Effective integration of reservoir rock-typing and simulation using near-wellbore upscaling

Abstract

Obtaining a fit-for-purpose rock-type classification that adequately incorporates the key depositional and diagenetic heterogeneities is a prime challenge for carbonate reservoirs. Another prevailing issue is to integrate the static and dynamic data consistently with the rock-typing scheme in order to correctly initialise the reservoir flow simulation model. This paper describes a novel near-wellbore rock-typing and upscaling approach adopted to address the crucial challenges of integrating reservoir rock-typing and simulation in carbonate reservoirs. We demonstrate this workflow through a case study for a highly heterogeneous Eocene-Oligocene limestone reservoir, Field X. Geological studies carried out in Field X suggested that the key permeability pathways are strongly related to the mechanism of reservoir porosity and permeability evolution during late-burial corrosion. The rock-typing and upscaling methodology described in this paper involves the geological-petrophysical classification of the key reservoir heterogeneities through systematic evaluation of the main paragenetic events. Associations between the depositional and late-burial corrosion features, and their impact on reservoir flow properties, were accounted for in our workflow. Employing near-wellbore rock-typing and upscaling workflow yielded consistent initialisation of the Field X reservoir simulation model and therefore improved the accuracy of fluids-in-place calculation. Subsequently, the cumulative production curves computed by the reservoir simulation model of Field X showed closer agreement to the historic production data. The revised Field X simulation model is now much better constrained to the reservoir geology and provides an improved geological-prior for history matching.