Carbonate Reservoirs and Fractured Reservoirs

1 inch

Carbonate Sidewall core

Carbonate Reservoirs
Porosity strongly controlled by postdepositional processes High initial porosity Rapid cementation Dissolution creates secondary porosity Usually due to acidic water

Outline
Carbonate Porosity
Primary vs. secondary porosity

Reefs Karst (dissolution) Dolomitization Fracture systems Healed Fractures vs open fractures Fracture controlled production (example)

Carbonate Porosity Types

Intergranular Porosity

Vuggy & Moldic Porosity

Cretaceous Reefs Golden Lane Facies

Water Drive, 33-40 API oil, 200 Million Barrels cum. production since 1915

Dissolution by Meteoric Water

Karst and Unconformities

Allen and Allen, 2002

Persian Gulf Petroleum System

Dolomitization Ghawar-largest field in the world
Peak production; 5 million barrels per day (1981) Cumm. Prod. 65 billion bls Average Porosity: 19% Average perm: 617 mD

Arab D Reservoir -Ghawar

Swart et al. 2005 Partially dolomitized limestone Mudstone

Dolomite

Karst (dissolution)

Dense Dolomite

Moldic Porosity

Daily Oil Production 2008

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Country Russia Saudi Arabia USA Iran China Canada Mexico Iraq Norway Production (bbl/day) 9.9 Million 8.1 Million 8.0 Million 4.1 Million 3.9 Million 3.2 Million 2.6 Million 2.4 Million 2.3 Million

Dolomitization
Dolomite forms during diagenesis or hydrothermal alteration CaCO3 (CaMg)(CO3)2 13% volume reduction New porosity appears Setting: dry coastal areas

Calcite (pink)

Dolomitization
Atrim Fm., Michigan

Ordovician Dolomite Cavity, OH

Dolomite

2 mm

Permian, W. Texas

2 mm

Trenton-Black River SystemAppalachian Basin

Fractured Reservoirs

Gloades Corner Reservoir, NY

Photo: J. Olson, UT Austin

Evidence for fluid flow along Fractures in Sandstone

Systematic Orthogonal Fractures

Photo: J. Olson, UT Austin

Fracture Spacing/Bedding

Fractures in Reservoir Simulations

1. 2.

Matrix Permeability Fracture Permeability

Distributed Fracture Network Photo: J. Olson, UT Austin

Sealed Fractures

Example of Fractured Carbonate Reservoir

AGE

Southeast West Virginia Bluefield Formation Reynolds Lillydale Alderson Union

MISSISSIPPIAN

G reenbrier L im estone

UPPER MIDDLE

Pickaway Taggard

primary fault play target

Denmar

Hillsdale

Photo: J. Olson, UT Austin

Maccrady Fm McCrady Formation

LOWER

(Smosna, 1996) (Gas Atlas)

Isopach of Union Oolite, Rhodell Field Area

study area

ooids

(from Gas Atlas)

scale in cm

3527

3527

3527

intragranular porosity (blue)

sparry calcite (poor porosity)

oolite rim (8% porosity)

1 mm

H JA CA

T UL FA

Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR) Map C.I. = 200 MMcf

H JA CA

T UL FA

UNION OOLITE NET PAY ISOPACH Porosity > 4% C.I. = 4

T LO PI

OB KN

T UL FA T UL FA

AR

TA IS

PI

T LO

B NO

T UL FA

#5834

#5638

I AR

A ST

T UL FA

Scale:

Scale:
2000

2000

2000 2000

CrossCross-section A A
45 44 39 46 35 71 89 36 34 56 56 56 56 30 12 12 12 52 44

DEPI #5834 (047(047-055055-00238)

30 93 7

NW
A

SE
A

UNION OOLITE (Hanging wall)

PILOT KNOB
0

LITTLE LIME UNION PICKAWAY

ARISTA

-500

-1000

DENMAR PRICE

OPEN FRACTURES 30 MMcf natural PILOT KNOB THRUST FAULT 206 OFFSET

-1500

Scale:

500

500

T LO PI

O KN

T UL FA

TA IS AR

T UL FA

50

UNION OOLITE (Foot wall)

DEPI #5834 047-055-00238 FMI LOG

open fracture

2000 2000

DEPI #5834 (047(047-055055-00238)

SIDEWALL CORES

drilling induced fractures

PILOT KNOB THRUST FAULT 206 OFFSET

50

OPEN FRACTURES DEPI #5834 (FAULT ZONE)

Maximum Horizontal Stress

Highly deformed interval Strike: NNE SSW Dips: 30-50

3446.5
open fracture

open fracture

300m scale in cm 3446.5

micritized ooids

3446.5 open fracture

calcite filled vugs & fractures

authigenic, euhedral quartz crystals

scale in cm

3477

UNION OOLITE THRUST MODEL WITH FRACTURE SWARM

FAULT WELL PRODUCTION (outside oolite trend) DEPI #5834 (047(047-055055-00238)

Avg Mcf/d
450 400 350 300 250 200

(30 MMcf natural) Lesser decline (reservoir production)

Steep initial decline (fracture production)

UNION OOLITE
(after Nelson, 2001) no scale

150 100 50 0 11/5/01

5/24/02

12/10/02

6/28/03

1/14/04

8/1/04

Take home ideas

In carbonate reservoirs secondary porosity is very important Dolomitization, dissolution and fracturing create new porosity Exposure to meteoric water leads to limestone dissolution Natural Fracture networks greatly enhance permeability