Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Relative Permeability in Tight Gas Sandstone Reservoirs - The "Permeability Jail" Model PDF
Relative Permeability in Tight Gas Sandstone Reservoirs - The "Permeability Jail" Model PDF
Robert M. Cluff, The Discovery Group Inc., 1560 Broadway Ste 1470, Denver, Colorado, USA
Alan P. Byrnes, Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas, now with Chesapeake
Energy Corporation, 6100 N. Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73118 USA
Copyright 2010, held jointly by the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log of a tight gas sandstone, blocking the flow of gas
Analysts (SPWLA) and the submitting authors.
through those throats, while at the same time the
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPWLA 51st Annual Logging
Symposium held Perth, Australia, June 19-23, 2010.
amount of free water connected through those same
throats is extremely low and discontinuous over more
than a few pore lengths. It is the absence of larger pore
ABSTRACT throats that are not completely blocked by pendular
water that prevents the flow of gas through a rock in
Permeability Jail is a useful concept for explaining Jail.
typical two-phase (gas-water) relative permeability
behavior in tight gas sandstone reservoirs. Although
the basic behavior is typical of any two-phase flow INTRODUCTION
system, where one fluid phase interferes with the ability
of the other phase to flow freely, the combination of Industry assessment of the regional low-permeability
small pore throats in tight gas reservoirs with a reactive, gas resource, projection of future gas supply, and
polar, liquid phase (water) leads to some surprises. exploration programs require an understanding of
reservoir properties and accurate tools for formation
The concept of Permeability Jail was first developed in evaluation. As the permeability of the reservoir
1992 during an unpublished multi-client study of decreases, the need for progressively more advanced
Mesaverde tight gas sandstones in the eastern Green and expensive stimulation technology (e.g., massive
River Basin of the U.S. Although used informally for hydraulic fractures, multistage fractured horizontal
over a decade, the idea was not published until 2004 as wells) increases and the requirement for accurate
part of a larger conceptual study of low-permeability estimation of reservoir properties increases. For low-
reservoir systems. The basic notion is that in tight permeability sandstones (and carbonates, though not
rocks there exists a saturation region in which the discussed in this paper) effective gas permeability is
relative permeabilities to both gas and water are so low strongly influenced by confining stress, saturation, and
that neither phase has any effective flow capacity. saturation history and data presented here indicate that
Because each phase blocks the other from moving, it the influence of these variables increases with
appears the formation is completely locked up and the decreasing permeability.
fluids are in Jail. We have only observed this
phenomena in very low permeability formations, The concept of Permeability Jail was first developed in
typically with absolute gas permeabilities less than 50 1992 during an unpublished multi-client study of
micro-Darcies (<0.05 mD), and we define Jail as the Mesaverde low-permeability (tight) gas sandstones in
region with <2% Krg and <2% Krw. Therefore the the eastern Green River Basin of the U.S. Although
effective permeabilities to both phases are below 1 used informally for over a decade, the idea was not
micro-Darcy. The Jail region varies by rock type and published until 2004 as part of a larger conceptual study
specifics of the pore geometry, but roughly occurs in of low-permeability reservoir systems. The basic
the 55%-80% Sw range. Tighter rocks tend to have notion is that in tight rocks there exists a saturation
broader Sw range in Jail. Jail does not exist in more region in which the relative permeabilities to both gas
permeable rocks because the cross-over point between and water are so low that neither phase has any
the gas and water relative permeability curves is at a effective flow capacity with respect to flow rates
higher Kr, often 5% or higher, such that one or the measured in commercial or laboratory time frames.
other or both phases can establish continuous tendrils Because each phase blocks the other from moving, it
through the rock and flow at measureable rates over the appears the formation is completely locked up and the
entire saturation range. Jail occurs because water is fluids are in “Jail.” We have only observed this
tightly held by capillary forces in the small pore throats phenomena in very low permeability formations,
1
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
typically with absolute gas permeabilities less than 50 al, 1991; Byrnes, 1997; Castle and Byrnes, 1998;
micro-Darcies (<0.05 mD), and we define Jail as the Byrnes and Castle, 2000; Byrnes, 2003; Byrnes, 2005).
region with <2% Krg and <2% Krw. Therefore the
effective permeabilities to both phases are below 1
1000
micro-Darcy. The Jail region varies by rock type and
specifics of the pore geometry, but generally occurs in 100
the 55%-80% Sw range. Data, presented here, support
10
the interpretation that rocks can be put into Jail as the
result of drainage relative permeability conditions, 1
imbibition trapping, or drainage-imbibition hysteresis.
0.1
Examination of a typical evolution of tight sandstone
during burial and diagenesis predicts conditions that 0.01
would lead to Jail for portions of the gas column and
0.001
are consistent with the observed long transition zone for
tight gas sandstones. 0.0001
0.00001
This paper will review studies and data that support a
model of low-permeability sandstone permeability and 0.000001
relative permeability that predicts the presence of a gas- 0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
water saturation region where the effective permeability Routine Air Permeability (mD)
to both phases is very low (relative permeability < 2%) Fig. 1. In situ Klinkenberg permeability (as measured
and that the range of saturations over which this region at 4,000 psi net effective stress) versus routine air
exists expands as the permeability decreases. The paper permeability (as measured at 100 psi mean pore
will review key concepts and finding concerning low- pressure and 800 psi net effective stress) for Mesaverde
permeability rock stress dependence and drainage- and Fm sandstones of Western US. (After Byrnes et al,
imbibition- relative permeability that lead to the 2009)
condition of low effective permeability to both phases
that is informally refered to as “Permeability Jail.” In a key study, Jones and Owens (1980) quantified
these effects and concluded that the presence of a thin,
Though portions of many low-permeability reservoir sheet-like, tabular pore structure could explain the
systems are in Permeability Jail, it is important to note response to confining stress. This result was consistent
that what might be informally interpreted as “Jail” in with the modeling work of Cheng and Toksoz (1979).
one economic setting may be relative freedom in a Ostensen (1983) provided a comprehensive theoretical
different setting. These differences are explored. analysis of the relationship between crack or thin sheet-
like pore permeability and the response of rock
properties to confining stress.
TIGHT SANDSTONE PERMEABILITY STRESS
DEPENDENCE AND PORE ARCHITECTURE The thin-tabular pores measured by capillary pressure
methods represent the pore throats in tight gas
To understand tight gas sandstone properties it is sandstones and generally exhibit threshold entry
necessary to understand their pore geometry equivalent radii of 0.1-1 microns ( m). Assuming an
(architecture). approximate range in pore throat sizes over the entire
saturation range of the rock to “irreducible saturation of
In most low-permeability sandstones and siltstones, 10X, the pore throat sizes range from 0.01 m to 1 m.
routine air permeability values range from 10 to 100 The principal pore volume in these rocks is represented
times greater than in situ gas and liquid permeability by interparticle pores and, commonly, large secondary
values (Fig. 1). Previous studies of low-permeability pores developed in dissolved feldspar and lithic grains.
sandstones and siltstones have shown that the This pore architecture can be broadly characterized as
difference between permeabilities measured at routine large (10-100 m) interparticle and intraparticle pore
conditions and those measured at confining stress
bodies separated by thin tabular (0.01-1 m) pore
increases progressively with decreasing permeability throats. This architecture plays an important part in
and increasing confining pressure (Vairogs et al, 1971; both the drainage and imbibition relative permeability
Thomas and Ward, 1972; Byrnes et al, 1979; Jones and curves.
Owens, 1980; Ostensen, 1983; Walls et al, 1982;
Sampath and Keighin, 1981; Wei et al, 1986; Luffel et
2
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
and Ward (1972) reported that confining stress has little provide a gas relative permeability that is referenced to
effect on krg but Ward and Morrow (1987) data can be the absolute or single phase permeability, such as the in
interpreted to indicate that krg may decrease up to ~10% situ Klinkenberg gas permeability at Sw = 0.
between low and high confining stress.
Assuming the Corey equations presented here are
approximately correct, the shift in the position of the krg
1 curves in Figure 2 can be interpreted to indicate that
either Sgc increases with decreasing absolute
permeability or the Corey exponent increases with
decreasing absolute permeability. At high Sw, few data
are published but the data and projection of krg (relative
permeability to gas) curves support two Corey-type
0.1
models: 1) constant krg exponents (p = 1.7, q = 2) with
variable critical gas saturation, and 2) near constant
low critical gas saturation with a varied krg p exponent.
Byrnes (2008) reported threshold mercury injection
capillary pressure measurements, coupled with
electrical resistance measurements on Mesaverde
Formation sandstones to measure critical non-wetting
0.01
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
(e.g., gas) saturation. He interpreted that the data can be
Water Saturation (%) evaluated using four pore network architecture models:
1) percolation (Np), 2) parallel (NII), 3) series (Ns1), and
Fig. 3. Relative gas permeability curves for 43 samples 4) discontinuous series (Ns2). Data and analysis suggest
shown parametrically with permeability compiled from that critical gas saturation (Sgc) is scale and bedding
seven studies. Curves are separated into kik < 0.01 mD architecture dependent in cores and in the field. Sgc
(dark blue), 0.01< kik < 0.03 mD (blue), 0.03< kik < 0.1 decreases with increasing lattice dimension. Sgc is likely
mD (green), 0.1< kik mD (orange). Bounding heavy to be very low (Sgc< 3%) in thinly laminated sandstones
black curves are derived from the Corey equation where properties vary among beds, low (Sgc < 10%) in
model using parameters discussed in the text for kik = relatively homogeneous sandstones of any permeability,
0.001 mD (lower curve) and kik = 1 mD (upper curve). and may be low to high (10% < Sgc < 50%) in
heterogeneous lithologies. Results indicate that in
Figures 2 and 3 can be interpreted to show that at any heterogeneous lithologies the [p=C; Sgc(k)] equations,
given S w, krg,Sw tends to be lower with decreasing where Sgc increases with decreasing k as in Eq. 3, may
absolute permeability. The data exhibit significant be more appropriate while in homogeneous lithologies
scatter but it is interpreted that a significant influence a [p(k); Sgc C] model may apply, where Sgc is constant
on the variance is lithologic variability not expressed in and low (e.g., Sgc < 10%) and the Corey exponent p
the absolute permeability value and that for a single increases with decreasing k (e.g., 2.5 > p > 1.7 for
lithology the trends shown would be clearer. The single 0.0001 < kik < 10). Both approaches can provide
point data represent over 350 individual sandstone identical krg curves but invoke different mechanisms for
samples exhibiting a very wide range of lithologic (e.g., why the curve shapes and positions exist. Whichever
siltstone to lithic arkose to quartzose sandstone) and model is used the shift in the krg curve to lower Sw with
bedding (massive to cross-bedded to flaser bedded) decreasing permeability results in progressively lower
properties. The complete krg curves were measured on a effective gas permeabilities with decreasing absolute
similarly wide range of lithologically diverse permeability.
sandstones.
At the Swc end of the relative permeability curve, the
The gas relative permeability curves shown in both data also show that krg at any given Sw increases with
figures are bounded above and below by Corey-type increasing absolute permeability. Higher permeability
Eq. 1 with the following parameters: samples can exhibit krg at low-moderate S w (~0-0.2) that
are equal to the dry gas permeability at Sw=0. This can
Swc = 0.16 + 0.053*log10kik (where<0 then 0) [2]
result from water occupying pore space that is
Sgc = 0.15 - 0.05*log10kik [3] inconsequential to flow. There is a tendency to assign
p = 1.7 (to 2.3 depending on lithology and Sgc) [4] S wc = 0, as done in the studies cited, because the krg
q=2 [5] curve is connected from some low-moderate Sw to the
dry krg value of one. The high krg values for several
where Swc and Scg are expressed in fractions and kik is
expressed in mD. It is important to note that Eqs. 1-5
4
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
higher permeability samples in this shown here would Few data exist in the literature for critical water
indicate S wc can be greater than zero. saturation of low-permeability sandstones. To measure
S wc values for Mesaverde sandstones, 1-inch diameter
Eq. 2 predicts Swc > 0.20 for higher permeability rocks core samples were placed in a Hassler-type cell and
(kik > 10 mD) and approaches zero with decreasing kik subjected to a confining pressure equal to 4,000 psi.
down to 0.001 mD and below. Eq, 3 predicts S gc < 0.1 Water-saturated air was flowed through the core at an
for higher permeability rocks and approaches Sgc = 0.30 upstream pressure of approximately 1,200 psi with
by kik = 0.001 mD. Taken together these trends imply atmospheric downstream pressure. Gas was allowed to
that as absolute permeability decreases any water in the flow until effluent water flow was observed to nearly
pore space interferes with gas flow and that greater gas stop. Subsequent to this, effluent water was measured
saturation is needed to establish a connective path. by weight until effluent water flow was less than 0.0001
These two conditions are consistent. Perhaps most times gas flow rate at mean pore pressure in the core.
important is that values for Sw at Sgc in very low- This measurement records the critical water saturation
permeability rocks begin to approach saturations as defined by Qg/Qw > 99.99 (where Qg = gas flow
present in the reservoir. This would indicate that these and Qw = water flow). This does not measure the
low-permeability rocks have gas saturation but that it is saturation at which water flow is zero but is consistent
essentially immobile or nearly immobile. with immobile water for “commercial” flow rates. It is
recognized that capillary end effect on the cores results
DRAINAGE WATER RELATIVE in elevated water saturations at the down-stream end of
PERMEABILITY the core, but the purpose of this test was not to measure
the gas permeability but to displace water to Swc.
Having defined the gas relative permeability conditions
that can lead to a Jail sentence for gas, we can Low-permeability gas sandstones are typically
characterize the water flow aspect of Permeability Jail characterized by high capillary pressure and high Swi.
by examining the properties of water relative Correlations of Swi with porosity and permeability
permeability curves for low-permeability rocks. provide a useful model for approximate Swi prediction
or alternately capillary pressure properties can be
Jones and Owens (1980) reported that water modeled (Byrnes, 1997; Byrnes and Castle, 2000). For
permeability is progressively less than Klinkenberg gas the Medina Formation quartzose and arkosic sandstones
permeability with decreasing permeability for kik < 1 and the Mesaverde-Frontier Formation (Mesa-Frnt)
mD following the general equation: lithic sandstones Swi exhibits good correlation with
porosity:
kw = kik1.32 [6]
log10S wi = -0.97 log10 i + 2.06 Medina [8]
where kik and kw are in mD. This trend may be due to log10S wi = -0.80 log10 i + 2.23 Mesa-Frnt [9]
the polar nature of water and hydrogen bonding or due
to bound water restriction of free-flowing pore cross- where Swi and i are in percent. For both the Medina and
sectional area. Given the thin, sheet-like tabular nature the Mesaverde-Frontier sandstones, Swi increases
of the pore throats in low-permeability sandstones, the sharply with decreasing porosity below 6-8%. Swi
influence of even minor water on the width of the exhibits markedly lower values for i greater than 8% in
tabular pore can be significant. The observed decrease the Medina and for i greater than 10% in the
in water permeability is not believed to be due to inert Mesaverde-Frontier. Reduced major axis analysis of the
pore-size fluid-flow effects because oil permeabilities relationship between Swi and ki for Medina and
are similar to kik permeabilities (Jones and Owens, Mesaverde-Frontier sandstones yields the relationship:
1980). Ward and Morrow (1987) proposed the use of
the Corey wetting-phase equation to calculate water log10S wi= -0.187 log10kik +1.18 [10]
relative permeability with values presented relative to
kik by using the ratio of the kw/kik: where Swi is in percent and kik is in mD. Taking the
capillary measured “irreducible” water saturation and
krw = ((Sw-S wc)/(1-S wc))r (kw/kik) [7] the gas displacement critical water saturation, S wc
decreases with increasing permeability, and is always
where r = 4. Implications of Equations 6 and 7 for krw greater than water saturation obtained at air-brine
are significant even with minor variations in Swc and the capillary pressure equal to 300 psi (Fig. 4). Correlation
exponent. between S wc and “Swi” exhibits a linear trend that can be
characterized by the equation:
5
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
20
10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
"Irreducible" Water Saturation (%)
Fig. 4. Critical water saturation (Swc) versus
“irreducible” water saturation (Swi) as measured by
air-brine capillary pressure analysis at 300 psia. The
higher Swc compared with S wi values may indicate flow
is concentrated in a small fraction of large pores
and/or with increasing permeability water can occupy
small pores without interfering with flow. The trend line
through the data represents equation 11 in the text.
0.1
0.01
0.001
0.0001
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Water Saturation (fraction)
Fig. 6. Water relative permeability curves for rocks of
different absolute permeability estimated using Fig. 7. Gas (g) and water (w) relative permeability
equations 6, 7, and 10 in the text with S wc Swi. curves calculated using equations 1-5 for gas with p =
2 and eqns 6, 7, and 10 for water for a range of
absolute permeabilities. Note crossover, where krg=krw
is approximately 67% for all permeabilities but krg
DRAINAGE PERMEABILITY JAIL
value at crossover decreases with decreasing
Applying equations 1-5 for gas and 6, 7, and 10 for permeability. Dark black horizontal line marks the krg =
water, using p = 2 and q = 6, to rocks of absolute 2% (0.02). The Sw region where both gas and water
permeability, kik, ranging from 0.0001 mD to 10 mD, have kr < 0.02 broadens as kik decreases.
we obtain the suite of krg and krw curves shown in
Figure 7. All curves are referenced to the in situ Figure 7 illustrates relative permeability for both phases
Klinkenberg permeability, kik. The figure shows that the but does not express the significant influence of the
krg/krw crossover (where values are equal) occurs at viscosity difference between the two phases. At
approximately S w= 0.67 for all permeabilities, but the pressure and temperature conditions very generally
crossover shifts to progressively lower values of kr with representative of tight gas sandstone reservoirs
decreasing permeability. If clays are abundant, (Pressure = 5,000 psi, Temperature = 190 oF), the
corresponding increase in S wc would result in a shift to viscosity of gas ( g) is approximately g = 0.02
higher S w for the krg/krw crossover. centipoise (cp) and of water is w = 0.5 cp. Rescaling
Figure 7 to represent the relative permeability relative
As a consequence of decrease in krg at the crossover, the mobility (krg/ g and krw/ w) and maintaining gas flow as
range of S w over which both krg and krw are less than 2% the reference frame provides insight on the relative flow
broadens. Beginning with the crossover at krg=krw= 0.02 of each phase and illustrates how low gas viscosity
for a 0.1 mD rock the range of Sw in Permeability Jail allows gas flow to dominate these systems (Fig. 8).
(SwJ ) broadens as:
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate how low-permeability rocks at
kik = 0.100 mD: 0.65<Swj<0.67 [12] water saturations greater than ~50% can get into
kik = 0.010 mD: 0.62<Swj<0.78 [13] Permeability Jail. It is important to note that “Jail” does
kik = 0.001 mD: 0.55<Swj<0.89 [14] not mean that these rocks have no flow. As with
kik = 0.0001 mD: 0.52<Swj<0.98 [15] Corey’s original definition, Jail defines the condition
where these rocks have no commercially significant
From these relations it is evident that in very low flow. We explore how the genesis of how these rocks
permeability rocks the saturation range over which the were sentenced to Jail below.
relative permeability to both phases is low and flow is
restricted increases in width sufficiently to encompass
nearly all Sw > 55%.
7
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
1.0
1 0.9
0.8
0.1 0.7
0.6
0.01 0.5
0.4
0.001 0.3
0.2
0.0001 0.1
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
0.0
Water Saturation (fraction) 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Fig. 8. Gas (g) and water (w) relative mobility curves Initial Nonwetting Phase Saturation (Snwi)
calculated using equations in the text for relative Fig. 9. Cross-plot of residual and initial non-wetting
permeability as in Figure 8 but divided by the phase (mercury) saturation for Mesaverde low-
approximate viscosity of the fluids at reservoir permeability sandstone. The black trend line represents
conditions (gas = 0.02 centipoise, water = 0.5 a Land constant C=0.55 with Swi=0 used in equation
centipoise) and referenced to the gas permeability. This 16.
figure illustrates the significant effect of viscosity on
relative flow and illustrates why water production rates The high residual saturations observed for these rocks
are so low compared to gas. are consistent with large pore bodies connected by thin
tabular pore throats as described above. With large pore
IMBIBITION PERMEABLITY JAIL body to pore throat size ratios trapping by snap-off of
the non-wetting phase in the pore bodies is expected.
Just as gas-brine drainage conditions can leave some By definition the residual saturations in these
low-permeability rocks in Permeability Jail, imbibition experiments represents an immobile phase, thus
can also create Jail conditions. In air-mercury imbibition forced the non-wetting phase (here mercury
imbibition capillary pressure experiments on but assumed to be representative of gas also) into
Mesaverde Fm. low-permeability sandstones we Permeability Jail.
investigated residual non-wetting phase saturation
(equivalent to gas saturation) by injecting mercury into These experiments did not utilize brine or measure
samples to an initial non-wetting phase saturation and flow. However, commonly imbibition relative
then measuring the residual mercury saturation permeability to brine at the wetting-phase saturation
following equilibrium imbibition capillary pressure associated with residual non-wetting phase krw,1-Snwr,
decrease back to zero capillary pressure (Byrnes et al, ranges from values of 0.1 < krw < 0.5 and always
2009). Figure 9 illustrates the relationship between satisfies the condition that krw,1-Snwr < krw. Therefore, for
residual non-wetting phase saturation and the initial imbibition conditions, higher permeability rocks that
non-wetting phase saturation for the samples measured might not be in Drainage Permeability Jail could be in
in the Byrnes et al (2009) study. The relationship Imbibition Permeability Jail, depending on the initial
between initial and residual non-wetting phase gas saturation and the imbibition capillary pressure,
saturation was consistent with the relation characterized which would control the residual gas saturation.
by Land (1971) for strongly water wet samples:
HYSTERESIS PERMEABILITY JAIL –
1/Snwr*- 1/Snwi * = C [16] OR THE PERMEABILITY FUNNY FARM
where Snwr* = Snwr/(1-Swi) and Snwi* = Snwi/(1-Swi). Even rocks that might not be sentenced to Permeability
Jail may end up in the Permeability Funny Farm if they
8
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
become “hysterical”. Within the tall transition zone of 1956; Handy, 1958; Moulu and Longeron, 1989;
many low-permeability rocks change in pressure and Kortekaas and Poelgeest, 1989; Firoozabadi et al.,
pore geometry as the result of diagenesis can result in 1989; and Kamath and Boyer, 1993). Wilkinson and
drainage-imbibition cycling and potential drainage- Willemsen (1983) showed that the volume fraction of
imbibition hysteresis (Shanley et al, 2007). That is, the percolation threshold, equivalent to Sgc, scales with
trapping, which is different from the equilibrium network dimension, L, as:
imbibition trapping described above, may occur due to
isolation of regions of the pore space as the result of Sgc (L) = A LD E
[17]
rate-dependent fluid movement and potential trapping
in regions that under equilibrium imbibition conditions where A is a numerical constant, D is the mass fractal
might not experience the same amount of trapping. dimension of the percolation cluster (D = 1.89 for 2-D,
Obviously this would be more likely in lithologies with D = 2.52 for 3-D), E is the Euclidean dimension (E = 2
complex pore geometries. for 2-D and E = 3 for 3-D). For a simple 3-D cubic
network A 0.65. This relation indicates that as L
We do not know of any published studies that Sgc 0 (e.g., Sgc = 0.215 for L = 10; Sgc = 0.024 for L =
experimentally test gas-brine drainage-imbibition 1,000; Sgc = 0.008 for L = 10,000).
hysteresis. It can be hypothesized that that this system
might be intermediate between the drainage and Li and Yortsos (1993, 1995a) and Du and Yortsos
imbibition Permeability Jail conditions, but hysteresis (1999) extended the invasion percolation work to
opens up the possibility that on a larger scale there may include gas nucleation at one or more sites showing that
be trapping and that larger regions of rock may be in Sgc scales with network size, L, and the fraction of total
Permeability Jail simply because surrounding rocks network sites where gas nucleation occurs, f, as:
entered Permeability Jail during some drainage or
imbibition cycle. Sgc(L; fq) = A LD E
+Bf1 D/E
[18]
9
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
JAIL GENESIS were better, and with subsequent burial and diagenesis,
the rock properties changed and the rock entered
The concept of Permeability Jail is independent of how Permeability Jail. This condition may be the norm and
these conditions came about. Therefore it is not not the exception. It is instructive to analyze this by
necessary to know how a rock was sentenced to Jail, briefly examining a theoretical burial scenario.
but it is nonetheless helpful to understand the genesis.
A perceived issue with Permeability Jail is the question: Let us assume the following conditions that are broadly
If the gas permeability is zero how did the gas get into representative of Western United States Mesaverde
the rock in the first place? There are several answers to low-permeability sandstones:
this question depending on how the rock was arrested.
For the cases of Imbibition Jail and the Permeability Present: = 10(-0.000045 Depth(ft) -0.7) (Fig. 10) [19]
Funny Farm the simple answer is the gas entered under S&C: = 10(-0.000036 Depth(ft) -0.31) (Fig. 10) [20]
normal drainage conditions and the rock entered modS&C: = 10(-0.00004 Depth(ft) -0.36) (Fig. 10) [21]
Permeability Jail due to water imbibition or drainage- kik (mD) = 10(30 -4.7) (Fig. 10) [22]
imbibition cycling with hysteresis. For rocks in the Pgas (psi) = 0.5 Depth (ft) [23]
Permeability Jail Garden the gas was generated in situ Tgas (degF) = 55 + 0.015 Depth(ft) [24]
and never “entered” the rock from an exterior source Capillary pressure curves (Fig.11) [25]
(invasion percolation) and so the rock started in Jail and
remains in Jail. If the rock contains sufficient organic
In situ Porosity
matter and is sufficiently thermally mature, then the
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
nucleated gas sites would form a sample spanning
0 100000
percolating cluster and the rock would, with sufficient
connected percolation sites, be released from Jail (early 2000 10000
release for good behavior). Organic-rich gas shales 4000 1000
represent an example of this condition for rocks of 6000 100
extremely low (<< 1 D) permeability.
8000 10
time. As noted, and just as Brooks & Corey (1966) used 12000 0.1
the term, critical saturation is defined as the saturation 14000 0.01
at which no significant flow occurs. We define
16000 Western TGS Porosity 0.001
Permeability Jail as the saturation region in which no modS&C Porosity
S&C Porosity
significant (i.e., kr < 2%) flow occurs. Here the criteria 18000 Permeability 0.0001
10
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
500 12,000
400 14,000
16,000
300
18,000
200
20,000
100
0 Fig. 12. Theoretical burial history for a model Western
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
US low-permeability sandstone. This burial history and
the resulting change in properties described by
Water Saturation (fraction) equations 19-25 are used to model the evolution of a
Fig. 11. General capillary pressure curves for example gas charged reservoir.
low-permeability sandstones. Gas column height curve
from capillary pressure relations shows height- Assuming eq. 21, the example reservoir sandstones at
saturations at top of column as discussed in text. Light 10,000 ft at 70 Ma would have had =17.4% and from
blue squares show water saturation in original gas eq. 22 a permeability of 3.3 mD. It will be assumed
column rock after porosity occlusion at corresponding that a gas reservoir with 200-ft of gas column was
gas column height. charged in a brief pulse and the subsequent conditions
of this gas column will be examined. For the simple
Based on burial thermal history modeling of the model being presented, it is further assumed that the
Northern Green River basin, Wyoming, USA (Coskey, mineral and water constituents are incompressible,
2004), it is probable that underlying coals and organic therefore all porosity loss with depth that the reservoir
shales reached peak gas generation at approximately experiences (Fig. 10) results in corresponding gas pore
13,000-16,000 ft burial depths. Assuming, as an volume loss and consequent gas expulsion into
exploratory example model, that the reservoir rocks underlying previously water-saturated rock. The gas is
2,000 to 5,000 feet shallower (~10,000 ft) were charged assumed to be pure methane and appropriate real gas
with gas migrating vertically upwards it is possible to laws apply for gas compressibility in response to
model the development of the reservoir rocks and gas increasing and decreasing pressure and temperature
cap through a hypothetical burial history (Fig. 12). changes with burial and exhumation. Porosity
destruction continues after the reservoir rocks have
Modeling of reaction kinetics suggests that gas is received their gas charge, at least in water wet reservoir
primarily expelled in a brief pulse when the source systems. For the example model, porosity decrease with
rocks reach their maximum burial depth and burial follows the modified-S&C curve to maximum
temperature, while only minor amounts of gas are burial depth at 15,000 ft (50 Ma). Porosity continues to
generated and expelled during the long quiet period occlude at this depth, approaching the present-day
near maximum burial illustrated in Figure 12 (see, for porosity, until 10 Ma when uplift and erosion bring the
example, figures 12 and 13 in Coskey, 2004). All reservoir back up to a depth of 10,000 ft, leaving the
burial history modeling packages, based on the kinetic reservoir with the present-day porosity at the present-
theory of organic matter transformation, predict similar day depth.
transformation histories for Type III kerogen. Once
uplift begins and the source rocks cool, assumed to start Gas in the model is conserved and water is assumed to
at 10 Ma in Figure 12, gas generation effectively ceases be able to enter or leave the system to maintain
as all C-C bonds that are capable of being broken at equilibrium; consequently one of two things must
these temperatures had already been severed at the occur. Either gas is expelled from the original reservoir
higher thermal stress conditions of deeper burial. as pore volume decreases, in which case (assuming a
partially gas filled trap) the gas cap height increases (if
11
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
Figure 11 shows that the saturations achieved by volume of new gas added to the system. The additional
diagenetic porosity occlusion and those consistent with height produced by the new gas would depend on the
capillary equilibrium for the same rocks are identical porosity and water saturations existing at the time of
within the accuracy of the modeling. This would gas influx.
indicate that the upper 200-ft of the reservoir that
represents the initial gas cap undergoes porosity It is evident from the above example model history that
occlusion and corresponding saturation change without the gas reservoirs undergo significant change with
imbibing or expelling significant amounts of water. burial and diagenesis and that the changes to the gas
This process for increasing water saturation by porosity column height and simultaneous changes to the porosity
occlusion does not conform to conventional imbibition and permeability of the reservoir rocks result in
conditions, where water saturation is increasing by progressively increasing gas column heights in which
invasion. It is surmised that under these conditions the the lower-most portions of the columns are in
gas would maintain connectivity, similar to water conditions consistent with drainage Permeability Jail.
isotherm curves, and that this saturation change may be As noted previously, the gas was allowed to enter rocks
similar to drainage conditions in its flow properties. in Permeability Jail because the time periods for flow
are so long that “insignificant” flow on a commercial
Gas Column
time scale is significant in establishing the gas column
Porosity Height (ft) Permeability (mD) on a geologic time scale.
0.20 0.16 0.12 0.08 0.04 0 200 400 600 800 10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001
10,00 0
CONCLUSIONS
11,000
13
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
decrease, in turn, results in a progressively widening sands – 2005 Vail Hedberg Conference, American
saturation range over which the relative permeability to Association of Petroleum Geologists Hedberg
both phases is less than a reference value of kr < 2% - Series n. 3, Chapter 5, p. 63-76.
the rocks enter Permeability Jail. Several saturation Byrnes, A.P., and J.W. Castle, 2000, Comparison of
history conditions can create conditions for core petrophysical properties between low-
Permeability Jail including drainage (Drainage Jail), permeability sandstone reservoirs: Eastern U.S.
imbibition (Imbibition Jail), drainage-imbibition Medina Group and Western U.S. Mesaverde Group
hysteresis (Permeability Funny Farm), and nucleated and Frontier Formation: paper SPE 60304,
percolation (Jail Garden). These informal designations Proceedings of the 2000 SPE Rocky Mountain
are meant to portray with a little levity, but with Regional/Low Permeability Reservoirs
accuracy and in a memorable fashion, what is a Symposium, Denver, CO, March 12-15, 2000, 10
significant issue in low-permeability reservoir rock p. DOI: 10.2118/60304-MS.
properties. Porosity, permeability, and capillary Byrnes, A.P., R.M. Cluff, and J.C. Webb, 2009,
pressure changes a rock undergoes during burial and Analysis of Critical Permeability, Capillary and
diagenesis can result in gas column height increase with Electrical Properties for Mesaverde Tight Gas
significant (30-42%) portions of the lower portion of Sandstones from Western U.S. Basins, U.S.
the gas column exhibiting conditions consistent with Department of Energy Final Report Project # DE-
Permeability Jail. These concepts help to understand FC26-05NT42660; 355 pgs,
and explain the thick gas columns in western U.S. low- http://www.kgs.ku.edu/mesaverde/reports.html,
permeability sandstones and their diminished effective Byrnes, A. P., K. Sampath, and P.L. Randolph, 1979,
gas permeabilities. Effect of pressure and water saturation on the
permeability of western tight sandstones:
Proceedings of the 5th Annual U.S. Dept. Energy
REFERENCES Symposium on enhanced oil and gas recovery,
Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 22-26, 1979, p. 247-263.
Baldwin, B., and Butler, C.O., 1985, Compaction Castle, J.W., and Byrnes, A.P., 1998, Petrophysics of
Curves: American Association of Petroleum low-permeability Medina Sandstone, northwestern
Geologists Bulletin, v. 69, n. 4, p. 622-626. Pennsylvania, Appalachian Basin: paper SPWLA
Brooks, R.H., and A.T. Corey, 1966, Properties of 1998-v39n4a3, The Log Analyst, v. 39, no. 4, p.
porous media affecting fluid flow: Journal 36-46.
Irrigation Drainage Division, v. 6 (June 1966), p. Castle, J.W., and A.P. Byrnes, 2005, Petrophysics of
61-88. Lower Silurian sandstones and integration with the
Byrnes, A. P., 1997, Reservoir characteristics of low- tectonic-stratigraphic framework, Appalachian
permeability sandstones in the Rocky Mountains: basin, United States: American Association of
The Mountain Geologist v. 43, no. 1, p. 37-51. Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 89, no. 1
Byrnes, A.P., 2003, Aspects of Permeability, Capillary (January 2005), p. 41-60.
Pressure, and Relative Permeability Properties and DOI: 10.1306/080170404028.
Distribution in Low-Permeability Rocks Important Cheng, C.H., and Toksoz, M.N., 1979, Inversion of
to Evaluation, Damage, and Stimulation: seismic velocities for the pore aspect ratio
Proceedings Rocky Mountain Association of spectrum of rock: Journal of Geophysical
Geologists - Petroleum Systems and Reservoirs of Research, v. 84, n. B13, p. 7533-7544.
Southwest Wyoming Symposium, Denver, Chowdiah, P., 1987, Laboratory measurements relevant
Colorado, September 19, 2003, 12 p. to two-phase flow in a tight gas sand matrix: paper
Byrnes, A.P., 2005, Permeability, capillary pressure, SPE 16945-MS, Proceedings of the 62nd Annual
and relative permeability properties in low- Technical Conference and Exhibition of the
permeability reservoirs and the influence of thin, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Dallas, Texas,
high-permeability beds on production: in M.G. September 27-30, 12 p. DOI: 10.2118/16945-MS.
Bishop, S.P. Cumella, J.W. Robinson, and M.R. Corey, A.T., 1954, The interrelations between gas and
Silverman (eds.), Gas in Low Permeability oil relative permeabilities: Producers Monthly, v.
Reservoirs of the Rocky Mountain Region, Rocky 19 (Nov 1954), p 38-41.
Mountain Assoc. of Geologists 2005 Guidebook Coskey, R.J., 2004, Burial-history modeling of the
CD, p. 69-108. Jonah Field Area: an unusual and possibly unique
Byrnes, A. P., 2008, Issues with gas relative gas accumulation in the Green River Basin,
permeability in low-permeability sandstones: in Wyoming, in J.W. Robinson and K.W. Shanley,
S.P. Cumella, K.W. Shanley, and W. Camp (eds.), eds., Jonah Field: case study of a tight-gas fluvial
Understanding, exploring, and developing tight-gas
14
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
reservoir: AAPG Studies in Geology 52, Ch. 7. P. Luffel, D.L., Howard, W.E., and Hunt, E.R., 1991,
93-125. Travis Peak core permeability and porosity
Du, C., and Y.C. Yortsos, 1999, A numerical study of relationships at reservoir stress: paper SPE 19008-
the critical gas saturation in a porous medium: PA, Society of Petroleum Engineers Formation
Transport in Porous Media, v. 35, n. 2, p. 205-225. Evaluation, September, 1991, v. 6, n. 3, p. 310-319.
DOI: 10.1023/A:1006582222356. DOI: 10.2118/19008-PA.
Firoozabadi, A., B. Ottesen, and M. Mikklesen, 1989, Moulu, J. C. and D. Longeron, 1989, Solution-gas
Measurement and modeling of supersaturation and drive: experiments and simulation: Journal of
critical gas saturation: Part 1. Measurements: paper Petroleum Science & Engineering, Paper presented
SPE 19694, Proceedings of the 1989 Soc. at the Fifth European Symposium on Improved Oil
Petroleum Engineers Fall Meeting, San Antonio, Recovery, Budapest, Hungary, v. 2, n. 4, p. 379-
Texas, Oct. 8-11. DOI: 10.2118/19694-PA. 386.
Handy, L. L., 1958, A laboratory study of oil recovery Ostensen, R. W., 1983, Microcrack permeability in
by solution gas drive: paper SPE 797-G, Petroleum tight gas sandstone: paper SPE 10924-PA, Society
Transactions AIME, v. 213, p. 310-315. of Petroleum Engineering Journal, v. 23, no. 6, p.
Hunt, E. B., Jr. and V.J.Jr. Berry, 1956, Evolution of 919-927. DOI: 10.2118/10924-PA.
gas from liquids flowing through porous media: Randolph, P.L., 1983, Porosity and permeability of
American Institute of Chemical Engineering Mesaverde sandstone core from the U.S. DOE
Journal, v. 2, n. 4, p. 560-567. Multiwell Experiment, Garfield County, Colorado:
DOI: 10.1002/aic.690020426. paper SPE 11765-MS, Proceedings 1983 SPE/DOE
Jones, F. O., and W.W. Owens, 1980, A laboratory Joint Symposium on low permeability gas
study of low-permeability gas sands: paper SPE reservoirs, March 13-16, 1983, Denver, CO, p.
7551-PA, Journal of Petroleum Technology, v. 32, 449-460. DOI: 10.2118/11765-MS.
no. 9, p.1631-1640. DOI: 10.2118/7551-PA. Sampath, K., and C.W. Keighin, 1981, Factors affecting
Kamath, J. and R.E. Boyer, 1993, Critical gas saturation gas slippage in tight sandstones: paper SPE 9872,
and supersaturation in low permeability rocks: Proceedings of the 1981 SPE/DOE Symposium on
paper SPE 26663, Presented at the 1993 Society of Low Permeability Gas Reservoirs, Denver, CO,
Petroleum Engineers Fall Meeting, Houston, TX, May 27-29 (1981) p. 409-416.
Oct. p. 3-6. DOI: 10.2118/26663-PA. DOI: 10.2118/9872-PA.
Kamath, J. and R. E. Boyer, 1995, Critical Gas Sclater, J.G., and P.A.F. Christie, 1980, Continental
Saturation and Supersaturation in Low- stretching: an explanation of the post-mid-
Permeability Rocks: SPE 2663-PA, Society of Cretaceous subsidence of the central North Sea
Petroleum Engineers Formation Evaluation, v. 10, basin: Journal of Geophysical research, v. 85, p.
n. 4, p. 247-254. DOI: 10.2118/26663-PA. 3711-3739. DOI: 10.1029/JB085iB07p03711.
Kortekaas, T.F.M., and F.V. Poelgeest, 1989, Shanley, K.W., R.M. Cluff, and J.W. Robinson, 2004,
Liberation of solution gas during pressure Factors controlling prolific gas production from
depletion of virgin and watered-out reservoirs: low-permeability sandstone reservoirs:
paper SPE 19693, Presented at the 1989 Fall Implications for resource assessment, prospect
Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, development, and risk analysis, American
San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 8-11. Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v.
DOI: 10.2118/19693-PA. 88, no. 8, p. 1083-1121.
Land, C.S., 1971, Comparison of Calculated with DOI: 10.1306/03250403051.
Experimental Imbibition Relative Permeability: Shanley, K.W., R.M. Cluff, and J.W. Robinson, 2007,
paper SPE 3360-PA, Society of Petroleum Prolific gas production from low-permeability
Engineers Journal, v. 11, n. 4, p. 419-425. sandstone reservoirs - Part II: Reconciling basin
DOI: 10.2118/3360-PA. history, fluid saturations, gas shows, and capillary
Li, X. and Y.C. Yortsos, 1993, Critical gas saturation, pressure: AAPG 2007 Annual Convention, Long
modeling and sensitivity studies: paper SPE 26662- Beach, CA, Search and Discovery Article #110042.
MS, Proceedings of the 68th Annual Technical Thomas, R. D., and D.C. Ward, 1972, Effect of
Conference of the Soc. Petroleum Engineers, overburden pressure and water saturation on gas
Houston, Texas, Oct. 3-6, p. 589-604. permeability of tight sandstone cores: paper SPE
DOI: 10.2118/26662-MS. 3634-PA, Journal of Petroleum Technology, v. 25,
Li, X., and Y.C. Yortsos, 1995a, Theory of multiple no. 2, p.120-124. DOI: 10.2118/3634-PA.
bubble growth in porous media by solute diffusion: Vairogs, J., Hearn, C. L., Dareing, D. W., and Rhoades,
Chem. Engineering Science, v. 50, n. 8, 1247- V. W., 1971, Effect of rock stress on gas
1271. DOI: 10.1016/0009-2509(95)98839-7. production for low-permeability rocks: Journal of
15
SPWLA 51st Annual Logging Symposium, June 19-23, 2010
Petroleum Technology, v. 24, no. 9, p. 1161-1167. for twelve years; was a Research Geologist at the
DOI: 10.2118/3001-PA. Kansas Geological Survey for ten years and joined
Walls, J.D., 1981, Tight gas sands: permeability, pore Chesapeake Energy as a Senior Petrophysicist in 2008.
structure and clay: paper SPE 9871-PA, He has worked and published for 30 years on low-
Proceedings of the 1981 SPE/DOE Symposium on permeability rock properties, oil/gas field and
Low Permeability Gas Reservoirs, Denver, CO, laboratory studies, computer modeling, reservoir
May 27-29 (1981) p. 399-409. characterization and integration of geologic-
DOI: 10.2118/9871-PA. petrophysical-engineering analysis.
Walls, J.D., Nur, A.M., and Bourbie, T., 1982, Effects
of pressure and partial water saturation on gas Bob and Alan have been friends and colleagues for over
permeability in tight sands: experimental results: 23 years and have collaborated on many public and
paper SPE 9378-PA, Journal of Petroleum proprietary studies throughout the US and other areas of
Technology, v. 34, n. 4, p. 930-936. the world. Their most recent collaboration was a major
DOI: 10.2118/9378-PA. study of petrophysical properties of Mesaverde
Ward, J.S., and N.R. Morrow, 1987, Capillary pressure sandstones in several US basins which is available
and gas relative permeabilities of low permeability online at http://www.kgs.ku.edu/mesaverde/.
sandstone: paper SPE 13882-PA, Society of
Petroleum Engineers Formation Evaluation, Sept. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1987, p. 345-356. DOI: 10.2118/13882-PA.
Wei, K.K., Morrow, N.R., and Brower, K.R., 1986, This work was supported in part under the U.S
Effect of fluid, confining pressure, and temperature Department of Energy Contract # DE-FC26-
on absolute permeabilities of low permeability 05NT42660.
sandstones: paper SPE 13093-PA, SPE Formation
Evaluation, v. 1, n. 4, p. 413-423.
DOI: 10.2118/13093-PA.
Wilkinson, D., and J.F. Willemsen, 1983, Invasion
percolation: a new form of percolation theory:
Journal Physics A: Mathematical General, v. 16, p.
3365-3376. DOI: 10.1088/0305-4470/16/14/028.
16