PET 305

Fundamentals of Petroleum Operations

Reservoir Rock Property
Class hours: 11:00 11:50 on Sun-Tue-Thu
Class Room: EB1-110

Fall 2017
Dr. Nai-Shyong Yeh
 Reservoir Rocks
To be hydrocarbon reservoir, the geological
formation mush have two essential
characteristics:
Capacity for storage void spaces within the rock
Capability to transfer the (HC) fluids transmissibility
for the continuity of void spaces
Reservoir rock should be porous and permeable
Main reservoir rock types:
Sandstone
Carbonate: Limestone and Dolomite
 Core & Coring
Objective
Gather Information that leads
to more efficient oil and gas
production

Goal
Reduce uncertainty in reservoir
evaluation by providing data
that is representative of the
reservoir by studying rock
samples
 Core
Core is a piece of rock sample (reservoir rock) brought
to the surface for testing and analyzing in the
laboratory
Coring: Process to obtain the core and bring it from
subsurface to the surface: Barrel and Sidewall
 Core / Coring
Coring Methods:
Rotary coring (whole core,
expensive, perpendicular to
the formation)
Sidewall coring (core plug,
2x1 core, parallel to
bedding, after well is drilled)
High pressure coring (maintain
in-situ (reservoir) condition
while coring)
Fluid loss during the coring
process (pressure reduction)
Type of Core:
Whole Core
Core Plug
 Core / Coring

What information the core can provide??

 Pore Space
Petroleum is not stored in underground rivers, caverns
or tanks; but in pore spaces between the grains of
porous rocks
Within pore spaces, fluid such as oil, gas or water can
be found in the subsurface
 Porosity
Porosity () is defined as a percentage or fraction
of void or pore volume to the total bulk volume
of a material (rock)
= = ( )
expressed as fraction

Where = +
= Bulk Volume of reservoir rock (cu ft, 3 )
= Pore Volume ( 3 )
= Grain (Matrix) Volume ( 3 )
 Porosity
In petroleum industry, the porosity is a measurement of the
storage capacity that is capable of holding fluids (Oil, Gas
and/or Water)
Porosity of commercial reservoirs typical ranges from ~5% to
~30%
 Types of Porosity
Total (Absolute) and Effective Porosity
Total porosity is defined as the ratio of the total pore
volume / space to the bulk volume of a material, regardless
of whether or not all of the pores are interconnected.
Effective porosity is defined as the ratio of the
interconnected pore volume to the bulk volume.
 Types of Porosity
Total Porosity
=

Effective Porosity
=

Clean Sand: ~
Carbonates: <
 Pore Space & Grain (Ideal)

= ?
= ?
=?
 Factors Affecting Porosity
Factors:
Particle shape
Particle arrangement
Particle size distribution
Cementation
Vugs & fractures

Particle Shape: porosity increase as angularity of

particle increases
Packing Arrangement: porosity decreases as
compaction increases
 In Petroleum Industry
Effective porosity is used to determine the pore
volume of the rock containing hydrocarbons in
place
PV ( in cubic feet) = 43560 * A*h*
PV (in barrels) = 7758 *A*h*
Where
A = area in Acres
h = average thickness in feet
= fraction
PV = pore volume
 Remarks
Porosity Classification: Primary and Secondary
Porosity
Primary porosity is defined as a porosity in a rock due to
initial sedimentation depositional process.
Secondary porosity is defined as a (induced) porosity in a
rock which happen after sedimentation process, for
example fracturing and re-crystallization.
Porosity Measurement /Estimate
Boyles Law porosimeter
Wet and dry weight method
..
Measure any two: , , ( = = ( ) )
 Estimate of Porosity
= = ( )
Bulk Volume
Grain (matrix) Volume
Pore Volume

How can we estimate / measure these

volumes?
 Bulk Volume ( )
Calculate directly from Dimensions
Displacement method (for irregular shape):
Prevent fluid into the pore space of rock sample
(by coating with paraffin or using mercury as test
liquid)
Volumetric (measure volume)
Gravimetric (measure mass, principle of
buoyancy)
 Grain (Matrix) Volume ( )
Assume grain density

=

Displacement method
Reduce sample to particle/grain size
Volumetric for grain volume
Gravimetric
 Pore Volume ( )
Boyles Law Porosimeter
1 1 = 2 2
Calculate and
Saturation Method
Measure the weight of dry core
Saturated the core with fluid and weighted
Assume the fluid density

=

Boyles Law Porosimeter

Total porosity or effective porosity?

 Averaged Porosity
Arithmetic Average
= /
Thickness-weighted Average
= /
Area-weighted Average
= /
Volumetric-weighted Average
= /
Log Device & Chart
 Porosity Subsurface Measurement
Porosity derived from logs
Density log

=

Sonic log

=

Neutron log
=
 =?
=?
or ?
 Paraffin Volume = (20.9-20) / 0.9
Core bulk volume = 10.9 paraffin volume
Vp = Vb - Vg
Porosity = pore volume / bulk volume
 Water weight = 448.6 427.3
Water volume = water weight / water density
Pore volume = water volume?
Bulk volume = (448.6 269.6) / water density
Total or effect Porosity?
 Saturation
Oil, gas and water in the pore space of reservoir rocks

Fluid Saturation =


Oil Saturation, =


Gas Saturation, =


Water Saturation, =

+ + = 1
Hydrocarbon saturation, = 1 -
Expressed in terms of fraction or percentage
Values of saturation of each phase are not constant; i.e.,
changing during the life of production
 Saturation
Three special type of saturations are particularly
important to the petroleum / reservoir engineering:
Critical gas saturation, : gas phase in the reservoir
condition becomes mobile
Residual oil saturation, : oil phase in the reservoir
condition becomes immobile
Irreducible water saturation, : water saturation at
which the water phase becomes immobile; also known as
connate water saturation or critical water saturation
Averaged saturation?
More discussed later in Fluid Property & Multi-phase
Sections
 In Petroleum Industry
Effective porosity is used to determine the pore
volume of the rock containing hydrocarbons in place
PV ( in cubic feet) = 43560 * A*h*
PV (in barrels) = 7758 *A*h*
Where
A = area in Acres
h = average thickness in feet
= fraction
PV = pore volume

Hydrocarbon Pore Volume (HCPV) = PV * (1- )

 Reservoir Rocks
To be hydrocarbon reservoir, the geological formation mush
have two essential characteristics:
Capacity for storage void spaces within the rock
Capability to transfer the (HC) fluids transmissibility for the
continuity of void spaces
Reservoir rock should be porous and permeable

Reservoir bulk volume,

Reservoir pore volume,
Reservoir hydrocarbon (pore) volume,

Flow in the reservoir and Produced to the surface

PET305: Fundamentals of Petroleum
Operations