Packer Test Calculation

[qhtony]

Hi guys,

I was required to carry out some packer test in the field recently and just wondering if anyone has a program/excel spreadsheet handy to interpret/compute the data?

 

[BigH]

I just wonder why no one seems, anymore, to want to do these (calcuations, in general) by hand . . . -
end

sorry, ghtony, I don't have a spreadsheet for your needs, I've always done them by hand and so does our engineering geologist who is in the throes of a good many of them at present.

 

[qhtony]

Hi BigH, the reason being the client may opt for a spreadsheet for either better presentation or for an appreciation of the calculation process (as there are quite some variants in computing the permeability in packer tests, based on some literatures).

But certainly hand calcs are good as well considering more and more young engineers can GET the so called correct results by running computers without a true appreciation of the theory behind it.

Thanks for your comment anyway.

 

[BigH]

ghtony - you hit the head on the nail - there is so much judgment in determining the packer test results - are we willing to rely on a computer "trend" line to make that judgment for us? Your last point hit the head on the nail.My soapbox was pointed to the far too many posts or start of threads asking for spreadsheets etc to do their work - developing you own like many of our regulars have stated gives one the better understanding. Didn't mean to sound too flippant - but . . . perhaps it is because a lot of my stuff is still done on the back of an envelope! Mmmm

By the way, if you are putting this in a report, why does the client need a pretty spreadsheet? Going back to my early days (before desktop computers), we had some pretty good draftsmen who could take the data (or stratigraphic section) and make a better and more "soulful" rendition that any autocad drawing I have ever seen . . . See the figures in Terzaghi and Peck, in Tschebotarioff, Krynine and Judd for instance.

 

[mudman54]

i tend to agree with BigH to a certain extent; you will definitely want to pick and choose your data points in order to get the proper slope, but once you get that why not put it in a spreadsheet? every time i get a new problem it is a great experience to put it in a spreadsheet and make it even better the next time i get that problem.

 

[harpoon]

ghtony do you have a good reference which lays down the calculation? I am in the same position and need to do a calculation by hand

 

[BigH]

Try these

http://www.robertsongeoconsultants.com/admin/upload/Packer_testing.pdf

http://hydrotools.sourceforge.net/

http://www.geotechnique.info/SI/SI Book Chapter 9.pdf

(see pages 59-63)

http://www.corribgaspipelineabpappl..._PDFs/vol3-book-3-appendices/Appendix 8.4.pdf

(some typical packer test results)