Rock Typing and Novel Approach for Fluid-Saturation Distribution in Tilted Water/Oil Contact Reservoirs

Abstract

Rock typing in carbonate reservoirs has always represented a difficult challenge due to rock heterogeneity. When interpreting electrical logs, the thick carbonate formation can leave an impression of a homogenous environment; however, looking at core analysis and mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) data, reservoir heterogeneity can be determined. This complexity of the formation characterization presents challenges in reservoirs that contain tilted water/oil contact (WOC). Tilted WOC discovers hydrocarbon saturation below the free-water level, and different events during geological time can contribute to this specific fluid accumulation. Knowledge of the fluid distribution is needed to understand the mechanisms of oil entrapment, oil volumetrics, and potential recovery mechanisms involved in reservoirs under this wettability and WOC conditions. This case study will describe the workflow used to characterize and model an atypical regime like non-water wet formations in reservoirs with tilted WOC. In this study, a combination of electrical logs, core analysis (lithofacies, poro-perm, MICP), and customized workflow was used to characterize, classify, and map facies. Capillary pressure information and formation tester data were integrated and compiled for each facies. Moving forward, a new method was developed to model saturation height functions representing non-water wet formations and tilted WOC phenomena. Fluid and saturation properties are estimated and assigned to each reservoir point and after reservoir rock types (RRT) were defined. This method has been validated by applying the new approach to actual well data. The drainage capillary pressure (Pc) lab data in the reservoir intervals with established conventional WOC complemented interpretation results derived from acquired logs; however, for the reservoirs zones with identified tilted WOC, correlation and matching Pc lab data with logs was not possible. The new method provides saturation properties in formations with complex fluid-rock interactions and phenomena. This work introduces a novel approach to estimate saturation height functions and saturation distribution for reservoirs with complex fluid-rock interaction and distribution, such as non-water wet formations in tilted WOC conditions.