A New Approach for Building Composite Cores for Corefloods in Complex Carbonate Rocks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yildiray Cinar ◽  
Ahmed Zayer ◽  
Naseem Dawood ◽  
Dimitris Krinis
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Carbonate Reservoir ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Pore Structures ◽  
Irreducible Water Saturation ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Carbonate reservoir rocks are composed of complex pore structures and networks, forming a wide range of sedimentary facies. Considering this complexity, we present a novel approach for a better selection of coreflood composites. In this approach, reservoir plugs undergo a thorough filtration process by completing several lab tests before they get classified into reservoir rock types. Those tests include conventional core analysis (CCA), liquid permeability, plug computed tomography (CT), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), end-trim mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thin-section analysis (TS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and drainage capillary pressure (Pc). We recommend starting with a large pool of plugs and narrowing down the selection as they complete different stages of the screening process. The CT scans help to exclude plugs exhibiting composite-like behavior or containing vugs and fractures that potentially influence coreflood results. After that, the plugs are categorized into separate groups representing the available reservoir rock types. Then, we look into each rock type and determine whether the selected plugs share similar pore-structures, rock texture, and mineral content. The end-trim MICP is usually helpful in clustering plugs having similar pore-throat size distributions. Nevertheless, it also poses a challenge because it may not represent the whole plug, especially for heterogeneous carbonates. In such a case, we recommend harnessing the NMR capabilities to verify the pore-size distribution. After pore-size distribution verification, plugs are further screened for textural and mineral similarity using the petrographic data (XRD, TS, and SEM). Finally, we evaluate the similarity of brine permeability (Kb), irreducible water saturation (Swir) from Pc, and effective oil permeability data at Swir (Koe, after wettability restoration for unpreserved plugs) before finalizing the composite selection. The paper demonstrates significant aspects of applying the proposed approach to carbonate reservoir rock samples. It integrates geology, petrophysics, and reservoir engineering elements when deciding the best possible composite for coreflood experiments. By practicing this workflow, we also observe considerable differences in rock types depending on the data source, suggesting that careful use of end-trim data for carbonates is advisable compared to more representative full-plug MICP and NMR test results. In addition, we generally observe that Kb and Koe are usually lower than the Klinkenberg permeability with a varying degree that is plug-specific, highlighting the benefit of incorporating these measurements as additional criteria in coreflood composite selection for carbonate reservoirs.

WELL LOGS IN CARBONATE RESERVOIRS

Geophysics ◽  
1960 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 779-853 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. Chombart
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Minimum Cost ◽  
Carbonate Reservoirs ◽  
Well Logs ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Pore Structures

Modern well logs can play an important, often decisive role in the evaluation of carbonate reservoirs, and in well completions therein. To do so however, the logs must be selected and interpreted with due regard for the specific rock “types” and pore structures encountered by each well. Indeed, the basic condition stated applies to all evaluation and completion techniques now in use or conceivable. It becomes vitally important in carbonate reservoirs, however, because of their extraordinary heterogeneity. Characteristically, these reservoirs exhibit significant, often extreme, and always unpredictable variations in pore structure, pore size distribution and fluid content, within very short distances, in any direction. To cope with such a reservoir, an evaluation and logging program adhering to certain principles is most likely to yield valid results and insure better completions and greater ultimate recovery, at minimum cost. First, in every well, the cuttings or cores should be described precisely as to rock types and depths. Second, any techniques used should permit the largest possible number of determinations through the reservoir, so that any existing relationships between pore size distribution, porosity and water saturation may be established on a sound statistical basis. Among logging devices, “focusing” tools meet this requirement best. Third, starting very early in the development of the reservoir, the latter should be cored and logged in key wells, the cores subjected to capillary pressure and other petrophysical tests, and all potentially diagnostic logs run and analyzed in the light of all other data. Fourth, in non‐key wells, the logging program should include only those logs proved most reliable in the key wells for the pore structures encountered and the data desired (usually porosity, water saturation, net ft of pay).

scholarly journals Reservoir rock classification, Arab-D reservoir, Ghawar field, Saudi Arabia

GeoArabia ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-462
Author(s):  
Dave L. Cantrell ◽  
Royal M. Hagerty
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Rock Type ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Rock Classification ◽  
Crystal Texture ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Lime Mud ◽  
Ghawar Field

ABSTRACT An integrated petrographic and petrophysical study of Arab-D carbonates in Ghawar field has provided a new reservoir rock classification. This classification provides a simple but practical method of dividing the complex carbonate rocks of the Arab-D into meaningful reservoir rock types. Each rock type has a distinct pore network as defined by porosity-permeability relationships and capillarity expressed as pore-size distributions and J-function curves. The classification divides the Arab-D carbonates into seven limestone and four dolomite rock types. The amount of matrix (lime mud) and the pore types are the primary controlling parameters for the limestones. The dolomites are divided according to their crystal texture. The seven limestone reservoir rock types are based on the values of five petrographic parameters: (1) the amount of cement, (2) the amount of matrix (lime mud), (3) the grain sorting, (4) the dominant pore type, and (5) the size of the largest molds. The amount of matrix is the most important of these five parameters. In general terms, six of these seven types fall into two broad families, A and B, each of which can then be subdivided into three members (Types I, II, and III) according to their matrix content. The first family, A, is a fairly coarse-grained, poorly sorted rock with relatively large molds. The second family, B, is a generally fine to medium-grained, well sorted rock with few or small molds. The seventh rock type contains more than 10 percent cement which modifies the pore size distribution enough to warrant a separate reservoir rock type. Each of the reservoir rock types exhibits a distinctive pore-size distribution and, in turn, Leverett J-function or capillarity. The seven types are also characterized by distinctive porosity-permeability relationships. The four dolomite reservoir rock types are classified according to their dolomite crystal texture, although stratigraphic position and porosity can also be effective in their classification. The four textures are: fabric preserving (Vfp), sucrosic (Vs), intermediate (Vi) and mosaic (Vm). The Vfp dolomite is only found in Zone 1 of the Arab-D where it is the major dolomite type. Vs dolomite occurs in dolomites with more than 12 percent porosity, Vm less than 5 percent and Vi between 5 and 12 percent. Vfp dolomites have pore systems similar to their precursor limestone but the pore systems of the other dolomite types are unique. A significant finding of this evaluation is that the micropore system in all major limestone rock types in Zones 1 and 2 (upper Arab-D) is consistently an order of magnitude larger than for the same rock types in Zones 3 and 4 (lower Arab-D). The increase in size is believed to be a result of increased leaching in the upper Arab-D. This difference suggests that rocks of similar type from the upper and lower Arab-D will behave differently in terms of their fluid flow and saturation characteristics, and will have different ultimate recoveries.

Modelling Irreducible Water Saturation in Heterogeneous Rocks From Pore-Size Distribution

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. C. Ferreira ◽  
R. Booth ◽  
R. Oliveira ◽  
N. Bize-Forest ◽  
A. Boyd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Irreducible Water Saturation ◽  
Heterogeneous Rocks

Statistical Based Estimation of Biporous Evaporator Dryout

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Reilly ◽  
Ivan Catton
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Numerical Estimate ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Electronics Cooling ◽  
Vapor Permeability ◽  
Dry Out

Biporous wicks are an effective means for facilitating evaporation in heat pipes used for electronics cooling. They facilitate boiling within the wick by having two distinct size distributions of pores; the smaller pores provide high capillary pressure to pump liquid to the surface while the larger pores maintain high vapor permeability. The wicks investigated in this study were sintered copper biporous material. The authors previously presented a validated statistical model, based on work by Kovalev, which could predict the performance of biporous wicks tested at UCLA with reasonable accuracy [1]. Using this model, the author was able to gain new insight into the effect that the numerical estimate of liquid saturation of the wick has on dry out. The pore size distribution allows the determination of the capillary pressure available inside the wick and the Kovalev model provides the required pressure drop to supply liquid water to the heater surface. This led to a method of predicting dry out by comparing the capillary pressure in the wick to the required pressure drop from the model to estimate when the wick was dried out. When the required pressure drop determined by code exceeds the peak effective capillary pressure provided by the wick, the large pores of the wick are considered to be dry. These values are correlated to the input heat flux to determine what at what input power the wick begins to dry out. While the wick will not fail in this mode, the overall heat transfer coefficient will have peaked. In this work, this method of determining dry out will be validated against wicks tested at UCLA by comparing the input powers at which this dry out phenomenon occurs. Accurate predictions of dry out and the role of the pore size distribution are critical in developing methods to delay dry out of biporous wicks. By comparing the relative dry out points of various wick geometries to each other, augmented wick geometries can be suggested for future work. This modeling tool can lay the foundation for future tailoring of biporous evaporator wicks to specific tasks.

Determination of T2 cut-off for shale reservoirs: a case study from the Carynginia formation, Perth Basin, Western Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 664 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Nadia Testamanti ◽  
Reza Rezaee ◽  
Yujie Yuan ◽  
Dawei Pan
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Bound Water ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Vacuum Oven ◽  
Low Field ◽  
Wide Range

Over recent decades, the low-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) method has been consistently used in the petroleum industry for the petrophysical characterisation of conventional reservoirs. Through this non-invasive technique, the porosity, pore size distribution and fluid properties can be determined from the signal emitted by fluids present in the porous media. Transverse relaxation (T2) data, in particular, are one of the most valuable sources of information in an NMR measurement, as the resulting signal decay can be inverted to obtain the T2 distribution of the rock, which can in turn be correlated with porosity and pore size distribution. The complex pore network of shales, which can have a large portion of pore sizes in the nanopore and mesopore range, restricts the techniques that can be used to investigate their pore structure and porosity. The ability of the NMR technique to detect signals from a wide range of pores has therefore prompted the quest for more standardised interpretation methods suitable for shales. Using low-field NMR, T2 experiments were performed on shale samples from the Carynginia formation, Perth Basin, at different saturation levels. The shale samples were initially saturated with brine and the T2 spectrum for each sample was obtained. Then, they were placed in a vacuum oven and their weight monitored until a constant value was reached. T2 curves were subsequently obtained for each of the oven-dried samples and a cut-off value for clay-bound water was calculated.

Calculating Pore Size Distribution by Using Capillary Pressure

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kegang Ling ◽  
Guoqing Han ◽  
Zheng Shen ◽  
Ali Ghalambor ◽  
Jun He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Size Distribution

Porosity and pore size distribution of shales: a case study of the Carynginia Formation, Perth Basin, Western Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 660
Author(s):  
M. Nadia Testamanti ◽  
Reza Rezaee ◽  
Jie Zou
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Gas Adsorption ◽  
Pore Network ◽  
Pore Sizes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pore Characterisation ◽  
Shale Reservoirs ◽  
Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure

The evaluation of the gas storage potential of shale reservoirs requires a good understanding of their pore network. Each of the laboratory techniques used for pore characterisation can be applied to a specific range of pore sizes; but if the lithology of the rock is known, usually one suitable method can be selected to investigate its pore system. Shales do not fall under any particular lithological classification and can have a wide range of minerals present, so a combination of at least two methods is typically recommended for a better understanding of their pore network. In the laboratory, the Low-Pressure Nitrogen Gas Adsorption (LP-N2-GA) technique is typically used to examine micropores and mesopores, and Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP) tests can identify pore throats larger than 3 nm. In contrast, a wider range of pore sizes in rock can be screened with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), either in laboratory measurements made on cores or through well logging, provided that the pores are saturated with a fluid. The pore network of a set of shale core samples from the Carynginia Formation was investigated using a combination of laboratory methods. The cores were studied using the NMR, LP-N2-GA and MICP techniques, and the experimental porosity and pore size distribution results are presented. When NMR results were calibrated with MICP or LP-N2-GA measurements, then the pore size distribution of the shale samples studied could be estimated.

On the characterization of pore size distribution of building materials

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
LF Dutra ◽  
N Mendes ◽  
PC Philippi
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Mercury Porosimetry ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Volume Distribution ◽  
Wide Range

Moisture affects significantly the energy performance of air conditioning systems, the durability of materials, and the health of occupants. One way of reducing those effects, without increasing the energy costs, is by means of using porous material ability of absorbing and releasing moisture from/to the adjacent environment, which attenuates the indoor relative humidity variation. This natural ability is intrinsically related to the porous microstructure. Therefore, the characterization of the pore space is an important research theme in the building physics area. This article aims to present a method for obtaining the pore size distribution based on adsorption isotherms and mercury porosimetry data. First, the theoretical formulation based on the Gibbs free energy for a two-phase (liquid–vapor) system, using the De Boer and Zwikker model, is presented, allowing the calculation of the critical adsorbed thickness for pore filling, critical radius, adsorbed moisture content, capillary condensation content, available surface for adsorption, and the distribution of micropores for a wide range of radius. The adsorption isotherm curve is estimated for high relative humidity values through mercury porosimetry, along with the adsorption curve obtained from the experiment. The pore volume distribution calculated by this method can be used to estimate transport coefficients for liquid and vapor phases.

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