Petrophysics and hydrocarbon generation, retention and production from ultra-low

permeability rocks: HC liquid potential from Western Canadian Shales- a study in progress

3-4 year research program funded by GeoScience BC, Industry CollaboratorsNSERC Collaborative Research Development

E. Munson - R. Marc Bustin

fabrics/fractures

effective stress

permeabilitydiffusion

reservoir exploration and

development

TOCPorosity

thickness

HCs in place

hydrocarbons in place deliverability

50 000 nm

SEM

Background

Shales are heterogeneous rocksat a scale that is difficult to appreciateor quantify and.. strange things happenin small places

200 000 nm

Outcrop

HandSpec.

Light

FESEM

200 nm

Reservoir Characterization

4

Generation

Storage

Production

Organic richness

Thermal

Matrix permeability

Fabric/Texture

Mineralogy

Depositional environment

Mechanical

Chemical

Diagenesis

Hydrocarbon:

Total porosity

Surface area

Net thickness

objectives of the study

two interrelated components:

1) investigate the fundamental petrophysical properties of low permeability rocks to better understand hydrocarbon retention, storage, and production.

2) apply methods and concepts developed in the first part to quantify the gas and liquids in place, the flow capacities, and liquid production potential of important shale oil reservoirs in Western Canada.

PeopleEric Letham, PhD student- 2013-Mark LeMessier, MSc- 2014-Jennifer Owen, MSc- 2014-Pablo Lacerda Silva Phd 2015-Tessa Wilson MSc 2015-Amanda Bustin, Research Assoc.

Erik Munson, PhD student- 2012-2015Armin Hosseinian Post Doc- 2014-2015

Kristal Li Geo. Tech. Geo. Tech– 60% (database management)

Petrophysics- Quantifying Gas and Liquid Hydrocarbons in Place and Flow Characteristics of Shale Gas and Liquid Reservoirs

a) Pore compressibility, Klinkenberg Slip and Effectives stress laws- PhD thesis Eric Letham in progress (Eagle Ford Shale; Muskwa)

b) Stress Dependent and Relative permeability of shales (Munson, PhD, 2015)c) Fluid-Rock and Rock-Fluid interaction- MSc thesis Jennifer Owen in progressd) Fracture flow: PDF, A. Hosseiniane) Sensitivity analyses of petrophysical properties Res. Assoc. A. Bustin in progressf) Earth model-state of stress NE. Res. Assoc. A. Bustin in progress

Eric Letham – PhD studenta) pore structures characterisation

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 10

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Water Saturation

Re

lative

Pe

rme

ab

ility

KrwKro

9

Pore Structure Evolution Summary

Erik Munson – PhD b) permeablility and pore

Avg. Perm: 1.8 x10-4 mDMedian: 9.5 x10-5 mD

10

Wet Gas Window Pore Structure and Permeability

VariableLow Carb

High QtzMed TOC

Erik Munson – PhD a) permeablility and pore

Petrophysics- Quantifying Gas and Liquid Hydrocarbons in Place and Flow Characteristics of Shale Gas and Liquid Reservoirs

d) Fracture flow: PDF, A. Hosseinian

Petrophysics- Quantifying Gas and Liquid Hydrocarbons in Place and Flow Characteristics of Shale Gas and Liquid Reservoirsc) Fluid-Rock and Rock-Fluid interaction (MONTNEY_ FM.)- MSc thesis Jennifer Owen

recognize damage or potential for damage to fluid system and/or reservoir properties by drilling, fracture fluids or leachate

Petrophysics- Quantifying Gas and Liquid Hydrocarbons in Place and Flow Characteristics of Shale Gas and Liquid Reservoirs

d) Sensitivity analyses of petrophysical properties

Petrophysics- Quantifying Gas and Liquid Hydrocarbons in Place and Flow Characteristics of Shale Gas and Liquid Reservoirs

e) Organic Geochemistry:

Retained HCs

Muskwa

2. Liquids and Gas in Place and Flow Characteristics of Shales in Western Canada

PETROLEUM SYSTEM ANALYSES: Basin Modeling and Mapping of Liquids: MSc LeMessueir, MSc Tessa Wilson, PhD Pablo Lacerda Silva

- map existing production (public data)- update regional maturation/kerogen types/TOC maps- EXbase- collect additional data to fill holes in EXbase- obtain preserved samples from new drills to measure retained hydrocarbons and calibrate retainedhydrocarbons in archived samples- measure reaction kinetics of kerogens- build basin model to predict hydrocarbon generation, pressure generation, migration and retention-BASINMOD- Mapping liquids production-- -Assessing metrics that can be mapped- geochemical & petrophysical

www.knoc.co.kr/ENG/sub06/sub06_2_n1.jsp

Prospective Gas/Oil Shales

canadian shales

Dunvegan/Shaftsbury

Buckinghorse/Moosebar/Wilrich

Fernie/Nordegg/Gordendale

Montney/Doig

Besa River/MuskwaTetcho/RedKnife

Golata, Banff/Exshaw

google earth

SW

NE

Geothermal Gradient

• Adapted from Geological Atlas of the WCSB

Estimated Reservoir Temperatures, Devonian strata, NE BC

Complexities and Predictions

facies controlled permeability

fracture or fraced controlled permeability

Muskw

a/O

tter

Park

/Evie

,

Duvern

ay

Nord

egg

Buckin

gh

ors

e

Shaftsbury

Montn

ey

Bustin and Bustin, 2016

Bustin and Bustin, 2016

22

Artificial Neural Network Models

• 50% data used to train model (Training Set)• 50% data used to assess accuracy of model (External Examination Set)

Expected Deliverables:

Maps of the distribution of strata with liquids production potential

Quantification of flow characteristics of the shale matrix to reservoir gases and liquids and differentiation of the relative fluxes due to advection and diffusion, as well as relative permeability

Better correlation between laboratory-based measurements and well logs such that well logs may be better calibrated from rock data

Quantification of the impact of fluids (drilling and frac fluids) on producibility of the reservoirs (i.e. imbibition, phase blocking, retrograde condensation)

Developed of new methods and protocols to screen stratigraphically large sections of the prospective northeastern B.C. shales for optimal zones for laterals and completions for liquids

Training of highly qualified individuals

support: