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Lecture 1 RRP (Introduction)

Reservoir rock properties are important to understand petroleum systems and reservoirs. Reservoir rocks are where hydrocarbons reside and can be classified as oil, gas, or gas-oil reservoirs depending on the fluid distributions. The two main lithological types of reservoir rocks are sandstone and carbonates. Petrophysics is the study of rock and fluid properties, including porosity, permeability, saturation, and wettability. Routine and special core analyses are conducted on rock samples to determine these basic and more advanced reservoir properties. Understanding petrophysics is fundamental for petroleum engineers to estimate hydrocarbon quantities and model fluid flow.

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Saroo Bastky
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15 views

Lecture 1 RRP (Introduction)

Reservoir rock properties are important to understand petroleum systems and reservoirs. Reservoir rocks are where hydrocarbons reside and can be classified as oil, gas, or gas-oil reservoirs depending on the fluid distributions. The two main lithological types of reservoir rocks are sandstone and carbonates. Petrophysics is the study of rock and fluid properties, including porosity, permeability, saturation, and wettability. Routine and special core analyses are conducted on rock samples to determine these basic and more advanced reservoir properties. Understanding petrophysics is fundamental for petroleum engineers to estimate hydrocarbon quantities and model fluid flow.

Uploaded by

Saroo Bastky
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reservoir Rock Properties

What is Petroleum?
Petroleum is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon (composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms) that
can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas. The physical state of the hydrocarbon is a function of the
pressure and temperature to which it is exposed as well as its structure (chain length/molecular
weight). However, most of the hydrocarbons found within the ground are either liquid or gas,
and are referred to as crude oil and natural gas, respectively.
Origin of Petroleum:
There are two theories for the origin of petroleum. They are the organic and inorganic
theories, as stated in Table 1.1

The organic theory is the commonly accepted theory.


Petroleum System
A petroleum system consists of different geological components needed to generate and store
hydrocarbons. These components are source rock, migration path, reservoir rock, trap, and
seal. Source rock is the rock containing organic matter in sufficient quantity, and is under
suitable conditions for the formation of hydrocarbons. Migration path is the pathway that the
hydrocarbons take to move away from the source rock to the point where they can find a
suitable trap. The forces driving the movement of hydrocarbons out of the source rock come
from tectonic stresses, which are coupled with capillarity and buoyancy (density difference);
since hydrocarbons are lighter than water, they move upward. Reservoir rock is the rock that is
able to store hydrocarbons in its pores. The hydrocarbons will continue migrating upward until
they reach a seal. This is an impermeable layer of rock that blocks the hydrocarbons from
further migration. Finally, a trap is a configuration of rocks, ensuring that the hydrocarbons are
stored in it. Traps can be structural, stratigraphic, or a combination of both. Figure 1.1 shows
the components and processes in a petroleum system.

Petroleum Engineering Dept. Page 1


Reservoir Rock Properties

Figure 1.1: Schematic showing (a) the process of hydrocarbon formation and (b) the migration
of matured hydrocarbon until it reaches an impermeable seal and attains static equilibrium.

What is a Reservoir?

In petroleum engineering, a reservoir is the place where the hydrocarbons reside. Our job as
petroleum engineers is to access reservoirs and extract the hydrocarbons (natural gas and/or
crude oil) in an economical and environmentally safe manner. Reservoirs can be classified into
three types: oil, gas, and gas-oil reservoirs, as shown in Figure 1.2. Natural gas, if present in a
reservoir, is always on top because it has the lowest density, while water is always at the
bottom because it has the highest density among the three reservoir fluids (gas, oil, and water).

Figure 1.2: Schematic showing typical hydrocarbon distributions in (a) an oil reservoir, (b) a gas
reservoir and (c) a gas–oil reservoir.

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Reservoir Rock Properties

Lithology of Petroleum Reservoirs


Lithology is the study of the general physical characteristics of a rock. Reservoir rocks can be
divided into two lithological types, namely, sandstone and carbonates. Sandstones are formed
from grains that have undergone sedimentation, compaction, and cementation. Carbonates are
principally formed on carbonate platforms mainly by biogenic processes.
The major characteristics of both sandstone and carbonate rocks are shown in Table 1.2.

What is Petrophysics?
Petrophysics is the study of rock properties and rock-fluid properties. These properties, which
we will study extensively in the following chapters, include: porosity, rock compressibility,
single-phase permeability, fluid saturation, electrical properties of reservoir rocks,
wettability, capillary pressure, and relative permeability. Petrophysics can be divided into core
and wireline petrophysics. In this course, we will mainly cover core petrophysics that requires
conducting laboratory experiments on core samples brought from the reservoir to the surface.
Wireline petrophysics involves using logs to determine properties. Rock samples are extracted
from the reservoir through cuttings or coring, can be subjected to two categories of laboratory
analysis: routine core analysis and special core analysis.

Petroleum Engineering Dept. Page 3


Reservoir Rock Properties

Routine Core Analysis (RCAL)


Routine core analysis attempts to find the basic properties of the reservoir rock such as
porosity, grain density, permeability, and fluid saturation, as shown below:

Special Core Analysis (SCAL)


Special core analysis is an extension of RCAL, and attempts to measure data that is more
representative of the reservoir conditions. These measurements include electrical properties of
reservoir rocks, wettability, capillary pressure, and relative permeability, as shown below:

Why Do We Need to Understand Petrophysics?


Petrophysics is a fundamental science for petroleum engineers. Most of the petroleum
engineering topics branch out from petrophysical concepts. An understanding of petrophysical
properties helps us in:
• Estimating the quantity of hydrocarbons present in the reservoirs (e.g. porosity and fluid
saturation).
• Understanding how the hydrocarbons will flow from the reservoir to the well during
production (e.g. permeability, wettability, and relative permeability).
In this course, we will study each petrophysical property extensively.

Petroleum Engineering Dept. Page 4

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