The role of diagenesis and depositional facies on pore system evolution in a Triassic outcrop analogue (SE Spain)

This study aims at unravelling the diagenetic history and its effect on the pore system evolution of the Triassic redbeds exposed in SE Spain (TIBEM¹), an outcrop analogue of the TAGI (Trias Argilo-Gréseux Inférieur) reservoir (Berkine-Ghadames Basin, Algeria). Similar climatic, base level and tectonic conditions of aforementioned alluvial formations developed analogue fluvial facies stacking patterns. Furthermore, interplay of similar detrital composition and depositional facies in both formations resulted in analogue early diagenetic features. Petrographic observations indicate lithic subarkosic (floodplain facies) and subarkosic (braidplain facies) compositions which are considered suitable frameworks for potential reservoir rocks. Primary porosity is mainly reduced during early diagenesis through moderate mechanical compaction and formation of K-feldspar overgrowth, gypsum, dolomite and phyllosilicate cements. Early mesodiagenesis is testified by low chemical compaction and quartz cementation. Telodiagenetic calcite filling fractures and K-feldspar dissolution determined the final configuration of analysed sandstones. Mercury injection-capillary pressure technique reveals overbank deposits in the floodplain as the least suitable potential reservoirs because of their lowest open porosity (OP < 16%), permeability (k < 5 mD) and small dimensions. On the other hand, braidplain deposits show the highest values of such properties (OP up to 31.6% and k > 95 mD) and greater thickness and lateral continuity, so being considered the best potential reservoir. The accurate estimation of TIBEM microscale attributes can provide important input for appraisal and enhanced oil recovery performance in TAGI and in others reservoirs consisting on similar fluvial sandy facies.     

Controls on reservoir heterogeneity of tight sand oil reservoirs in Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in Longdong Area,southwest Ordos Basin,China: Implications for reservoir quality prediction and oil accumulation

Compared to conventional reservoirs, pore structure and diagenetic alterations of unconventional tight sand oil reservoirs are highly heterogeneous. The Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation is a major tight-oil-bearing formation in the Ordos Basin, providing an opportunity to study the factors that control reservoir heterogeneity and the heterogeneity of oil accumulation in tight oil sandstones.The Chang 8 tight oil sandstone in the study area is comprised of fine-to medium-grained, moderately to well-sorted lithic arkose and feldspathic litharenite. The reservoir quality is extremely heterogeneous due to large heterogeneities in the depositional facies, pore structures and diagenetic alterations. Small throat size is believed to be responsible for the ultra-low permeability in tight oil reservoirs. Most reservoirs with good reservoir quality, larger pore-throat size, lower pore-throat radius ratio and well pore connectivity were deposited in high-energy environments, such as distributary channels and mouth bars. For a given depositional facies, reservoir quality varies with the bedding structures. Massive- or parallel-bedded sandstones are more favorable for the development of porosity and permeability sweet zones for oil charging and accumulation than cross-bedded sandstones.Authigenic chlorite rim cementation and dissolution of unstable detrital grains are two major diagenetic processes that preserve porosity and permeability sweet zones in oil-bearing intervals. Nevertheless, chlorite rims cannot effectively preserve porosity-permeability when the chlorite content is greater than a threshold value of 7%, and compaction played a minor role in porosity destruction in the situation. Intensive cementation of pore-lining chlorites significantly reduces reservoir permeability by obstructing the pore-throats and reducing their connectivity. Stratigraphically, sandstones within 1 m from adjacent sandstone-mudstone contacts are usually tightly cemented (carbonate cement > 10%) with low porosity and permeability (lower than 10% and 0.1 mD, respectively). The carbonate cement most likely originates from external sources, probably derived from the surrounding mudstone. Most late carbonate cements filled the previously dissolved intra-feldspar pores and the residual intergranular pores, and finally formed the tight reservoirs.The petrophysical properties significantly control the fluid flow capability and the oil charging/accumulation capability of the Chang 8 tight sandstones. Oil layers usually have oil saturation greater than 40%. A pore-throat radius of less than 0.4 μm is not effective for producible oil to flow, and the cut off of porosity and permeability for the net pay are 7% and 0.1 mD, respectively.     

The impact of composition on pore throat size and permeability in high maturity shales: Middle and Upper Devonian Horn River Group,northeastern British Columbia,Canada

Shale reservoirs of the Middle and Upper Devonian Horn River Group provide an opportunity to study the influence of rock composition on permeability and pore throat size distribution in high maturity formations. Sedimentological, geochemical and petrophysical analyses reveal relationships between rock composition, pore throat size and matrix permeability.In our sample set, measured matrix permeability ranges between 1.69 and 42.81 nanodarcies and increases with increasing porosity. Total organic carbon (TOC) content positively correlates to permeability and exerts a stronger control on permeability than inorganic composition. A positive correlation between silica content and permeability, and abundant interparticle pores between quartz crystals, suggests that quartz may be another factor enhancing the permeability. Pore throat size distributions are strongly related to TOC content. In organic rich samples, the dominant pore throat size is less than 10 nm, whereas in organic lean samples, pore throat size distribution is dominantly greater than 20 nm. SEM images suggest that in organic rich samples, organic matter pores are the dominant pore type, whereas in quartz rich samples, the dominant type is interparticle pores between quartz grains. In clay rich and carbonate rich samples, the dominant pore type is intraparticle pores, which are fewer and smaller in size.High permeability shales are associated with specific depositional facies. Massive and pyritic mudstones, rich in TOC and quartz, have comparatively high permeability. Laminated mudstone, bioturbated mudstone and carbonate facies, which are relatively enriched in clay or carbonate, have fairly low permeability.     

Morphometry of micrite particles in cretaceous microporous limestones of the Middle East: Influence on reservoir properties

Microporosity may account for a significant part of the total porosity of Cretaceous limestone reservoirs of the Middle East. In these microporous facies porosity is moderate to excellent (up to 35%) while permeability is poor to moderate (up to 190 mD). Micritic limestones also may form dense layers with very low porosity and permeability values.Micritic samples were collected from three fields of the Habshan and Mishrif Formations, to examine the spatial relationship with their porosity, permeability and pore throat radius distributions. Two key parameters of the micritic particles are studied using scanning electron microscopy: their morphology (shape and inter-crystal contacts), and their crystallometry.Results reveal that micrite matrixes can be subdivided into three petrophysical classes. Class C (strictly microporous limestones with coarse punctic-to-partially coalescent micrites) is made up of coarse (>2 μm) polyhedral to rounded micritic crystals, it has good to excellent porosity (8-28%), poor to moderate permeability (0.2-190 mD) and a mean pore threshold radius of more than 0.5 μm. The class C is usually observed in rudist shoal facies where relatively high hydrodynamic energy disfavoured deposition of the finer micritic crystals. It also developed within meteoric leaching intervals below exposure surfaces. Class F (strictly microporous limestones with fine punctic-to-partially coalescent micrites) is composed of fine (<2 μm) polyhedral to rounded micrites with poor to excellent porosity (3-35%), but permeability values of less than 10 mD and a mean pore threshold radius of less than 0.5 μm. It is mostly observed in sediments deposited in a low energy muddy inner platform setting. Class D (strictly microporous mud-dominated facies with compact anhedral to fused dense micrites) comprises subhedral to anhedral crystals with sutured contacts forming a dense matrix. It has very low porosity and permeability. Class D is only found in low energy muddy inner platform facies and forms inter-reservoir or caps rock layers in close association with stylolites and clay contents that usually exceed 10%.     

Clay coating preserving high porosities in deeply buried intervals of the Stø Formation

The Stø Formation is the most important reservoir interval in the Norwegian Barents Sea, however the reservoir quality can be highly affected by the detrimental effects of quartz cement where there have been extensive post depositional burial. Core plug data from well 7219/8-2 in the Southwestern Barents Sea shows abnormally high porosity and permeability values in certain units of the deeply buried and otherwise highly quartz cemented Stø Formation. The amount of quartz cement in the samples is inversely proportional to the porosity. Samples with high and low porosities are similar texturally and mineralogically, but the high porosity samples have a layer of illitic clay coating the majority of the detrital quartz grains. Illitic clay coating present at grain contacts can result in a lowered IGV given they aid in the dissolution of quartz at interfaces, also creating a source of dissolved silica. Clay induced dissolution means that silica saturation is not a limiting factor in quartz cementation in these samples. The results show that the illitic clay coating is capable of limiting the amount of authigenic quartz overgrowth from 20 to 23% in samples with negligible grain coating to 5–11% in the intervals with high coating coverage. The illitic clay coating inhibits quartz overgrowth by limiting the surface area available for nucleation on detrital grains. The Stø Formation comprises mainly shallow marine deposits of highly reworked clean sandstone. Abnormally high porosities appear to be linked to settings where sediments of a more proximal location are preserved without extensive reworking. The grain coating clay is illitic and most likely originates from clay infiltration processes prior to final deposition. The difference in extent of clay coating in similar facies can mostly be correlated with varying amount of post depositional reworking. This study suggests that there is a potential for considerable porosity and permeability to be preserved in deeply buried sandstones in the Barents Sea. This study could be important in the future exploration activity of deeply buried structures in the area.     

A comparative study of representative 2D microstructures in Shaly and Sandy facies of Opalinus Clay (Mont Terri,Switzerland) inferred form BIB-SEM and MIP methods

A combination of Broad-Ion-Beam (BIB) polishing and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has been used to study qualitatively and quantitatively the microstructure of Opalinus Clay in 2D. High quality 2D cross-sections (ca. 1 mm²), belonging to the Shaly and Sandy facies of Opalinus Clay, were investigated down to the nanometre scale. In addition Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) and X-Ray powder Diffraction experiments have been used to extend characterization of the microstructure to the mm–cm scale on bulk volume sample material. Interestingly, both end-member samples of the Opalinus Clay show qualitatively similar mineralogy and pore characteristics as well as a comparable pore size distribution and pore morphology within the different mineral phases and mineral aggregates. Differences between the facies are mainly due to variations in mineral size and mineral amount present in the alternating layers of the different facies. Six different porous mineral phases have been identified and the pores have been subdivided into ten different pore types. Pores visible in the SEM images are most abundant in the clay matrix and these seem to follow a power law distribution with a power law exponent of ca. 2.25 independent of the sample location. Furthermore, all common mineral grains show characteristic porosity, pore shape and pore size distribution in 2D and are proposed to be considered as elementary building blocks for Opalinus Clay. Combined these homogeneous elementary building blocks make up the heterogeneous fabric of the different facies of Opalinus Clay. Based on extrapolation of the power law size distribution in the clay matrix below SEM resolution results in a porosity of 10–25% for clay rich layers (60–90% of clay matrix), whereas sand and carbonate layers show an extrapolated porosity of 6–14%. These extrapolated porosities are in agreement with water-loss and physical porosity measurements performed on bulk material of comparable samples.     

New insight into the microtexture of chalks from NMR analysis

An integrated petrographical and petrophysical study was carried out on a set of 35 outcrop chalk samples, covering a wide range of lithologies and textures. In this study various chalk rock-types have been characterized, in terms of microtextures and porous network, by integrating both geological, sediment-petrological and petrophysical data, including porosity, permeability, low-field NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), MICP and specific surface area (BET) measurements. The data allow an in depth understanding of the NMR signal of chalks, with a focus on tight chalks, including all low reservoir quality chalks independently of their sedimentological and/or diagenetic history. The study aims to develop an NMR-based approach to characterize a broad range of chalk samples. The provided laboratory low-field NMR chalk classification can be used as a guide to interpret NMR logging data.Based on the petrographical and petrophysical analysis, 6 groups of samples were identified, each of them characterized by a unique NMR signature: (1) micritic chalks, (2) grainy chalks, (3) cemented chalks, (4) marl-seam chalks, (5) argillaceous chalks and (6) silicified chalk. NMR T₂ distributions were linked to pore body size and T₂ logarithmic (T_2lm) was calculated. It is apparent that tight chalks, whether their characteristics are sedimentological or diagenetic, yield smaller pore body sizes (T_2lm < 20 ms), as well as narrower pore throats (average radius < 150 nm) and lower permeability values (typically below 0.2 mD). Grainy chalks possess T₂ distributions reflecting larger pore sizes (T_2lm > 60 ms) and pore throats (average radius > 290 nm) and higher permeabilities (up to 13 mD). The marl-seam chalk samples yield bimodal T₂ distributions, with a first peak related to the micritic matrix pores and a second peak related to intraparticle pores within fossils. For all samples, permeability was inferred from NMR spectra using SDR (Schlumberger Doll Research) model.     

Factors controlling reservoir properties and hydrocarbon accumulation of lacustrine deep-water turbidites in the Huimin Depression,Bohai Bay Basin,East China

Lacustrine deep-water turbidite plays are a novel area for exploration in the Huimin Depression, Bohai Bay Basin. Turbidites in the Shang 847 block, a typical turbidite play in the Huimin Depression, provide an opportunity to study the factors controlling the reservoir properties and hydrocarbon accumulation in lacustrine turbidite sandstones. The reservoir quality of turbidite sandstones (very fine-grained, moderately to well sorted, mainly lithic arkose) in this study area are mainly controlled by the distribution patterns of carbonate cements and pseudomatrix. Significant inverse relationships exist between the volume of carbonate cement and both porosity and permeability of the turbidite sandstones. Carbonate cement is located preferentially near the margins of the sandstone bodies. Sandstones with distance from the sandstone–mudstone contact surface less than 0.7 m or with thickness less than 1.2 m are commonly tightly cemented (carbonate cement >15%) with low porosity and permeability (lower than 10% and 0.1 mD, respectively). The source of carbonate cement was most likely external, probably derived from the surrounding mudstone. Most pore-filling carbonate cements occurred during late diagenesis at burial depths greater than 2200 m. The petrophysical properties of turbidites have a positive relationship with the content of kaolinite and chlorite, but have a negative relationship with the content of illite. 2-D and 3-D reconstructions of non-oil bearing and oil-bearing layers indicate that dissolution of carbonate cement, feldspars and unstable rock fragments was more developed in oil-bearing layers than in non-oil bearing layers and hance oil-bearing layers have higher porosity and larger pore sizes. Petrophysical property appears to have a significant effect on the hydrocarbon accumulation in the turbidite sandstones. Sandstones with porosities lower than 9% and/or permeabilities lower than 0.78 mD are not prone to contain oil.     

Diagenetic alterations and reservoir heterogeneity within the depositional facies: A case study from distributary-channel belt sandstone of Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation reservoirs (Ordos Basin,China)

Diagenesis is of decisive significance for the reservoir heterogeneity of most clastic reservoirs. Linking the distribution of diagenetic processes to the depositional facies and sequence stratigraphy has in recent years been discipline for predicting the distribution of diagenetic alterations and reservoir heterogeneity of clastic reservoirs. This study constructs a model of distribution of diagenetic alterations and reservoir heterogeneity within the depositional facies by linking diagenesis to lithofacies, sandstone architecture and porewater chemistry during burial. This would help to promote better understanding of the distribution of reservoir quality evolution and the intense heterogeneity of reservoirs. Based on an analogue of deltaic distributary channel belt sandstone in Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, 83 sandstone plug samples were taken from 13 wells located along this channel belt. An integration of scanning electron microscopy, thin sections, electron microprobe analyses, rate-controlled porosimetry (RCP), gas-flow measurements of porosity and permeability, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments, together with published data, were analysed for the distribution, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of detrital and diagenetic components and the distribution of reservoir quality within the distributary channel belt.Distribution of diagenetic alterations and reservoir heterogeneity within the distributary channel belt sandstones include (i) formation of high quality chlorite rims in the middle part of thick sandstones with coarser grain sizes and a lower content of ductile components resulted from the greater compaction resistance of these sandstones (providing larger pore spaces for chlorite growth), leading to formation of the intergranular pore – wide sheet-like throat and intergranular pore - intragranular pore – wide sheet-like throat (Φ>15%, k>1mD) in the middle part of thick sandstones; (ii) formation of thinner chlorite rims in the middle part of thinner sandstones is associated with the intergranular pore - intragranular pore – narrow sheet-like throat (9%<Φ<14%, 0.2mD<k<0.8mD); (iii) strong cementation by kaolinite in the more proximal sandstones of distributary channel owing to the strong feldspar dissolution by meteoric water, resulting in the intragranular pore - group of interstitial cement pores – narrow sheet-like throat/extremely narrow sheet-like throat (8%<Φ<11%, 0.1mD<k<0.3mD) due to the pore-filling kaolinite occluding porosity; (iv) formation of dense ferrocalcite zones (δ¹⁸O_VPDB = −23.4‰ to −16.6‰; δ¹³ C_VPDB = −4.0‰ to −2.3‰) favoured in the top and bottom of the channel sandstone which near the sandstone-mudstone bouding-surface, destroying pore space (Φ<8%, k<0.1mD); (v) strong compaction in sandstone of distributary channel edge laterally as a result of fine grain size and high content of ductile components in those sandstones, forming the group of interstitial cement pores – extremely narrow sheet-like throat with porosity values less than 8%.     

Reservoir quality along a homoclinal carbonate ramp deposit: The Permian Upper Dalan Formation,South Pars Field,Persian Gulf Basin

Permo-Triassic carbonate successions host some of the largest oil and gas reserves in the Arabian Plate, including the world's largest gas reservoirs of the Upper Dalan and the Kangan formations in the South Pars Gas Field, Persian Gulf Basin. Both formations are stratigraphically equivalent to the Upper Khuff Formation which has been long recognized as a major oil and gas reservoir in the Arabian Peninsula. The Permian Upper Dalan Formation is composed mainly of mixed carbonate-evaporite sequences that formed on a laterally continuous homoclinal carbonate ramp with significant variations in reservoir heterogeneity and quality. They can be grouped in 18 microfacies. High reservoir qualities are found within high-energy shoal environments with a tendency of the best reservoir quality to occur towards the basin in a mid-ramp setting. In contrast, low-energy tidal flat environments exhibit the poorest reservoir quality. Reservoir quality from lagoonal environments is diverse. Diagenesis has significantly affected reservoir properties by both enhancing and destroying original porosity and permeability. Bivariate plots of porosity and permeability values, combined with thin section petrography indicate that pore-filling “pervasive” and poikilotopic anhydrite cements had the greatest negative impact on the reservoir quality whereas dolomitization and dissolution of grains and cements played the most positive role. Two third-order sequence stratigraphic cycles link lithologies and depositional environments to sea-level fluctuations. HSTs are associated with better reservoir characteristics than TSTs.     

Mechanisms for permeability modification in the damage zone of a normal fault,northern Perth Basin,Western Australia

Faults and their associated damage zones in sedimentary basins can be sealing, impeding fluid flow and creating permeability barriers, or open, creating fluid pathways. This impacts the reservoir potential of rocks in fault damage zones. Stylolitization and fracturing severely impacted permeability through compartmentalization and cementation of Apium-1, an exploration hole drilled in the northern Perth Basin, Western Australia. Apium-1 is located 1 km into the hanging wall block damage zone of a major NNW-trending normal fault. The drill core consists of fine- to medium-grained quartz arenite overlain by a coarse-grained lag and capped by impermeable shale. It was quantitatively characterized by sedimentary and structural logging, and microstructural and porosity-permeability analysis. Fractures and stylolites in the damage zone of the major fault are shown to have been sealed. Extensional cracks have been sealed by quartz precipitation; shear fractures that locally preserve brecciation are always quartz and siderite cemented; stylolites are common and contain halos of quartz cementation. In each case, porosity was reduced to approximately 1%, with concomitant reduction of permeability to <<0.01 mD. These structures are observed to be interconnected in the core and are likely to form a larger-scale 3D network of steeply-dipping fractures and shallowly-dipping stylolites. The bulk permeability of the damage zone would reflect the permeability of the fractures and stylolites, compartmentalizing the Mesozoic rocks in the northern Perth Basin into elongate NW-SE trending blocks if the magnitude of stress does not exceed the cemented rock strength.     

Reservoir characteristics and their effects on hydrocarbon accumulation in lacustrine turbidites in the Jiyang Super-depression,Bohai Bay Basin,China

A great difference exists between the hydrocarbon charging characteristics of different Tertiary lacustrine turbidites in the Jiyang Super-depression of the Bohai Bay Basin, east China. Based on wireline log data, core observation and thin-section analyses, this study presents detailed reservoir property data and their controlling effects from several case studies and discusses the geological factors that govern the hydrocarbon accumulation in turbidite reservoirs. The lacustrine fluxoturbidite bodies investigated are typically distributed in an area of 0.5–10 km², with a thickness of 5–20 m. The sandstones of the Tertiary turbidites in the Jiyang Super-depression have been strongly altered diagenetically by mechanical compaction, cementation and mineral dissolution. The effect of compaction caused the porosity to decrease drastically with the burial depths, especially during the early diagenesis when the porosity was reduced by over 15%. The effect of cementation and mineral dissolution during the late-stage diagenesis is dominated by carbonate cementation in sandstones. High carbonate cement content is usually associated with low porosity and permeability. Carbonate dissolution (secondary porosity zone) and primary calcite dissolution is believed to be related to thermal maturation of organic matter and clay mineral reactions in the surrounding shales and mudstone. Two stages of carbonate cementation were identified: the precipitation from pore-water during sedimentation and secondary precipitation in sandstones from the organic acid-dissolved carbonate minerals from source rocks. Petrophysical properties have controlled hydrocarbon accumulation in turbidite sandstones: high porosity and permeability sandstones have high oil saturation and are excellent producing reservoirs. It is also noticed that interstitial matter content affects the oil-bearing property to some degree. There are three essential elements for high oil-bearing turbidite reservoirs: excellent pore types, low carbonate cement (<5%) and good petrophysical properties with average porosity >15% and average permeability >10 mD.     

Controls on reservoir quality in exhumed basins – an example from the Ordovician sandstone,Illizi Basin,Algeria

Petroleum exploration in many North African intracratonic basins targets Early Paleozoic sandstones as the primary reservoir objective. These sandstones are often characterized by highly variable reservoir quality (0.0001–1000 mD), and the ability to predict and selectively target areas of enhanced porosity and permeability is crucial to unlock the hydrocarbon potential. The objective of this study is to characterize the primary controls on reservoir quality in an Ordovician field in the Illizi Basin of Algeria through detailed core and petrographic analysis, and establish if variations in thermal history across the field have a material impact on reservoir quality. The best reservoir quality is observed in facies where primary intergranular porosity has been preserved in fine to coarse grained quartzarenites with less than 1% fibrous illite. These lithologies are most commonly found within the high-energy, tidally reworked, post-glacial facies sandstones of the uppermost Ordovician succession. Observed differences in quartz cement volume within compositionally and texturally similar samples from the southern and northern parts of the field are interpreted to reflect variations in thermal exposure due to deeper burial. This interpretation is supported by field-wide numerical modelling of sandstone diagenesis. This study indicates that subtle variations in thermal history can have a material impact on the spatial trends in reservoir permeability. Thermal history, therefore, is an important consideration in reservoir quality studies in exhumed basins where variations in present-day burial depth will be a poor guide for evaluating reservoir quality risk across a basin or play.     

Prediction of diagenetic facies using well logs – A case study from the upper Triassic Yanchang Formation,Ordos Basin,China

Understanding diagenetic heterogeneity in tight sandstone reservoirs is vital for hydrocarbon exploration. As a typical tight sandstone reservoir, the seventh unit of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin (Chang 7 unit), central China, is an important oil-producing interval. Results of helium porosity and permeability and petrographic assessment from thin sections, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence analysis demonstrate that the sandstones have encountered various diagenetic processes encompassing mechanical and chemical compaction, cementation by carbonate, quartz, clay minerals, and dissolution of feldspar and lithic fragments. The sandstones comprise silt-to medium-grained lithic arkoses to feldspathic litharenites and litharenites, which have low porosity (0.5%–13.6%, with an average of 6.8%) and low permeability (0.009 × 10⁻³ μm² to 1.818 × 10⁻³ μm², with an average of 0.106 × 10⁻³ μm²).This study suggests that diagenetic facies identified from petrographic observations can be up-scaled by correlation with wire-line log responses, which can facilitate prediction of reservoir quality at a field-scale. Four diagenetic facies are determined based on petrographic features including intensity of compaction, cement types and amounts, and degree of dissolution. Unstable and labile components of sandstones can be identified by low bulk density and low gamma ray log values, and those sandstones show the highest reservoir quality. Tightly compacted sandstones/siltstones, which tend to have high gamma ray readings and relatively high bulk density values, show the poorest reservoir quality. A model based on principal component analysis (PCA) is built and show better prediction of diagenetic facies than biplots of well logs. The model is validated by blind testing log-predicted diagenetic facies against petrographic features from core samples of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, which indicates it is a helpful predictive model.     

Importance of vertical effective stress for reservoir quality in the Skagerrak Formation,Central Graben,North Sea

The complex fluvial sandstones of the Triassic Skagerrak Formation are the host reservoir for a number of high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) fields in the Central Graben, North Sea. All the reservoir sandstones in this study comprise of fine-grained to medium-grained sub-arkosic to arkosic sandstones that have experienced broadly similar burial and diagenetic histories to their present-day maximum burial depths. Despite similar diagenetic histories, the fluvial reservoirs show major variations in reservoir quality and preserved porosity. Reservoir quality varies from excellent with anomalously high porosities of up to 35% at burial depth of >3500 m below seafloor to non-economic with porosities <10% at burial depth of 4300 m below seafloor.This study has combined detailed petrographic analyses, core analysis and pressure history modelling to assess the impact of differing vertical effective stresses (VES) and high pore fluid pressures (up to 80 MPa) on reservoir quality. It has been recognised that fluvial channel sandstones of the Skagerrak Formation in the UK sector have experienced significantly less mechanical compaction than their equivalents in the Norwegian sector. This difference in mechanical compaction has had a significant impact upon reservoir quality, even though the presence of chlorite grain coatings inhibited macroquartz cement overgrowths across all Skagerrak Formation reservoirs. The onset of overpressure started once the overlying Chalk seal was buried deeply enough to form a permeability barrier to fluid escape. It is the cumulative effect of varying amounts of overpressure and its effect on the VES history that is key to determining the reservoir quality of these channelised sandstone units. The results are consistent with a model where vertical effective stress affects both the compaction state and subsequent quartz cementation of the reservoirs.     

Permeability in Rotliegend gas sandstones to gas and brine as predicted from NMR,mercury injection and image analysis

Permeability characterisation of low permeability, clay-rich gas sandstones is part of production forecasting and reservoir management. The physically based Kozeny (1927) equation linking permeability with porosity and pore size is derived for a porous medium with a homogeneous pore size, whereas the pore sizes in tight sandstones can range from nm to μm. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) transverse relaxation was used to estimate a pore size distribution for 63 samples of Rotliegend sandstone. The surface relaxation parameter required to relate NMR to pore size is estimated by combination of NMR and mercury injection data. To estimate which pores control permeability to gas, gas permeability was calculated for each pore size increment by using the Kozeny equation. Permeability to brine is modelled by assuming a bound water layer on the mineral pore interface. The measured brine permeabilities are lower than predicted based on bound water alone for these illite rich samples. Based on the fibrous textures of illite as visible in electron microscopy we speculate that these may contribute to a lower brine permeability.     

东海陆架盆地N气田花港组储层特征及分类评价

东海陆架盆地西湖凹陷古近系花港组储层为典型的低孔、低渗储层.基于大量岩心物性、粒度、薄片、压汞等资料,对N气田目的层储层岩性、物性和孔隙结构特征进行精细评价.结果表明:N气田花港组储层岩性以细砂岩为主,矿物成分构成稳定,以石英为主,黏土含量低,岩性较纯;随着埋藏变深,孔隙变差,粒间孔减少,溶蚀孔增加,孔喉半径减小,连通...     

琼东南盆地深水区中央峡谷黄流组储层特征及主控因素

在利用钻井和岩心资料基础上,结合铸体薄片、常规物性、压汞实验等分析测试手段,对琼东南盆地深水区中央峡谷黄流组储层特征及其影响因素进行了分析。研究表明,中央峡谷黄流组砂岩以岩屑石英砂岩为主,砂岩粒级较细且分选好,成熟度较高。原生粒间孔为主要孔隙类型,孔隙结构普遍为中孔细喉型。储层物性总体表现为中孔-特高孔、中渗-特高渗的特征。沉积微相和成岩作用是影响黄流组储层物性的主要因素,深水浊流沉积的水道砂岩是发育优质储层的前提,同时中央峡谷特殊的水深和温压条件是影响储层成岩作用的重要因素。海水深度大,而实际地层埋深浅,储层总体处于低温常压环境中,以致成岩作用程度普遍不强,但中央峡谷黄流组储层物性的内在差异仍主要受控于压实作用,中央峡谷自西向东,水深增加,实际地层埋深变浅,压实作用减弱,储层孔隙度和渗透率较好,总体上峡谷东部气层含气饱和度也较西部高。