Oil & Gas Industry

Petroleum & Reservoir Characterization

Optimize hydrocarbon recovery through comprehensive rock characterization, shale analysis, and refinery catalyst testing for enhanced production and processing efficiency.

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$3.3T
Global Oil & Gas Market
35%
EOR Potential Recovery
5-25%
Reservoir Porosity Range
0.1mD
Tight Gas Permeability

Reservoir Rock Characterization

Porosity and permeability analysis critical for reserves estimation and production optimization

Conventional Reservoirs

Sandstone & Carbonate Rocks

  • Porosity: 15-30% (good reservoirs)
  • Permeability: 10-1000 mD
  • Pore throat size: 1-100 μm
  • Pore connectivity: High (>80%)
2026 Insight: Digital rock physics integrates MIP data with micro-CT for predictive reservoir modeling.

Key Measurements

  • Mercury intrusion for full pore size distribution
  • Total porosity and effective porosity
  • Pore throat distribution (critical for permeability)
  • Capillary pressure curves

Unconventional Resources

Shale Gas/Oil & Tight Formations

  • Porosity: 2-12% (low but productive)
  • Permeability: 0.001-0.1 mD (nD scale)
  • Pore size: 2-50 nm (nanopores)
  • Organic matter pores: Critical storage
Shale Revolution: N₂/CO₂ adsorption reveals micropore networks holding 40-60% of gas-in-place.

Critical Parameters

  • Low-pressure N₂/CO₂ for micropores (<10 nm)
  • High-pressure MIP for macropores
  • Fracture porosity characterization
  • TOC correlation with organic porosity

Rock Type Classification

Sandstone Reservoirs

Porosity 18-30%
Permeability 50-1000 mD
Pore type Intergranular
Throat size 5-50 μm
Recovery factor 30-50%

Excellent reservoir quality, high productivity

Carbonate Reservoirs

Porosity 8-25%
Permeability 0.1-1000 mD
Pore type Vuggy, fracture
Heterogeneity Very high
Recovery factor 20-40%

Complex pore networks, dual porosity common

Shale Formations

Porosity 2-12%
Permeability 1-100 nD
Pore size 2-50 nm
Method N₂/CO₂ + MIP
Production Hydraulic fracturing

Nanopore characterization essential

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

Waterflooding Optimization

Pore throat distribution guides injection strategy and sweep efficiency prediction.

  • Capillary pressure defines breakthrough
  • Pore throat sorting affects recovery
  • Wettability impact on displacement
  • 15-25% incremental recovery typical
Target: >50% total recovery factor

CO₂ Injection & Storage

Porosity characterization for CO₂-EOR and long-term carbon sequestration capacity.

  • Pore volume = storage capacity
  • Capillary sealing characterization
  • Minimum miscibility pressure correlation
  • 10-20% additional oil recovery
Dual benefit: Oil production + carbon storage

Surfactant/Polymer Flooding

Optimize chemical EOR through pore size distribution and connectivity analysis.

  • Polymer molecule size vs pore throat
  • Surfactant adsorption on surface area
  • Microemulsion formation in pores
  • 20-30% tertiary recovery potential
Economics: >$60/bbl oil price needed

Thermal Recovery (Heavy Oil)

Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) optimization via porosity and permeability mapping.

  • Porosity: 28-35% for good SAGD
  • Permeability: >1000 mD required
  • Vertical permeability critical
  • 70-80% recovery in suitable formations
Application: Oil sands, heavy crude

Refinery Catalyst Characterization

Catalyst Type Process Porosity Target Key Analysis
FCC catalyst Fluid catalytic cracking SA: 150-300 m²/g N₂ adsorption + MIP
Hydrocracking Heavy oil upgrading Meso: 0.3-0.8 cm³/g BJH pore distribution
Hydrotreating Sulfur/nitrogen removal SA: 200-350 m²/g BET + metal dispersion
Reforming Octane enhancement Pt dispersion >60% H₂ chemisorption
Alkylation Gasoline production Acid sites in pores NH₃-TPD + porosity

Industry Case Studies

North Sea Reservoir Characterization

Challenge: Optimize waterflood in heterogeneous sandstone reservoir

Solution: Rock typing via MIP pore throat distribution analysis

  • 5 distinct rock types identified
  • Permeability predicted within 20%
  • Waterflood recovery: 52% (vs 38% initial)
Impact: 180 MMbbl incremental reserves

Permian Shale Gas Optimization

Challenge: Identify sweet spots in 300-ft thick shale formation

Solution: Multi-scale porosity analysis (N₂, CO₂, MIP integration)

  • Organic porosity: 4-8% in best zones
  • Nanopore volume correlated with gas content
  • Well productivity increased 3×
Result: $25M NPV improvement per well

Refinery Catalyst Deactivation Study

Challenge: Extend FCC catalyst cycle length from 45 to 60 days

Solution: Monitor pore structure evolution during operation

  • Surface area loss: 35% at 45 days
  • Zeolite collapse at mesopore mouths identified
  • Improved formulation: 60-day target achieved
Savings: $8M/year catalyst cost reduction

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