J .

Toro WVU 3/4/2016

Porosity and Permeability

Reservoir Properties

Geol493K

Porosity and Permeability Porosity

Volume % of open space
• Porosity: % of void space in rock
• Permeability: Ease of fluid flow

0.5 mm

Porosity Conventional View of Porosity

• Total Porosity (%)
• 0-5% Negligible
• 5-10% Poor
• Porosity (Ø)= (bulk volume – grain
• 10-15% Fair
volume)/bulk volume
• 15-20% Good
• 20-25% Very Good
• Effective Porosity= Interconnected pores
For gas, lower porosity is still viable
Hydrofracturing makes low porosity less of a
problem

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Primary Porosity Sorting

– Controlled by:
• Degree of Uniformity of Grain Size
Poor Sorting
–Sorting
• Shape of the Grains
• Method of Deposition (Manner of Packing)
• Compaction
• Cementation Intermediate
Sorting

Porosity Varies with Sorting Packing

MORE POROUS LESS POROUS

Well Sorted Poorly Sorted

Sand Sand

Cubic Packing 47% porosity in the ideal situation

Packing Secondary Porosity

– Additional open space developed after

sedimentation:
• Dissolution
• Dolomitization
• Fracturing

Rhombohedral Packing 26% porosity in the ideal situation

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Modifications to Porosity Porosity Varies with % Cement

Sandstone
• Pressure Solution
• Cementation
• Fracturing

– Carbonate
• Compaction – 2 to 20%
• Solution
• Recrystalization – Dolomitization
• Fracturing
• Cementation

– Shale
• Compaction – 50%
• Bound Water Expulsion

POROSITY IN SANDSTONE
Sandstone Comp.
• Framework
1.
2.
Primary and secondary “matrix” porosity system
Fracture porosity system Porosity Varies with Fracturing
• Matrix
• Cement FRACTURE DISSOLUTION
• Pores MORE POROUS LESS POROUS
PORE
Fractured Shale Unfractured Shale
PORE
FRAMEWORK
(QUARTZ)
CEMENT
MATRIX

FRAMEWORK
(FELDSPAR)

15
0.25 mm Figure 13.7

Secondary Porosity Dolomitization

Calcite (CaCO3)

Quarts
Grain

Quartz cement

Antrim Fm. Michigan

Dissolved
Feldspar Dolomite CaMg (CO3)2

2 mm Volume decrease leads to new

porosity
Wilcox Fm. South Texas

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Shale Shale
Microphotograph

Wet Mud Compacted Sediment Cemented Shale

(water expelled)

Shale Permeability
• Ability of fluids to flow through Porous
Media
• Permeable
– Large Well-Connected Pores
• Impermeable
– Smaller, Fewer or Less Interconnected Pores

Darcy Equation Permeability Values

• 1-10 md Fair
• 10-100 md Good
• 100-1000 md Very good
Permeability Md = millidarcies
Pressure Gradient
Darcy = units of length2

Viscosity
Volumetric Flow Rate Varies over 3 orders of magnitude or more

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Typical Permeabilities of
Sedimentary Rocks Permeability Measurements

• Porosity can be measured by logs

(density, neutron)
• Permeability needs cores to do
lab injection tests

Alled and Allen, 2013

PERMEABILITY MEASUREMENT Porosity vs. Permeability

GAS SLIPPAGE • Log-normal Log-normal plot
Low Pressure High Pressure

They are
correlated, but
they are not the
same thing!

Regress to ΔP = ∞
Allen & Allen, 2013

Capillary Pressure – Two fluid system

St. Louis Capillary Pressure

Water-wet reservoir

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Relative Permeability SHALE GAS RESERVOIRS

Matrix Gas
Fracture Gas
Adsorbed Gas = Attached to the surface of the organic matter

Reservoir Simulation
Geologic Model
A Geologic (Static) Model
HISTORY An integration of all geologic, geophysical, petrophysical and
MATCH interpreted or conceptual information about a reservoir into
Oil Production

a single 3D numerical description of that reservoir

Actual in Blue

Modeled in Red
Geophysical Interpretation
Production
Time Stratigraphic
Interpretation

Reservoir Simulation Structural Interpretation

33
Petrophysical Interpretation 34
Courtesy of ExxonMobil Courtesy of ExxonMobil

Take Home Ideas
A Geologic Model • Petroleum exists in the pore space
• Compaction & cementation decrease
1m

porosity
• Dissolution, fracturing and
dolomitization increase porosity
• Permeability controls migration and
Each cell can be populated production
with rock & fluid Properties:
– Facies • Oil, gas and water impede each other’s
– Porosity flow
– Permeability
– Fluid Saturation
• Reservoir models are necessary to
– Etc. manage reservoirs effectively
35
Courtesy of ExxonMobil 36

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