An anisotropic rock physics modeling for the coalbed methane reservoirs and its applications in anisotropy parameter prediction

Abstract

The elastic properties and anisotropy of coalbed methane reservoirs are still poorly understood due to the complicated pore structure and the existing state of the coalbed methane. Therefore, an anisotropic rock physics model for the coalbed methane reservoirs is proposed based on the related effective medium theories, which focuses on the equivalent calculation of the elastic properties for adsorbed coalbed methane and the characterization of the multiple pore structure. Many factors related to the elastic properties of coal are considered, including the composition, pore structure, adsorbed gas content and pore fluid. The measured ultrasonic and well-logging data demonstrate that the proposed physics model is effective in predicting the elastic constants and velocity anisotropy parameters. The results suggest that the elastic constants increase with the increase of adsorbed gas content to some extent, and the effect of porosity on the elastic constants is much more obvious than that of adsorbed gas content. The velocity anisotropy parameters increase with the aligned fracture porosity and the fracture aspect ratio, and the P-wave anisotropy is more sensitive to these two factors. With increasing organic matter and clay content and porosity, Young's modulus and brittleness index decrease while the Poisson's ratio increases, and the impact of the porosity on the brittleness index is more significant than that of organic matter and clay content. The results are helpful in establishing the relationship between reservoir physics parameters and seismic response and can provide a basis for coalbed methane reservoir prediction and hydraulic fracturing.