After the drilling of the main hole for the monitoring well was finished, the team began the logging process, which allows them to collect a wide range of geologic measurements and data from the underground layers exposed by the open hole.
Logging involves lowering advanced measurement tools to the bottom of the well. The tools collect the measurements and data as they are pulled up slowly through the length of the well hole. The team monitors the logging process and the incoming data in real time from a large vehicle at the well site, which is equipped as a mobile laboratory. Through a suite of logs, the team can collect valuable information such as the depth and lithology (rock type) of each formation, the porosity of rocks that are filled with gas or liquid, the size and connectivity of rock pores, the existence of fractures, and other geologic properties, all of which will guide drilling, injection and monitoring activities throughout the life of the project.
To collect all the data of interest, the team completed three logging “passes” – trips in and out of the hole with the equipment. The process was conducted over a 24 hour period on May 28th and 29th. The data has been synthesized into well logs – long, color coded graphs that display all the collected readings and measurements, correlated to the well depths.
When the logging was complete, the drill team cased the well by inserting and connecting pipe (one joint at a time) down the length of the hole. The well was then cemented through a two-stage cement process, first cementing the lower section (from 4,700 feet deep to 2,390 feet), followed by the upper section (from 2,390 feet to the surface). Work on the monitoring well was wrapped up successfully on the evening of May 30th, and the drilling rig was moved off the site.