SPWLA Webinar January 2019

SPWLA Webinar January 2019
Integrated Workflow to Estimate Permeability Through Quantification of Rock Fabric Using Joint Interpretation of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Electric Measurements


SPEAKER:
Artur Posenato Garcia (The University of Texas at Austin)

Speaker Bio:

Artur Posenato Garcia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a M.Eng. in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering from the Technological Institute of Aeronautics, Brazil. He worked with aeroservoelasticity at Embraer’s executive jets division from 2007 to 2009, as an artificial lift engineer at Petrobras from 2009 to 2014 in Brazil, and as a simulator systems analyst at Aker Solutions/MHWirth from 2014 to 2015 in Norway. He was designated a Distinguished Speaker for 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 by the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA). Artur is currently a graduate research assistant at The University of Texas at Austin under the supervision of Dr. Heidari. His research interests include Formation Evaluation, Petrophysics, Pore Scale Physics, Petroleum Engineering, and Mathematical Modeling.

Abstract: Variable depositional cycles and severe diagenesis are among the main contributing factors to complex pore network encountered in formations such as carbonates. This complexity is often not reliably incorporated in conventional permeability models. Conventional methods for permeability assessment, including electrical-based models (e.g., Katz and Thompson) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)-based models (e.g., Coates and Schlumberger-Doll-Research), either require characterization of pore network or calibration efforts such as detection of cutoff values and assessment of constant model parameters. Joint evaluation of dielectric permittivity, resistivity, and NMR measurements enables capturing pore-network connectivity, tortuosity, and throat-size distribution for real-time and reliable permeability evaluation.

The objectives of this work include (a) estimating parameters that quantify rock fabric (e.g., tortuosity, effective pore size, throat-size distribution) by joint interpretation of electrical resistivity, dielectric permittivity, and NMR measurements, (b) developing a new workflow for permeability assessment that incorporates rock fabric parameters, and (c) validating the reliability of the new workflow in pore- and core-scale domains using electrical resistivity, dielectric permittivity, NMR, Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP), and permeability measurements. To achieve these objectives, we introduce a workflow to estimate rock fabric properties as inputs for permeability assessment. NMR measurements are used to estimate porosity and effective pore size. Dielectric permittivity and resistivity measurements to estimate tortuosity and constriction factor. Then, we calculate pore-throat-size distribution from constriction factor and effective pore size. Finally, the aforementioned rock fabric parameters are used to estimate permeability without calibration efforts.

We successfully validated the introduced workflow on core samples from different lithofacies. Estimates of pore-throat radius obtained from the new method were in agreement with those from MICP measurements. We also applied the new workflow in the pore-scale domain using directional resistivity results obtained from numerical simulations as inputs. We demonstrated that directional permeability estimates obtained from the introduced workflow in the pore-scale domain agreed well with the actual permeability of the samples obtained from numerical simulations in the x-, y-, and z-directions. The proposed workflow reduced the relative error in permeability estimates by 50% in the pore-scale domain, compared to the conventional methods based on porosity-permeability correlations. It also resulted in average relative error of less than 20% in permeability estimates in the core-scale domain. Furthermore, the new workflow eliminates the need for calibration efforts in permeability assessment by honoring and quantifying rock fabric and enables assessment of directional permeability, if directional resistivity measurements are available.


WHEN:
There are two identical sessions, please register for only ONE session which fits your schedule. 


Morning - Wednesday, January 16th,    8am – 9am US Central Time; 
Evening - Thursday, January 17th,  8pm – 9pm US Central Time.

**IMPORTANT information about Webinar Registration:**
 1. Complete checkout with SPWLA registration page (Fees: FREE to current members and Non-Members are $25.00)
 2. Look for an email from [email protected] with the LINK to complete the webinar registration. YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE THIS STEP TO BE ABLE TO VIEW THE WEBINAR
 

When
1/16/2019 - 1/17/2019
Where
UNITED STATES

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