>Porosity is the first of two essential requirements

for a rock to act at a hydrocarbon reservoir.

It's usually expressed as a percentage using the formula

shown here.

Porosity is often represented by

the Greek letter phi.

Most reservoirs have porosities in the range

of five to thirty percent.

Any porosity less than five percent is very seldom

commercial.

And any porosity over 35 percent is extremely

unusual.

Porosity can be measured in a laboratory from cores

and down the bore hole using well logs, especially

the sonic density in neutron logs.

Occasionally it can even be estimated from seismic data.

Here you see the three main types of porosity.

Interconnected, connected and isolated.

Interconnected porosity utilizes multiple pore

throat passages to connect neighboring pores.

Connected, or dead end porosity has only one pore

throat passage connecting with another pore space.

Isolated porosity has no connections between pores.

Interconnected and connected pores constitute effective

porosity because hydrocarbons can move out

from them.

In the case of interconnected porosity,

oil or gas can be flushed out by a natural or artificial

water drive.

Connected porosity is unaffected by flushing but may

yield some oil or gas by expansion as reservoir

pressure drops.

Isolated porosity is unable to yield hydrocarbons.

Any oil or gas they contain entered the pores space

before closure by compaction, or cementation.

Porosity can be classified into two major types

according to their origin.

Primary porosity is formed when sediment is deposited.

Secondary porosity forms after deposition.