Fluid Discrimination Based on Inclusion-Based Method for Tight Sandstone Reservoirs

Fluid discrimination is challenging for reservoir prediction, especially for tight sandstones with special petrophysical properties. In this paper, we first review the effective medium models that are widely used in seismic exploration and a variety of inversion methods and reservoir prediction strategies in reservoir prediction. Rock physics modeling takes an important role in reservoir prediction by linking petrophysical properties and elastic parameters. We also review the theoretical implications for different rock physics models that are based on the inclusion-based method, focusing specifically on the modeling workflow for conventional sand-shale reservoirs and two models for tight sandstones. The applicability of the conventional fluid substitution equations is analyzed in detail. Then, a new inclusion-based rock physics model for tight sandstones is proposed by considering the fluid pressure ratio between cracks and stiff pores. The proposed model helps to highlight the difference between different pores and present reasonable fluid information. In the application, a detailed prediction process for fluid discrimination is given, in which the Bayes posterior prediction framework is adopted to provide the maximum posterior probability solution and its posterior probability. Field data applications demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Automated summary

Fluid discrimination is challenging for reservoir prediction, especially for tight sandstones. This paper reviews the effective medium models and inversion methods used in seismic exploration and proposes a new inclusion-based rock physics model for tight sandstones. A detailed prediction process for fluid discrimination is given and the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through field data applications.