Review of Reservoir Rock Properties

Rocks are described by five properties:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Porosity
Saturation
Permeability
Capillary Pressure
Wettability

Porosity
The fraction of total volume that is
available for the storage of fluids

Porosity
Vb Vma
Porosity

Vb
Vb
Vp

Rock Matrix and Pore Space

Rock matrix

Pore space

Pore-Space Classification
Total Pore Space
Total porosity, t =
Bulk Volume

Interconnected Pore Space

Effective porosity, e =
Bulk Volume

Primary and Secondary Porosity

Primary Porosity: is pore space that has been
in place since original deposition
e.g. intergranular or matrix porosity

Secondary Porosity is formed by some

geologic process subsequent to original
deposition

e.g. tectonic stresses; movement of

formation water

 Fracture Porosity = ratio of void space

within fractures to bulk volume

Dual Porosity refers to a system where

both matrix and fracture porosity exist

Average Porosity

Comparison of Total and

Effective Porosities
Very clean sandstones : t = e
Poorly to moderately well -cemented
intergranular materials: t e
Highly cemented materials and most
carbonates: e < t

Carbonate Porosity
Intergranular porosity is called "primary porosity".
Porosity created after deposition is called
"secondary porosity".
The latter is in two forms:
Fissures
Vugs

Carbonate Porosity Types 1

Carbonate porosity is very heterogeneous. It is classified into a number
of types:

Intragranular porosity: Pore space is

created inside the individual grains which
are interconnected.

Carbonate Porosity Types 2

Fissures

Fissure (Fracture) porosity:

Pore spacing created by the
cracking of the rock fabric.

Channel porosity:
Similar to fracture porosity
but larger.

Vuggy porosity:
Created by the dissolution of
fragments, but unconnected.

Fissures (Fractures)
Fissures are caused when a rigid rock is strained beyond
its elastic limit - it cracks.
The forces causing it to break are in a constant direction,
hence all the fissures are also aligned.
Fissures are an important source of permeability in low
porosity carbonate reservoirs.

Matrix

Fissures

Vugs

Vug

Vugs are defined as non-connected pore space.

They do not contribute to the producible fluid total.
Vugs are caused by the dissolution of soluble material
such as shell fragments after the rock has been
formed.
They usually have irregular shapes.

Factors Affecting on Porosity

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Sorting
Compaction
Cementation
Compressibility
Clay content
Granulation and crushing
Packing

Packing

By: Prof.Attia M. Attia

Porosity classes in the reservoir

Porosity < 5 poor (low)
Porosity = 10-20 (Average)
Porosity = (20-30) good
Porosity > 30 excellent

Saturation
The saturation of a given fluid is the
fraction of the pore volume filled by
that fluid: OR
Saturation is defined as that fraction, or
percent, of the pore volume occupied
by a particular fluid (oil, gas, or water).

Saturation
Amount of water per unit volume = Sw
Amount of hydrocarbon per unit volume = (1 - Sw)

f
1-f

f (1-Sw)
f Sw

Hydrocarbon
Water

Matrix

In-Situ Saturation

Rock matrix

Water

Oil and/or gas

Volume of fluid
S
Pore volume

Types of saturation
So , Sw , Sg , i
Swc, Sgc , Soc

Sor
Swr

Concept of Rock Permeability

Permeability
Permeability K is a property of the porous medium and is a
measure of the capacity of the medium to transmit fluids

Absolute K : When the medium is completely saturated with one

fluid, then the permeability measurement is often referred to as
specific or absolute permeability

Effective K: When the rock pore spaces contain more than one

fluid, then the permeability to a particular fluid is called the effective

permeability. Effective permeability is a measure of the fluid
conductance capacity of a porous medium to a particular fluid when
the medium is saturated with more than one fluid

Relative K: Defined as the ratio of the effective permeability to a

fluid at a given saturation to the effective permeability to that fluid at
100% saturation.

Relative K ratio: is defined as the ratio of the relative permeability

to a given fluid to the relative permeability to another fluid.

Rock Permeability
Darcys Law
L
p2

p1

Direction of flow

qm
L
k

A ( p1 p 2)
k = permeability
(measured in darcies)

L = length
q = flow rate
p1, p2 = pressures
A = area perpendicular to flow
m = viscosity

Darcys Law: Radial Flow

rw.

2kh( P Pw )
q
m ln r / rw
h = height of the cylinder (zone)
P = pressure at r
Pw = pressure at the wellbore

Calculating Relative Permeabilities

Oil

Water

Gas

k ro

k eo

krw

k ew

k rg

k eg
k

Permeability and Rocks

In formations with large grains,
the permeability is high and
the flow rate larger.

In a rock with small grains the

permeability is less and the
flow lower.
Grain size has no bearing on
porosity, but has a large effect
on permeability.

Permeability classes or values in the field

K < 1 mD (very low) Tight reservoir
K = 1-10 mD

(low)

K = 50-200 mD

(average)

K = 200-500 mD (good)
K >500 mD

(Excellent)

Reservoir Characterization
CUT-Off Values; it is the most effective
factor of determining the remaining
reserve for the mature of fields
Cut-off value

Porosity,%

Permeability,
md

Water
Clay content
saturation%
%

Oil
Reservoirs

<10

<50

>50

>15

Gas
Reservoirs

<5

<1

>75

>15

Capillary Pressure
Non wetting phase pressure minus wetting phase pressure

By: Prof.Attia M. Attia

Uses of Capillary Pressure Data:

Determine initial water saturation in the
reservoir.
Determine fluid distribution in the reservoir.
Determine residual oil saturation for water
flooding applications
Determine pore size distribution index.
May help in identifying zones or rock

types.

Input for reservoir simulation calculations

20

Capillary Pressure

16

Decreasing
Permeability,
Decreasing l

12
C
B

0.2

0.4

0.6

Water Saturation

0.8

1.0

Capillary pressure, psia

Well-sorted

Poorly sorted
Decreasing l

Water saturation, %

Pore size and distribution

Saturation History Terminology

Imbibition: any process which results in an
increase in the saturation of the wetting
phase over time.
Drainage: any process which results in an
decrease in the saturation of the wetting
phase over time.
Hysteresis: the value observed is
dependent upon the direction or history of
the process.

Wettability
Wettability: Tendency of one fluid to spread on or adhere to a
solid surface in the presence of other immiscible fluids.
Wettability refers to interaction between fluid and solid
phases.

WETTABILITY CLASSIFICATION
Strongly oil- or water-wetting
Neutral wettability : no preferential wettability

to either water or oil in the pores

Fractional wettability : reservoir that has local

areas that are strongly oil-wet, whereas most

of the reservoir is strongly water-wet
- Occurs where reservoir rock have variable
mineral composition and surface chemistry

Mixed wettability smaller pores area

water-wet are filled with water, where
as larger pores are oil-wet and filled
with oil