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Effects of Reservoir Heterogeneity in Laminated Reservoirs Evidence From Capillary Pressure Data

Introduction:
Drainage capillary pressure data are used to model the distribution of fluids (gas, oil, water) in reservoir rocks. This page describes computer modelling to investigate possible reasons for anomalous drainage capillary pressure data from a heterogeneous sand reservoir. The cored reservoir section is so highly heterogeneous that it was rarely possible to obtain homogenous core plug samples for special core analysis (SCAL). The modelling work investigates the effect of very small heterogeneity features on the distribution of fluids at the scales of the core plug samples and the reservoir. The reservoirs in this field consist of thinly bedded to laminated near-shore marine sandstones interbedded with mudrocks. Some of the sands are clean with exceptionally high porosity and permeability values. Parts of the reservoir contain bioturbated zones consisting of burrows filled with clean sand and lined with clay. The bioturbated zones are most common in low energy environments where the reservoirs are very thinly bedded to laminated. Microscopic examination of the bioturbated zones shows that they can be visualized as consisting of highly contorted laminated interbeds of clean sand and mud rock.

Example 1:
The figure to the left shows two capillary pressure curves(the endpoint samples) from a nearshore marine sandstone reservoir. The curve to the left is from a relatively clean sand with high porosity and very high permeability. The curve on the the right is from an interval described as bioturbated sand. The middle curve was obtained by modelling the expected capillary pressure behavior resulting from laminating various proportions of the end-point curves. The modelling work was undertaken to try to explain some unusual features of the capillary

pressure data set, including one sample that had a capillary pressure profile with an unusual "plateau". The middle, modelled, curve suggests that the "plateau" in the real data is most easily explained as resulting from the lamination of low and high permeability rock. The low permeability laminations have a relatively high capillary threshold pressure. An important feature of the middle curve is that a laminated reservoir can have both high permeability and high water saturation. This demonstrates the danger of using shale fraction and Sw cutoff values to determine "Net" reservoir thickness. Conventional log suites would indicate that the laminated rock is shaly with uneconomially high water saturation.

Example 2:
The figure to the left shows the results of modelling laminated rocks with various proportions clean, high permeability sand and "shale". The clean sand capillary pressure data is the same as used in Example 1. The modelling work shows that a laminated rock with a very high shale fraction have excellent permeability. For example, the sample with 80 percent shale fraction has permeability of 780 milldarcies. Laminated reservoirs with very high average Sw can be capable of very high, water-free flow rates. Although the "clean sand" end point in this example has very high porosity and permeability, it is likely that the sample is far from homogenous. This is not the best quality reservoir in the field. The best quality sands have permeability values up to about 10,000 millidarcy. We know from other data that sands of this quality should have a very thin (less that a few metres) transition zone and irreducible Sw below 5 percent.

Conclusions:

The microscopic petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks must be considered when evaluating laminated reservoirs. Microscopic examination of the bioturbated reservoirs showed that they can be effectively visualized as consisting of highly contorted microlaminations of clean sand and mud rock. Laminated reservoirs with very high shale fractions can be highly productive. High calculated Sw values in laminated reservoirs should not be interpreted as indicating that the section is incapable of producing hydrocarbons. Shale fraction and Sw cutoffs should never be used to determine "net" reservoir properties of laminated reservoirs.

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