Rock Properties

Porosity
 Porosity (φ)

VB − VG VP
φ= =
VB VB
VB = Bulk Volume of the Rock
VG = Grain Volume
VP = Pore Volume

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.2
 Porosity

Storage/Volume of Hydrocarbons

General Relationship to Flow

Capacity

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.3
 Porosity

Primary Porosity
– Present at time of deposition - uniform

Secondary Porosity
– Due to alterations that occur after deposition -
heterogeneous
– Fractures, fissures, joints, solution vugs,
dolomitization
– Matrix and fracture porosity

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.4
 Porosity

ƒ Total Porosity / Absolute Porosity

ƒ Effective Porosity
– Inter Connected Pores

– Typically, Absolute Φ ≈ Effective Φ

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.5
 Factors Influencing Porosity

ƒ Grain Size Distribution / Packing

ƒ Cementation
ƒ Grain Shape
ƒ Compaction
ƒ Chemical Solution
ƒ Fracturing

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.6
 Porosity

Cubic Hexagonal Rhombohedral

φ = 47.6% φ = 39.5% φ = 25.9%

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.7
Methods of Measuring Porosity

Core

Logs

Production Performance

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.8
 Porosity Measurement

ƒ Core samples measure effective porosity

ƒ Make sure laboratory measurements
reflect insitu conditions
ƒ Variety of laboratory measurement
methods based on fluid extraction or
fluid injection
ƒ Laboratory measurement generally
accurate to 0.8 percent porosity

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.9
Problems With Core Porosity Measurements

ƒ Coverage is limited
ƒ Alteration; swelling clays or drying clays
ƒ Can’t handle fracture porosity
ƒ Carbonate vugs often can’t be sampled
with plugs
ƒ Washing out fine particles in cleaning
ƒ Correction to reservoir overburden
pressure

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.10
Log Porosity Measurement

Open Hole Well Logs

Sonic Log
Neutron Log
Density Log
Cross Plots

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.11
 Sonic Log

Δt − Δt ma
φ=
Δt f − Δt ma
Δ tf = 190 micro seconds / foot

Δ tm = 50 - 55.5 micro seconds / foot sandstone

= 43 - 47.5 micro seconds / foot limestone
= 43.5 micro seconds / foot dolomite

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.12
 Density Log Porosity

ρ ma − ρ b
φ=
ρ ma − ρ f
ρf = 1.0 gm/cc or filtrate
ρma = 2.65 - 2.70 gm/cc sandstone
2.71 gm/cc limestone
2.83 - 2.87 gm/cc dolomite

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.13
 Log Porosity Cross-Plots

Simultaneous solutions for φ and

Lithology

φ is good

Lithology is poor

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.14
Neutron Porosity Index

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.15
 Characteristics of Logs

ƒ Extensive Coverage
ƒ Some difficult interpretation situations
Complex lithology
Well bore problems

ƒ Costly
ƒ Difficult to run in horizontal wells
ƒ Averages over vertical interval

Reservoir Engineering
Rock Properties 2.1.16