Reservoir quality from cored intervals has traditionally been described by grouping similar intervals according to rock type. The main shortcoming of this static modelling approach is that it lacks clarity and it is not conducive for setting up a dynamic simulation model. The alternative is to use a modelling approach based on Hydraulic Flow Zone Units (HFZUs). First proposed in the late 1980s and extensively published in the early 1990s such formulation uses the well-known Carman-Kozeny (C-K) equation. More recently, this approach has been extended to cover a wider range of geological formations with diverse pore structure types. In using a HFZU approach, a pre-processing step is customarily undertaken to first overburden correct the data and where necessary also to correct for the Klinkenberg effect (lower permeability formations, lab testing with gas). The study presented compares corrected and uncorrected data sets, to see if correction alters the overall outcome of HFZU analysis. Specifically, data sets are compared at three different conditions: ambient, overburden (only) corrected and finally data that has been corrected for both, overburden and Klinkenberg effects. In all cases it is the Flow Zone Indicator (FZI), an index representative of formation quality that is tracked, together with the type of relationship. Several comparative analysis examples are given for diverse formations. The results show that uncorrected data can yield a different correlation and FZI, especially for intervals that include low permeability samples. Results indicate that Overburden and Klinkenberg corrections should be applied before HFZU analysis.
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