Evaluation of void space of complicated potentially oil-bearing carbonate formation using X-ray tomography and electron microscopy methods

Abstract

The Vereiskiy reservoir (Perm Region, Russia) is one of the complicated oil-bearing carbonate formations. It consists of interbedded carbonates and clayey rocks with low interbedded thickness (3–6 m), which makes its development unprofitable. But this reservoir is promising for oil production in the case of application of new technologies (especially proppant hydraulic fracturing method). The different methods of investigation (core description, geophysical, X-ray tomography, electron microscopy, well logging, difference parameters, well test, Warren-Root model, etc.) are used for description its rock pore space. The four lithotypes are distinguished, and their unhomogeneous structure is found out. The presence of large number of intergranular pores, orienting along definition direction, weakly leaching voids, decompaction zones, local thickening of microcracks are the real prerequisite factors promoting the formation of channels for active oil migration under the influence of the factors of hydraulic fracturing technology.

Keywords

• Oil-bearing carbonates
• Х-ray tomography
• Electron microscopy
• Porosity
• Well logging
• Hydraulic fracturing