A New Approach to Measuring Rock Properties Data from Cores and Cuttings for Reservoir and Completions Characterization:An Example from the Bakken Formation

摘要

The application of rock physics data for improved reservoir characterization is well known and documented and can help to delineate fluid and facies changes down the borehole. With the advent of unconventional resource exploration and production, and the adoption of long laterals to maximize reservoir contact and recovery, use of elastic, rock properties for completions characterization becomes increasingly important. Traditionally, rock elasticity has been determined through geomechanical laboratory measurements on core pieces or plugs and log derived calculations. Unfortunately, these data sets are rare (i.e., core) and inconsistent/expensive to collect (i.e., logs) along long laterals. However, cuttings are always available for the entire borehole. They provide a source of compositional and textural rock data that can be quantitatively measured to train standard petrophysical analysis in order to implement rock physics equations (e.g., Young's modulus, v, λ, λ-p, and μ-p). Using electron beam (e-beam) systems, such as RoqSCAN~(TM), mineral composition data, together with high resolution textural information (e.g., pore volume, pore fabric, pore size distribution, and pore aspect ratio) within cuttings are now directly measureable. This allows for input parameters (e.g., pore aspect ratio) to be measured directly within rocks rather than mathematically derived.