Lesson Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, the students will be able

Reservoir Engineering Module ,

to:
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 Define porosity
 Differentiate between absolute and effective
porosity
 Explain the factors that effecting porosity

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 The application of porosity
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1. Evaluation of Formation
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2. To estimate oil content in reservoir

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 Definition of Porosity(Φ)
Porosity (Φ) is the ratio of the pore volume (void
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space) in a reservoir to the total volume (bulk

volume) and expressed as a percent.
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 A measure of the space

available for the accumulation
and storage of fluid in the rock.

 Volume within rock that can

contain fluid

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 Definition of Porosity(Φ)
Porosity (Φ) can be calculated using any of the following
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equations:
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The pore volume refers to the summation of or

combined volume of all pore space in the reservoir.

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Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Packing Types
 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Porosity Variations

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 Classification of Porosity
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Reservoir rock porosity can be classified as follows:

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Deposition Connectivity

Primary porosity Total or Absolute Porosity

Secondary porosity Effective Porosity

Ineffective Porosity

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 Classification of Porosity
Primary porosity is the native porosity that is
formed during the deposition of the materials.
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Secondary porosity is created through alteration

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of rock (after deposition), commonly by

processes such as dissolution and fracturing.

Which one has

higher
porosity!!!!!

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 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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 Types 0f Pores

This type of porosity is dependant on the pores connectivity. The

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pores connectivity are divided into three types:

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Interconnected pores

Deadend pores

Isolated pores
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 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Types of Pores

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 Types of Porosity
Total or Absolute Porosity: The ratio of the total void space in a
rock to the bulk volume of that rock.
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Porosity = Total pore volume

Total bulk volume
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Effective Porosity: The ratio of the interconnected void space in a

rock to the bulk volume of that rock.
Important from the reservoir engineering standpoint!

Vol. of interconnected pores +vol. of deadend pores

Total bulk volume
Ineffective Porosity: The ratio of disconnected void space in a
rock to the bulk volume of that rock.

Vol. of disconnected pores

Total bulk volume
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 Factors affecting Porosity

• Grain size
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Porosity decreases with the difference in the grains size distribution

• Grain shape
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Porosity increases as angularity of grains shape increases

• Grain sorting or arrangement

Porosity increases with the well sorted grains

• Cementation and compaction

Porosity decreases as the amount of interstitial and cementing material
increases
Porosity decreases as Compaction increases

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 Range of values
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What is Good Porosity?

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• 0-5 Negligible
• 5-10 Poor
• 10-15 Fair
• 15-20 Good
• > 20 Very Good

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 EXERCISE 1
A petroleum reservoir has an areal extent of 20,000 ft2 and
a pay zone thickness of 100 ft. the total pore volume is
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700,000 ft3. what is the porosity of the reservoir?

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Bulk volume = 20,000*100 = 20,00000 ft3

Then

Porosity = pore volume / bulk volume

Porosity = 700,000 / 20,00000 * 100
Porosity = 35%

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 EXERCISE 2
What is the porosity of the rock sample with bulk volume of
9.9 cm3, mass of the sample in air of 20 grams and sand
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grain density of 2.67 grams/cm3?

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20 g
Bulk Volume = 9.9 cc Grain Volume =
2.67 g / cc

Pore Volume = 9.9 cc  7.49 cc  2.41

2.41cc
Porosity =  0.24
9.9 cc
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 EXERCISE 3

A 37.5 g cleaned and dried core was flooded with a

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0.75 g/cm3 crude oil for several days to ensure

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complete saturation. After the test, the core plug

weighted 44.4 g. what is the oil storage capacity of
this core sample?

This is problem 2 in your homework 1 18

 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Questions?

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 Lesson Objectives
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 Describe the methods used to determine

the values of porosity
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 Calculate bulk Volume

 Calculate pore Volume
 Calculate Grain Volume
 Calculate porosity
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 Measurement of porosity
The porosity (storage capacity) of a reservoir rocks can be
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determined by essentially two different methods:

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Well logs Core analysis

Total porosity Effective porosity
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 Porosity Determination by Routine
Core Analysis

 In all laboratory measurements of porosity, it is

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necessary to determine only two of the three basic

parameters (bulk volume, grain volume and pore
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volume).
All the measurement methods are in general ,
applicable to determine both total and effective
porosity.

Each measurement method depends upon the

nature of the sample and its size.

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 Porosity Determination by Routine
Core Analysis
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 Bulk Volume Measurement
1 Geometric size
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Bulk volume = volume of cylinder =

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Bulk volume = Pore volume + Grain volume

BV = PV + GV
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 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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EXERCISE 1

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 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Solution

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 Bulk volume measurement
2 Displacing Mercury
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Sample immersed in the core chamber with Mercury.

Bulk volume = changing in mercury level
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 Bulk volume measurement
3 Saturation of Fluid
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The Bulk Volume can be measured by observation of the volume

of fluid displaced by the sample on immersion in graduated
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cylinder.

Observation of the fluid displaced can be made:

1. Volumetrically :
weight of fluid displaced

2. Gravimetrically:
change in weight

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 Bulk volume measurement
3 Saturation of Fluid
Reservoir Engineering Module ,

In this method, Fluid penetration into the sample should be

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prevented
by coating the sample with paraffin or a similar
substance
by saturating the core with the fluid into which it is to be
immersed
by using mercury ( Hazardous – Not being used
anymore)
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 EXERCISE 2
A coated core sample is immersed in water:
the weight of dry core sample = 20 g
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the weight of dry core sample coated with paraffin = 20.9 g

Density of paraffin = 0.9 g/cc
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the weight of water displaced by the coated sample when immersed in

water = 10.9 g
Density of water = 1 g/cc
Calculate the bulk volume BV.
Be carful
BV = vol. of water displaced – vol. of paraffin with the
Weight of paraffin = 20.9 – 20 = 0.9 g units
Vol. of paraffin = 0.9 / 0.9 = 1 cc
Vol. of water displaced = 10.9/1 = 10.9 cc
The bulk volume = 10.9 – 1 = 9.9 cc

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 EXERCISE 3

Water saturated core sample immersed in water:

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the weight of dry core sample = 15 g

the weight of saturated core sample = 20.9 g
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the weight of water displaced by the saturated sample when

immersed in water = 9.9 g
Density of water = 1 g/cc
Calculate the bulk volume BV.

BV = vol. of water displaced

Vol. of water displaced = 9.9/1 = 9.9 cc

The bulk volume = 9.9 cc

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 Pore Volume Measurement (PV)

Pore volume can be measured directly by:

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1. Gas Expansion (usually helium)

2. Vacuum saturation (usually water)
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3. Liquid saturation (usually water or oil)

4. Mercury Injection

All these methods yield effective porosity. These methods are

based on either extraction of a fluid from the rock or
introduction of a fluid into the pore spaces of the rock

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 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Porosity Measurement Tools

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 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Gas expansion Helium (Porosimeter)

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 Vacuum saturation

The core pore volume can be calculated by the following

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W W
V  w d
p

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water
Where
Wd = Weigh dry core sample
Ww = Weigh saturated core
sample

Calculate porosity ( Assuming density of water = 1)



W W  w d

V b

The bulk volume = Volume of cylinder

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 Grain Volume Measurement (GV)
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pore volume

bulk volume
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Pore vol. = bulk vol. – grain vol.

Grain vol. = bulk vol. – pore vol.

Grain volume can also be calculated as a function of

the rock density

Grain vol. = weight of dry rock sample / rock density

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 Grain Density
• Table of grain densities (g/cc):
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 EXERCISE 4
A sandstone core sample was saturated under vacuum for 3 hours.
The dry weight of the sample is 15g. The saturated core weight is
Reservoir Engineering Module ,

18g. The density of water and rock are 1 g/cc and 2.65 g/cc
respectively. What is the porosity of that sample?
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Solution
Porosity = PV / BV

PV = 18 – 15 / 1 = 3 cc
BV = ???
GV = 15 / 2.65 = 5.66 cc

Then

BV = PV+GV = 3 + 5.66 = 8.66 cc

Porosity = (3 / 8.66) x 100 = 34% 38

 EXERCISE 5
A glass cylinder has been filled with dolomite grains up to the
2500cm3 mark. The mass of dolomite is 4714 g. Calculate and
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characterize the sand’s porosity.

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First find the grain volume

Grain volume = 4714/2.87 = 1642cc
Pore volume = bulk – grain
Pore volume = 2500 – 1640 = 860 cc
Porosity = 860/2500 = 34%
 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Questions?

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 Recap
What is direct method measurements?
Reservoir Engineering Module ,

What is the application of porosity?

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How to measure
 Bulk volume
 Pore volume
 Grain volume

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 LESSON OUTCOMES
Reservoir Engineering Module ,

 Calculate Averaging Porosity

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 Choose the correct method for averaging

porosity

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 AVERAGING POROSITY

ave.  i n
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Arithmetic average
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Thickness-weighted average ave.  i hi h i

Areal-weighted average ave.  i Ai A i

Volumetric-weighted average ave.  i hi Ai h A i i

n is the total number of core samples. hi is the thickness of the core i or

reservoir area i, 
porosity of the core i or reservoir area i, Ai is the
reservoir area i
 AVERAGING POROSITY
If the reservoir rocks have large variation in porosity vertically and
uniform porosity parallel to the bedding, the Arithmetic average and
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Thickness-weighted average porosity should be used to estimate the

average reservoir porosity.
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ave.  i n Φ = 0.32

ave.  i hi h
Φ = 0.14,

i
Φ = 0.22

An example of a multilayered reservoir

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 AVERAGING POROSITY
If there is a significant variations in porosity in different sections in the
reservoir (heterogeneous Reservoir ), the Areal-weighted average
Reservoir Engineering Module ,

and/or Volumetric-weighted average should be used to estimate the

average reservoir porosity.
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ave.  i Ai A
Φ = 0.10
Φ = 0.24,
i

ave.  i hi Ai h A i i
Φ = 0.32
Φ = 0.14

An example of a heterogeneous reservoir

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 Exercise
Determine the average porosity for the given reservoir using the four
methods.
Reservoir Engineering Module ,

ave.  i n
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ave.  i hi h
Φ = 0.32, h = 9 ft
i

Φ = 0.24, h = 5 ft
ave.  i Ai A i Φ = 0.14, h = 3 ft

L = 80 ft
ave.  i hi Ai h A i i
26. 23. 26. 28
 Applications of Porosity Data

One of the primary rock property data used in most

Reservoir Engineering Module ,

reservoir evaluation is porosity data.

Consequently, it is important that accurate values of
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porosity data for the reservoir rocks are

measured and validated by other independent methods.
Porosity data are used in these basic
reservoir evaluations:
1. Volumetric calculation of fluids in the reservoir
2. Calculation of fluid saturations
3. Geologic characterization of the reservoir
 Reservoir Engineering Module ,
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Questions?

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