About This Item

Share This Item

The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

AAPG Bulletin

Abstract

AAPG Bulletin, V. 98, No. 1 (January 2014), P. 4966.

Copyright copy2014. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

DOI:10.1306/05221312134

Electrical and flow properties of highly heterogeneous carbonate rocks

Charlotte Garing,1 Linda Luquot,2 Philippe A. Pezard,3 Philippe Gouze4

1Geosciences Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universite de Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; [email protected]
2Geosciences Montpellier, CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Universite de Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; [email protected]
3Geosciences Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universite de Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; [email protected]
4Geosciences Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universite de Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

In reservoir engineering, hydrodynamic properties can be estimated from downhole electrical data using heuristic models (e.g., Archie and Kozeny-Carman's equations) relating electrical conductivity to porosity and permeability. Although proven to be predictive for many sandstone reservoirs, the models mostly fail when applied to carbonate reservoirs that generally display extremely complex pore network structures.

In this article, we investigate the control of the three-dimensional (3-D) geometry and morphology of the pore network on the electrical and flow properties, comparing core-scale laboratory measurements and 3-D x-ray microtomography image analysis of samples from a Miocene reefal carbonate platform located in Mallorca (Spain).

The results show that micrometer- to centimeter-scale heterogeneities strongly influence the measured macroscopic physical parameters that are then used to evaluate the hydrodynamic properties of the rock, and therefore, existing models might not provide accurate descriptions because these heterogeneities occur at scales smaller than those of the integration volume of the borehole geophysical methods. However, associated with specific data processing, 3-D imagery techniques are a useful and probably unique mean to characterize the rock heterogeneity and, thus, the properties variability.

Pay-Per-View Purchase Options

The article is available through a document delivery service. Explain these Purchase Options.

Watermarked PDF Document: $14
Open PDF Document: $24

AAPG Member?

Please login with your Member username and password.

Members of AAPG receive access to the full AAPG Bulletin Archives as part of their membership. For more information, contact the AAPG Membership Department at [email protected].