This Petrographic and Reservoir Quality Analysis of Siliciclastic and Carbonate Reservoirs training course addresses key challenges encountered in the exploration of oil and gas reservoirs, specifically focusing on the factors that influence the reservoir quality of siliciclastic and carbonate rocks.
Through innovative petrographic analysis techniques, this Energy training course will:
- Enhance the understanding of petrographic and diagenetic indicators used to assess reservoir quality in exploration targets.
- Clarify the differences between siliciclastic and carbonate rocks in terms of their depositional environments, provenance, initial porosity, and how porosity evolves during burial.
- Guide the selection of the most effective petrographic analytical methods for core samples, cuttings, and outcrop rocks, aimed at optimizing the completion of geological studies for specific exploration plays.
By participating in the Petrographic and Reservoir Quality Analysis of Siliciclastic and Carbonate Reservoirs training course, you will be able to:
- Master petrographic techniques used to analyze sedimentary rocks.
- Differentiate between siliciclastic and carbonate sediments, focusing on the primary factors that influence reservoir quality.
- Recognize key petrographic and diagenetic markers for paleo-environmental and diagenetic reconstructions.
- Apply advanced analytical methods to enhance ongoing or upcoming geological projects.
- Use petrographic data to correlate sedimentary sequences across various samples.
- Develop a comprehensive multi-well petrographic and reservoir quality model to support regional exploration initiatives.
This Energy Petrographic and Reservoir Quality Analysis of Siliciclastic and Carbonate Reservoirs training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:
- Sedimentary geologists of service and oil companies
- Junior to mid-level geologists carrying out rock-based geological projects
- Sedimentologists who need to be conversant on reservoir quality concepts
- Petrographers of small and large oil-industry organizations
- PhD students in sedimentary geology of academic institutions
Day One: Sandstone Petrography
- Why do we use Petrography?
- Thin sections and staining methods
- Petrographic microscope
- Texture: Grain size, sorting, roundness, grain contacts, matrix content, textural and mineralogical maturity
- Detrital composition: Main framework components. Optical/physical properties of most important minerals of siliciclastic rocks under PPL and XPL
- Sandstone classification, ternary plots (e.g., Pettijohn, 1987), visual estimation of % of minerals (comparison charts), quantitative analysis/point count (point count table & type of software for data collection, e.g., Petrog vs. Digital Image Analysis), QFL, provenance & tectonic settings
- Definition of matrix and pseudo-matrix
- Work at the microscope
Day Two: Diagenesis, Porosity and Associated Microscopy Analyses
- Compaction and authigenic components (e.g., silica cementation, carbonate cementation, clay minerals, pyrite, hematite etc, hydrothermal cementation); chemical & mechanical stability of minerals
- Diagenesis and diagenetic environments
- Porosity types in sandstones & microporosity: Primary porosity, secondary dissolution pores and fractures. Visual estimation from TS photos, charts
- Reservoir quality assessment. Relationship between rock composition, cementation, and poro-perm. Evolution (e.g., clay cementation vs. carbonate cementation)
- Core samples and Cuttings TS descriptions/analysis tied to wireline logs
- Concepts of SEM, EDAX, XRD, QEMSCAN analyses. Why use SEM magnification, structure of clays, description of matrix, chronology of diagenetic events, microporosity and microporosity types?
- Data integration (sedimentology & CA data). Poro-perm plots and practical examples
Day Three: Introduction to Carbonate Reservoirs
- Components of limestones, non-skeletal particles, skeletal particles (e.g., algae, mollusks, brachiopods, echinoderms, forams), contribution of algae & bacteria to limestone production (e.g., stromatolites). Table of taxa vs. mineralogy
- Carbonate matrix (also at SEM magnification); Classification of limestones (Dunham & Embry & Klovan), definition of crystalline rocks by crystal size; Depositional environments/petro-types
- Authigenic components (non-ferroan vs. ferroan calcite, dolomite, anhydrite, hydrothermal cementation)
- Thin section descriptions and modal data
- Work at the microscope
Day Four: Diagenesis, Porosity & Reservoir Quality
- Carbonate diagenesis: Aggrading neomorphism, compactional fabrics (e.g., pressure solution), marine diagenesis, intertidal-supratidal, subtidal cementation, marine dissolution, discussion of marine cements, meteoric diagenesis, vadose and phreatic zones, calcite spar and its origin
- Depositional vs. diagenetic porosity in carbonates, dissolution processes (e.g., meteoric vs. burial)
- Poro-perm characteristics of carbonate rocks
- Reservoir quality of carbonate rocks, by texture, diagenesis controls and structural deformation
- Practical examples, exercises and work at the microscope
Day Five: Dolomitization & Associated Microscopy Analyses
- Dolomitization, dolomite textures, xenotopic vs. idiotopic dolomites, saddle dolomites, hydrothermal dolomite structure. Exercises. De-dolomitization of calcite, silicification of calcite (example from oil reservoirs), other cement (e.g., siderite)
- Dolomite texture vs. petrophysics, dolomitization models (Sakha/evaporation, mixing zone, seepage reflux, burial)
- SEM analysis of carbonate phases, chemistry of minerals through EDX traces, XRD, CL analysis (oxidizing vs. reducing environments)
- Poro-perm characteristics of dolostones
- Exercises and work at the microscope
- Examples of oil/gas reservoirs
