their part in the taxation of reserves. The difficult part comes in determining their actual value at a level of certainty necessary to make economic decisions leading to development and production. The seven characteristics listed are interdependent (i.e., to properly conclude porosity from a wireline log, one must know the lithology, fluid saturations, and fluid types). The art of petrophysics is then used to unscramble the hidden world of rock and fluid properties in basins from just below the Earth’s surface to ones more than four miles deep. The petrophysicist then takes on many characteristics of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes to extrapolate, from the most meager of inklings, the true picture of the subsurface reservoir using dogged determination to wrest all possible information from the available data, all the while appreciating the thrill of the hunt.