Energy Geoscience (Apr 2023)
Logging-based assessment of low-resistivity oil zones: A case study from Sudan
Abstract
The reservoirs in the N oilfield in Sudan feature a complex sedimentary environment, which has led to a widespread development of low-resistivity oil zones, accounting for as high as 37% of the total oil zones. In this case, a large number of oil zones will be misinterpreted using conventional methods. Based on the analysis of the core data and logging curves of the study area, this study concludes that the low-resistivity oil zones are formed mainly due to the high irreducible water saturation caused by the high content of illite and smectite and complex pore structure, the additional electrical conductivity induced by clay minerals, and the difference in formation water salinity between the oil zones and water zones. Furthermore, four methods are proposed to qualitatively identify these oil zones and water zones, namely the relationship analysis of five reservoir properties, cross-plotting of sensitive parameters, analysis of pressure testing data, and multi-well correlation. Furthermore, the study quantitatively calculates the initial oil saturation using the capillary pressure data, thus avoiding the conventional empirical saturation formulas depending on electrical resistivity and solving the difficulty in calculating oil saturation of low-resistivity oil zones. Finally, precise logging processing and interpretation of 95 wells in the study area are conducted using the above-mentioned comprehensive assessment system for low-resistivity oil zones. As a result, 59 oil zones are newly discovered in 43 wells. Moreover, it is recommended that 17 oil zones in 12 wells should be tested, of which 11 oil zones have been tested as recommended, all proven to be high production oil zones after perforation. The coincidence rate of logging interpretation increases from 75% to 94.3%, and the original oil in place (OOIP) increases by 57.42 million barrels. All these indicate that the assessment system proposed is suitable for low-resistivity zones.