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Reservoir Rock
Reservoir Rock
= =
1
ratio void
solid
void
V
V
Direction of fluid flow
Non-interconnected
Pore spaces
Dead-end
pores
Porosity Structure and packing
affected by quantity and distribution of fine
grains, degree of cementation and also
packing of grains
Packing
Packing of uniform size,
spherical grains
Volume of rock matrix within the cube:
V
s
= 8 * 1/8 * 4/3 r
3
Therefore,
= 1 V
s
/V
bulk
= 1 /6 = 47.6%
r
Cube of
volume
8r
3
Each grain contributes
1/8
th
of its volume to
the solid mass within
the cube
Porosity Packing geometry
Porosity - Packing
Analytical values for unconsolidated grain
packs
Poor sorting results in reduction in porosity
Compacting due to overburden reduces
0 ft 6000ft 52% - 41% - sandstone
0 ft 6000 ft 60% - 6% - shales
Sandstone formed by cementetation at grain
contacts reduction in
Material Porosity (%)
Clay 45 - 55
Silt 40 -50
Medium- Coarse mixed sand 35 - 40
Fine-medium mixed sand 30 - 35
Gravel 30 - 40
Sandstone 10 - 20
Shale 1 - 10
Limestone 1 - 10
Compacted/
cemented
Unconsolidated
Effect of sorting on porosity
Well sorted : = 32%
Poorly sorted : = 17%
Grains of two sizes : = 12.5%
Porosity measurement
Several methods:
- measurement of V
bulk
and V
grain
destructive testing
- measurement of V
bulk
and V
void
intrusion experiments
- indirect measurement of property of
fluid filling the pore space
resistivity/radioactivity logs
High pressure mercury porosimetry
Holder of known
calibrated volume
Sample placed and
handle cranked till Hg
reaches particular mark
V
bulk
Sample pressurized by
cranking handle until
pressure rises abruptly
V
void
Formation resistivity
Indirect measurement of porosity
Flow of current
R
fw
< R
oil
< R
gas
Box filled with brine of resistivity R
w
w
R L
V
A
R
V
I
1
= =
Box filled with clean sand and brine
saturating the pore spaces
w o
FR L
V
A
R L
V
A
R
V
I
1 1
'
= = =
Fluid in void space
less resistant
Rock grains more
resistant
V
I
L
A
Formation resistivity factor
F formation resistivity factor, R
o
resistivity of the porous medium 100%
saturated with brine:
w o
R F R =
Since sand grains are poor conductors of
electricity R
o
> R
w
F > 1.0
F is defined as the ratio of the resistivity of
rock 100% saturated with brine to the
resistivity of brine of the same concn.
Knowing R
o
and R
w
, F can be calculated
So what is the big deal?
F is related to the fraction of void spaces in
the rock i.e. the porosity and is also
affected by nature of interconnection
between pore spaces i.e. the cementation
and sorting of grains type of rock
Formation resistivity
F related to porosity and rock type
m
F
= Archies formula
where m cementation factor different
for different rocks
m generally taken as 2 in Archies
formula
Figure indicates dependence between
and m
15 . 2
62 . 0
= F Humbles formula
Increasing
cementation
Formation resistivity factor
All previous resistivity measurements assume
rock 100% saturated with brine. What happens
if rock is partially saturated with brine?
Expectation is that resistivity should increase as
the rock has less and less water. Why?
Distribution of water in rock dependent on
wettability (capillarity) and nature of porosity.
Curve 3 is for oil-wet rock.
n
t
o
w
R
R
S = n saturation exponent,
R
t
- Resistivity of formation with
water saturation, S
w
n
t
w
w
R
R F
S
= , n in range[2,2.7]
Resistivity Index = R
t
/R
o
Resistivity Measurement in Reservoirs
R
t
Resistivity of virgin formation saturated
with water of resistivity R
w
R
xo
Resistivity of near well-bore region
saturated with mud filtrate of resistivity R
mf
Near well-bore resistivity R
xo
measured using
micro-resistivity tool
Virgin formation resistivity R
t
measured using
Deep Induction tool or a laterolog
Well
Uninvaded zone,
R
t
Transition
zone
Mudcake
R
xo
R
m
R
xo
R
t
R
m
R
mc
Transition
zone
Rock Compressibility
Sedimentary rocks buried under thick column
of overlying rocks
Two types of stresses
Fluids saturating the rock resist overburden
stress
hydrostatic pressure p
Coefficient of bulk compressibility:
.
'
1
const p
bulk
bulk
b
V
V
=
However, it makes more sense to express bulk
compressibility coefficient at constant :
.
1
const
bulk
bulk
bulk
p
V
V
=
Coefficient of pore compressibility :
.
1
const
pore
pore
bulk
p
V
V
=
where,
void pore
V V =
Overburden stress
Hydrostatic
pressure p
Compressibility Coefficients
Coefficient of grain compressibility :
.
1
const
solid
solid
solid
p
V
V
=
Combining:
pore solid bulk
+ = ) 1 (
If
solid
) 1 ( is negligible, then :
pore bulk
pore
is typically 10
-5
10
-6
/psi (note units)
Empirical relationships for
pore
( )
43 . 1
6
87 . 55 1
) 10 ( 32 . 97
pore
, for sandstones
] 23 . 0 , 02 . 0 [
( )
93 . 0
6
) 10 ( 48 . 2 1
854 . 0
+
=
pore
, for limestones