ABSTRACT
Predicting reservoir properties ahead of the bit in foldthrust belts and in sub-salt settings must account for the action of elevated horizontal stresses that are commonly active in these settings. Elevated horizontal stresses result in enhanced compaction of reservoir sands and bounding mudrocks, although the magnitude of these effects is not well understood. One method for estimating the magnitude of the layer parallel compaction is the measurement of directional acoustic properties. This paper reports on the development of laboratory techniques for measuring acoustic anisotropy (polar and azimuthal) on single vertical plugs taken from full diameter core. The laboratory measurements were made under isostatic stress conditions. This implies that any directional differences in acoustic properties are intrinsic to the material and not related to stress state.
