This paper describes the development of “digital-rocks” technology, in which high-resolution 3D image data are used in conjunction with advanced modeling and simulation methods to measure petrophysical rock properties. This technology has developed into a proven capability sanctioned for use in the operating assets of a large multinational oil company. Digital-rocks technology can improve evaluation of reservoir quality and quantification of hydrocarbons in place, and it can help inform the development of improved-recovery methods.
Introduction
The premise of the technology is to apply state-of-the-art high-resolution 3D imaging technologies to derive digital descriptions of reservoir rocks, typically at a resolution of approximately 1–5 µm, or even lower for complex rocks with significant microporosity less than 1 µm in dimension. These digital descriptions can be thought of as a numerical grid or mesh and, in conjunction with the appropriate models and numerical algorithms, can be used to perform massively parallel simulations of pore-scale processes of interest.
