Title: Investigations on geological aspects of capillary transition zones of carbonate reservoirs by applied imaging techniques

Authors: Jiayi Wang; Hadi Belhaj; Achinta Bera

Addresses: Petroleum Engineering Department, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Sas Al Nakhl Campus, Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 2533, United Arab Emirates ' Petroleum Engineering Department, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Sas Al Nakhl Campus, Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 2533, United Arab Emirates ' Petroleum Engineering Department, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Sas Al Nakhl Campus, Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 2533, United Arab Emirates

Abstract: This study focuses on the petrographic analysis of thin sections of the rock composites such as grain and cement, pore types and geometry, diagenetic events like dissolution and compaction, their modifications on the pore systems, factors that decide wettability and rock-fluid interaction, which has an impact on relative permeability. An imaging technique such as computerised tomography (CT) scan has been used to find out more information on the geometry, texture, and distribution of the pore systems of the transition zone samples which control petrophysical properties of 17 rock samples. Thin section and petrophysical study were conducted to examine the diagenesis of the samples. It has been found that five major diagenetic processes have affected this transition zone including micritisation, dissolution, cementation, dolomitisation, and compaction. Medical CT scan confirmed the presence of three types of heterogeneities varying from low to medium to high in the rock samples of the transition zones. [Received: May 22, 2017; Accepted: June 19, 2018]

Keywords: transition zones; carbonate reservoirs; petrographic analysis; diagenesis; CT scan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2020.106705

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2020 Vol.24 No.1, pp.85 - 101

Received: 22 May 2017
Accepted: 19 Jun 2018
Published online: 20 Apr 2020 *

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