Abstract
Core analysis (CA) is challenged in physically measuring permeability (K), capillary pressure (Pc), “irreducible” water saturation (Swi), and relative permeability (2-P Kr and 3-P Kr) for rocks with permeability of 0.000001-0.1 millidarcies. Measurements are complicated by stress-dependency, high capillary pressure, microcracks, differing PHI-K-Sw measurement methods, and controlling fluid distributions. Image-based rock physics (IBRP) provides independent complementary measurements. The objective of this study was to develop an integrated CA-IBRP workflow and measure these properties on Niobrara Formation chalks and marls, Denver Basin, Colorado. The IBRP methodology used to characterize a representative property can be classified as being one of three types based on; 1) whether material phase locations are known, and 2) whether the material phase property can be characterized at the REV resolution. For this classification, the Niobrara chalks and marls are a Type 1 characterization where the location of phases is known and the phase properties can be characterized at the Representative Elementary Volume (REV) scale. On representative chalk/marl samples, CA was performed and high-resolution 3D microscope images acquired using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy. IBRP and CA cross-validation was performed. Complete drainage 2-P Kr and 3-P Kr curves were developed and the influence of Swi and bound water on Pc and Kr analyzed. Principal steps in the CA-IBRP integrated workflow comprise: 1) Measure porosity using helium porosimetry and intelligent image analytics on micro-images; 2) Measure permeability on core and using Navier-Stokes-based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations on image volumes, and characterize REV and flow vector properties; 3) Measure core mercury intrusion Pc and 3D-image-computed Pc to characterize pore body-throat size distribution; 4) Measure core as-received gas permeability and compute 2-P and 3-P Kr using image-based CFD at multiple saturations; and 5) Use IBRP to analyze bound water effect. IBRP reproduced CA PHI, K, K-PHI, Pc, and drainage 2-P oil Kr relationships providing cross-validation of CA and IBRP. IBRP allowed control of the volume and distribution of fluids in the pore space. Carefully cross-validated IBRP and CA is an extremely powerful tool for microdarcy rocks, and IBRP provides unique data particularly in assessing Kr relationships. Properties computed herein have been used in reservoir- and well-scale numerical flow modeling to support exploration, completion and production management decisions.
Speaker Biography
Alan Byrnes has a BS in Geology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and MS in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago. He has worked as a Research Geologist, Petrophysicist, and Project Manager at the Institute of Gas Technology, Marathon Oil Research, Core Laboratories, and the Kansas Geological Survey; Owned the special core analysis laboratory, GeoCore; was Chief Petrophysicist at Chesapeake Energy, and is Senior Petrophysical Advisor at Whiting Petroleum. Over 35 years he has published 95+ technical publications and 100+ abstracts on rock properties, oil/gas field and laboratory studies, basin and geomodeling, reservoir characterization and integration of geologic-petrophysical-engineering analysis.
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From the President
Sam Fluckiger
First, I hope all of you thoroughly enjoyed the Holiday season with friends and family and I wish each of you a happy New Year! Also, while I understand that not everyone is excited that snow has finally arrived for the season, for the skiers among us, I hope you are as excited as I am. I would like to thank Michael Holmes for his Luncheon presentation last November and I look forward to the series of great talks we have lined up for our monthly luncheons this spring. I also want to thank Jesse Havens, our director of social events for organizing the Holiday Social event held at the Rialto Café in November. I very much enjoyed socializing with everyone in attendance and getting to know many of you I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet before.
Our annual spring workshop, to be held on April 10th at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, is coming together nicely and we have a number of really great talks already confirmed. The theme of this year’s conference revolves around core analysis, the challenges there, new and evolving techniques, and some of the great work that has been done by integrating various core data types. Please mark your calendars for this event and I look forward to having as successful a conference as we had last year.
In other news, a new charter agreement has been released between the DWLS and SPWLA. The Board of Directors have been waiting for this formal agreement for some time now and are currently reviewing the document to determine that this agreement meets the needs of the DWLS membership. This will be a key topic of discussion during our board meeting this month, and as I’d mentioned in a previous newsletter, I will be sending out a survey/questionnaire to the membership to solicit your feedback on several matters, including the new charter agreement. Now that we actually have the agreement in hand, you should expect to receive this survey in the relatively near future and I would implore each of you to please take a few minutes to provide your feedback on these important matters.
I wish you all the best in the New Year,
Sam Fluckiger
President DWLS
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Calendar of Events
Click the calendar to the right to view events on the web.
Other Important Events
2018 SPWLA Annual Symposium, June 3-6, 2018 (London, England)
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DWLS Sponsors
Click here to view the sponsors on the website, or click on any image to contact a sponsor.
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Chapter Statistics
Statistic
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This Year
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3-Year Average
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| # of Active members * |
283 |
375 |
| # that are New members |
5 |
12 |
| # that are Students * |
7 |
11 |
| # that are Lifetime Members * |
257 |
311 |
| September luncheon meeting attendance |
53 |
60 |
| October luncheon meeting attendance |
33 |
71 |
| November luncheon meeting attendance |
53 |
60 |
| Holiday party attendance |
29 |
44 |
| January luncheon meeting attendance |
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65 |
| February luncheon meeting attendance |
|
67 |
| March luncheon meeting attendance |
|
53 |
| April luncheon meeting attendance |
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54 |
| May luncheon meeting attendance |
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49 |
| Summer social attendance |
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22 |
* Note that we did a thorough cleanup of bad email addresses that resulted in some of our members being removed until they can be tracked down again. So this year's membership numbers are going to be a bit lower.
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The DWLS Newsletter is published monthly September through June by the Denver Well Logging Society. For information on membership or advertising, contact the editor. For other inquiries, contact a member of the Board of Directors.
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