Petrophysical Characterization of Bitumen-Saturated Karsted Carbonates: Case Study of the Multibillion Barrel Upper Devonian Grosmont Formation, Northern Alberta, Canada

摘要

The Grosmont Formation in northern Alberta contains the largest carbonate-hosted bitumen deposit in the world. Reservoir quality is directly tied to karst overprint; multiple pore types, fractures, sinkholes, and other karst features are present. Significant effort is underway to establish commercial development and petrophysical evaluation of reservoir properties is critical. There are virtually no studies that document the petrophysical characterization of bitumen-saturated carbonates. It is found that the physical properties of bitumen have positive and negative impacts on the petrophysical techniques routinely used for carbonate reservoir characterization.