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Characterization of Architectural Elements of Ordovician Fractured-cavernous Carbonate Reservoirs, Tahe Oilfield, China

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Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

A new method for characterizing architectural elements of fractured-cavernous carbonate reservoirs was proposed, with application to an Ordovician reservoir in the Tahe Oilfield, Tarim basin. The new method integrates observations from outcrop analogs and concepts from modern karst theory for the mapping and modeling of fractured-cavernous reservoirs. In this paper, fractured-cavernous reservoirs were divided into 4 architectural element types—underground river caverns, sinkholes, discrete internal caverns, and faults. Architectural elements of the Ordovician reservoir in Tahe oilfield were identified and characterized by integrating well logs and seismic data. A new method constrained by faults, karst zones, and seismic acoustic impedance data, was introduced to build a 3D model of architectural elements of fractured-cavernous reservoir in the S48 unit of Tahe Oilfield. A porosity model was then derived from the architectural element model using facies-constrained method. The research provides a work-flow for the characterization of fracturedcavernous reservoirs and determining optimal methods for maximizing oil recovery in the study area or in similar areas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Yuming Liu, Jiagen Hou & Xixin Wang

  2. College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Yuming Liu, Jiagen Hou & Xixin Wang

  3. Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, Sinopec, Beijing, 10083, China

    Yongqiang Li

  4. School of Energy Resources, China University of Geoscience, Beijing, 100083, China

    Yue Dong

  5. CNOOC Research Institute, Beijing, 100027, China

    Xiaoqiang Ma

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  1. Yuming Liu
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  2. Jiagen Hou
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  3. Yongqiang Li
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  4. Yue Dong
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  5. Xiaoqiang Ma
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Correspondence to Jiagen Hou.

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Liu, Y., Hou, J., Li, Y. et al. Characterization of Architectural Elements of Ordovician Fractured-cavernous Carbonate Reservoirs, Tahe Oilfield, China. J Geol Soc India 91, 315–322 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-018-0856-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-018-0856-3

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