Objective
The software to be validated in terms of economic and technical viability is an integrated computational tool for the simulation and characterisation of reservoir pore structure and the prediction of petrophysical and reservoir engineering properties. The project aims to offer a cost effective alternative to expensive laboratory testing by encompassing the following tasks :
(i) BSE imaging and statistical analysis of the porous microstructure,
(ii) 3-D stochastic simulation of the pore structure from its measured statistical properties,
(iii) Geometrical and topological analysis of the 3-D simulated media (pore sizes, connectivity),
(iv) Discrete modelling of single and two-phase flow properties (relative permeabilities, formation factor, resistivity index, capillary pressure curves),
(v) Comparison of the predictions to measured data for European hydrocarbon bearing rocks.
Existing chalk samples (provided by IFE) have been characterised (pore structure) and used for calibration, tuning, and benchmarking purposes. Thin sections were prepared and 2-D digitised images were produced for several samples. They have been used to obtain 3-D reconstructions of the pore space and subsequently predictions (based on numerical solution of local equations and on network approach) of macroscopic properties like permeability and formation factor. Work is continuing on real field samples (chalk and sandstone) to predict more properties (relative permeabilities, porosimetry curves, resistivity index) and compare with experimental measurements.
The software package to be validated comprises an advanced computational tool for the simulation and characterisation of reservoir pore structure and the prediction of petrophysical and reservoir engineering properties. The software attempts to encompass the following tasks :
(i) BSE imaging and statistical analysis of the porous microstructure,
(ii) 3-D stochastic simulation of the pore structure from its measured statistical properties,
(iii) Geometrical and topological analysis of the 3-D simulated media to determine pore/pore throat size distribution and network connectivity,
(iv) Discrete (network) and continuum (finite difference) modelling of a variety of single and two-phase flow properties (absolute and relative permeability, formation factor, resistivity index, capillary pressure curves).
The main objective of this demonstration project is to validate the technical and economic viability of the proposed type of analysis by :
- comparing the predictions to experimental data for European hydrocarbon bearing rocks,
- identifying and eliminating sources of deviation between predictions and experimental data,
- addressing issues of software modification that will lead to performance improvements.
The novelty and power of the proposed software tool lies in the utilization of state-of-the-art methods for the geometrical & topological characterisation of the pore structure in 3-D and the discrete modelling of single and multi-phase flow therein. Unlike existing petrographic image analysis software which is unable to provide 3-D information, the present tool will analyze high resolution back-scatter SEM images of the pore space to extract geostatistical information that is used to generate a reliable reconstruction of the complex rock-pore system in 3-D. The information content of the resulting data is equivalent to that contained in serial section data of pore casts. By partitioning the "virtual" pore structure to its constituents, it is then possible toobtain detailed 3-D geometrical and topological characterisation of the pore space. This, in turn is used as input to single and two-phase flow simulators thus providing estimates of the petrophysical and reservoir engineering properties of interest.
For the oil companies which provide core samples and related data, the ability to predict macroscopic transport properties from easily acquired pore-scale data offers the possibility of overcoming the serious and costly experimental difficulties encountered in measuring these properties in the laboratory. This significantly reduces the time and costs associated with the acquisition of such information and provides a method for constraining the uncertainties accompanying these data. As a result, reliable predictions of oil and water production profiles may be made. This, in turn, permits the proper design and selection of equipment to maximise the economic benefits from a prospect, especially for the case of small and marginal prospects.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryhydrocarbons
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software
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Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinator
15310 Attikis
Greece