Advanced Carbonates Reservoir Characterization and Evaporites

Carbonate reservoirs are characterized by significant heterogeneity at numerous scales, ranging from exploration to production and enhanced production scale. Understanding of how primary depositional facies, diagenesis, and the sequence stratigraphic framework control the development of pores in carbonate rocks/evaporites, and how the variation in pore architecture influences reservoir porosity and permeability characteristics is a fundamental step in the accurate reservoir characterization of carbonate units. With the ubiquitous use of geostatistical models to define 3D reservoir architecture, it has become increasingly important to accurately define the probable geometric distribution of potential reservoir facies, fluid barriers, and baffles at multiple scales to help build more accurate geologic models that can then be used to manage and improve reservoir development. To effectively do this, the challenge is to integrate data on the primary depositional environment (evaporite and carbonate facies, probable geometry, and susceptibility to diagenetic modification), the sequence stratigraphic framework, and the petrophysical characteristics of carbonates at multiple scales and the impact of evaporites on carbonates. This course will review the controls on carbonate reservoir heterogeneity from the pore architecture scale to the geometrical attributes at reservoir-scale and how these parameters can be incorporated and integrated into the development of viable petrophysically-based reservoir models for carbonates. In-class exercises are used to reinforce the potential integration of various data sets to provide students with experience in carbonate reservoir characterization. The comprehensive course documentation has been designed as a useful guide for future reference.

Audience

This course is designed for:

Geologists
Petroleum Geologists
Geophysicists
Wellsite geologists
Drilling engineers
Stratigraphers
Geochemists,
Petroleum engineers
Production Engineers
Petrophysicists.

Course objectives

By end of the course participants will learn:

Build on previous experience with carbonate systems and evaporite sequences to integrate various aspects of carbonate rocks and evaporites (depositional environment, primary facies and mineralogy, high resolution sequence stratigraphy, and various petrophysical characteristics) for improved carbonate reservoir architecture and flow unit characterization.
Identify potential stratigraphic variations in carbonate pore architecture and its effect on permeability
Recognize and better understand well log responses in carbonate/evaporite systems and to learn to utilize data from formation evaluation tools to determine reservoir quality (porosity, permeability, and lithology)
Apply knowledge of petrophysical, sedimentological petrologic tools to characterize and evaluate and ranking carbonate reservoirs
Relate the fracture density, aperture, and length to facies, lithology, and diagenesis.
Know more about the carbonate reservoirs and evaporite sequences of Abu Dhabi and the Middle East.

Course contents

Day-1: Module 1: Carbonate Reservoir Characterization; Basics

Importance of understanding the various scales of heterogeneity in carbonate reservoirs
Mineralogy, rock textures, and different pore types
Depositional environments of carbonate rocks and evaporites.
Facies dominant in carbonate rocks/evaporites.
Carbonate rock/evaporite types and description.
Importance of sequence boundaries to development of pore architecture.
Case studies.

Day-2: Module 2: Diagenetic sequence in Carbonate reservoirs

Diagenetic history and sequence of carbonate reservoirs.
Variations in carbonate pore architecture and its effect on permeability
Relationship of primary depositional facies, sequence stratigraphic framework and diagenetic history to pore architecture and reservoir quality
Controls on reservoir heterogeneity, from sub-reservoir to reservoir scale
Pore types and description using petrographical studies.
Estimating porosity and permeability from digital image analyses (DIA).
Case studies.

Day-3: Module 3: Log Responses in Carbonate reservoirs and evaoprites

Well log response, limitations, and strengths in carbonates/evaporites.
Determination of lithology, porosity, and permeability.
Porosity/depth relationships in limestone and dolomite reservoirs.
Formation evaluation and reservoir quality determination of carbonate rocks.
Formation evaluation and reservoir quality (RQI, FZI, RPI, R10, R35, etc ..).
Case studies.

Day-4: Module 4: Formation evaluation for carbonate reservoirs

Rock typing and lithology Discrimination.
Relative Permeability measurements.
Wettability basics and interpretation.
Measuring wettability, Amott and USBM procedures.
Estimating wettability using relative permeability plots.
X-ray computer tomography (X-ray CT scan).
SEM studies and applications.
Rock typing using petrography, CT-scan and SEM.
Carbonate Reservoirs of the Middle East.
Case Studies.

Day-5: Module 5: Advanced Log Responses and formation evaluation for carbonate reservoirs

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), theory and basics.
NMR diffusion for fluid-type discrimination using T1, T2 relaxations.
Applications and integration with the other tools.
Modular Dynamic Tester ‘MDT’ Logs response in carbonate rocks.
Formation Micro Image Analysis (FMI) in carbonate rocks
Case studies.
Workshop on carbonate/evaporite characterization.
Closing session.

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