INVESTIGATION OF NANO-POROSITY IN CARBONATE RESERVOIRS AND ITS ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING HYDROCARBON RESERVES AND RECOVERY ECONOMICS

摘要

This study examines a Kuwaiti carbonate reservoir that is classified as a tight reservoir.In one core sample, the total porosity is reported to be 14%,of which 60% of its total porosity is estimated to be nano-pores.The objective of this study is to establish existence of these nano-pores and their whereabouts,and then investigates their nano-size role in hydrocarbon storage,economics and recovery mechanism. Characterizing nano-pores available in tight carbonate reservoirs starts with examining the constituents of the rock such as,mineral type and composition of grain,pore-size,and pore-size distribution.Nano-pore characterization has integrated several tools such as X-Ray Diffraction(XRD),Scattered Electron Microscopy(SEM),and mercury-Washburn Pore Size Distribution(PSD).The XRD will examine the rockfabric minerals associated with the nano-pores.The SEM analysis,which is a 2-dimensional scale technique, is associated with the study of the pore morphology as well as the study of the grain morphology;while the PSD is a 3-dimensional technique associated in measuring the total pore size distributions.As a result of integrating these tools,findings and subsequent inquiries are raised.