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The document discusses how to determine net pay in naturally fractured reservoirs (NFRs). Unlike conventional reservoirs, intervals of low porosity and permeability in NFRs can still constitute net pay if they are naturally fractured. Water saturation, shaliness, pore throat size, and well test data can provide better criteria than porosity and permeability for estimating net pay in NFRs. Specifically, zones of low porosity and permeability should not be excluded from net pay estimates in NFRs if natural fracturing is present, as fractures can enable hydrocarbon flow even from tight matrix rock over large areas.
The document discusses how to determine net pay in naturally fractured reservoirs (NFRs). Unlike conventional reservoirs, intervals of low porosity and permeability in NFRs can still constitute net pay if they are naturally fractured. Water saturation, shaliness, pore throat size, and well test data can provide better criteria than porosity and permeability for estimating net pay in NFRs. Specifically, zones of low porosity and permeability should not be excluded from net pay estimates in NFRs if natural fracturing is present, as fractures can enable hydrocarbon flow even from tight matrix rock over large areas.
The document discusses how to determine net pay in naturally fractured reservoirs (NFRs). Unlike conventional reservoirs, intervals of low porosity and permeability in NFRs can still constitute net pay if they are naturally fractured. Water saturation, shaliness, pore throat size, and well test data can provide better criteria than porosity and permeability for estimating net pay in NFRs. Specifically, zones of low porosity and permeability should not be excluded from net pay estimates in NFRs if natural fracturing is present, as fractures can enable hydrocarbon flow even from tight matrix rock over large areas.
BY ROBERTO AGUILERA, PH.D., P.ENG., SERVIPETROL LTD., CALGARY, CANADA
The recent article Net-To-Gross Ratios by Etris and Stewart (Etris, N. and Stewart, B. 2003) raised some valid points to clarify concepts of net pay, net thickness, and net-togross ratios. Their example 2 shows that net pay is characterized by (relatively) high porosity, high permeability, and high hydrocarbon saturation. User-defined cutoffs of these characteristics determine the amount of net pay. My note has to do with naturally fractured reservoirs (NFR) where intervals with low porosity and low permeability, which do not meet conventional cutoff criteria, can constitute net pay. It has been found through selective perforating, production logs, and rock mechanics experiments in cores, that for the same physical environment and stresses other things being equal the amount of natural fracturing increases as porosity and permeability of the host rock decreases. This in turn leads to the recommendation, that unless there is supporting information to the contrary, it is better not to use porosity and permeability as cutoff criteria in NFR.The message is not that we should forget about intervals with high porosities and permeabilities, but rather that we should never overlook low permeability and low porosity intervals in NFR. Darcys law indicates that fluid rate is equal to permeability times area times pressure differential divided by fluid viscosity and distance. The reservoir area exposed to the wellbore is typically very small. For low permeability reservoirs, that small area does not allow significant hydrocarbon flow into the wellbore. However, if there is natural fracturing around the wellbore that extends throughout a large portion of the reservoir, the matrix area exposed via the fractures can become quite significant. In this case the product of the large area times the small permeability can allow very efficient hydrocarbon flow from matrix to fractures and then to the wellbore, constituting what is usually known as a dual-porosity reservoir. In a conventional unfractured reservoir, the rock must be capable of allowing direct hydrocarbon flow into the wellbore to constitute net pay. In a NFR, the rock, usually called matrix by reservoir engineers, does not have to necessarily permit direct hydrocarbon flow into the wellbore to constitute net pay. Figure 1 shows a schematic of a multi-layered 28
NFR (Aguilera, R. and Aguilera, M. S. 2001).The
production log shows that there are only two zones where fluids enter the wellbore. However, the whole section from top to bottom is net pay. If porosity and permeability are not advisable in many cases as cutoff criteria, how can we estimate net pay in a NFR from wellbore data? In my experience, water saturation, shaliness, and pore throat aperture, as well as keeping an eye on well-testing data, provide reasonable criteria. I have many times used water saturation cutoffs in the order of 55%, although there are exceptions. When calculating Sw (e.g., Swn = (aRw)/(mRt)) keep in mind that the dual porosity exponent m of the fractured intervals is smaller than the porosity exponent mb of only the matrix as determined from unfractured plugs. Be also careful with the scaling of matrix porosity to avoid potential errors in the calculation of Sw. (Aguilera, R. and Aguilera, M. S. 2003).The larger the amount of natural fracturing, the smaller the value of m will be. A useful assumption is that the required water saturation exponent n is approximately equal to m. Shaliness is also a very important cutoff criterion. As plasticity increases there is less probability of finding fractures. Therefore Vshale is very valuable for determining net pay in NFR. The variability of Vshale as a cutoff can be quite significant from reservoir to reservoir. For example, there are reservoirs where fractured shales produce at commercial oil and gas rates. Pore throat apertures of the matrix can be estimated from mercury injection capillary pressures. If not available, there are empirical correlations that can help in the determination of the pore throat apertures. Particularly useful are the Winland r35 pore throat aperture as explained by Martin et al (Martin,A. J., Solomon, S.T., and Hartmann, D. J. 1997).The derived rp35 radii can than be superimposed directly on Pickett plots (Aguilera, R. 2002a, 2002b). Martin et al provide potential oil rates that can be obtained from different pore throat sizes. Well-testing data can help to determine, via the valley generated by the pressure derivative, if the tight matrix is contributing production to the fractures (not to the wellbore). Also, a derivative with a negative
Figure 1: Schematic of multi-layered, naturally
fractured reservoir. Production log at left shows two zones where hydrocarbons enter the wellbore. However, the whole interval from top to bottom is net pay in this case.
slope of 0.5 might indicate that fractures not
intersected by the wellbore could be contributing to production. Determining whether zones of low porosity and / or low permeability contribute net pay is not an easy problem. But by keeping in mind the guidelines presented above, a more realistic estimate of net pay should be obtainable for naturally fractured reservoirs. REFERENCES Aguilera, R. 2002a. Incorporating Capillary Pressure, Pore Throat Aperture Radii, Height Above Free Water Table, and Winland r35 Values on Pickett Plots. AAPG Bulletin, v. 86/4, p. 605-624. _________. 2002b. Determination of Matrix Flow Units in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs. Paper 2002-157, presented at the Petroleum Society Canadian International Petroleum Conference. Calgary, Canada, June 11-13, 2002. Aguilera, R. and Aguilera, M. S. 2001. Well Test Analysis of Multi-Layered Naturally Fractured Reservoirs with Variable Thickness and Variable Fracture Spacing. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, v.40/12, p. 9-12. ________________________. 2003. Improved Models for Petrophysical Analysis of Dual Porosity Reservoirs. Petrophysics, v.34/1, p. 21-35. Etris, N. and Stewart, B. 2003. Net-To-Gross Ratio. CSPG Reservoir, v. 30/4, p. 24-25. Martin, A. J., Solomon, S. T., and Hartmann, D. J. 1997. Characterization of Petrophysical Flow Units in Carbonate Reservoirs, AAPG Bulletin, v. 81/5, p. 734-759.