Effect of Heterogeneity on Capillary Pressure and Relative Permeability Curves in Carbonate Reservoirs. A Case Study for Mishrif Formation in West Qurna/1 Oilfield, Iraq

Abstract

The special core analysis tests were accomplished on a set of core plugs for Mishrif Formation (mA, mB1, and mB2cde/mC units) in West Qurna/1 oilfield, southern Iraq. Oil relative permeability (Kro) data and the Corey-type fit of the data as functions of the brine saturation at the core outlet face for individual samples in the water-oil imbibition process to estimate relative permeability measurements by the centrifuge method were utilized. Identical correlations for oil and water relative permeabilities were extracted by steady-state and unsteady-state methods. For the mA samples, the gas-water capillary pressure curves were within a narrow range (almost identical) indicating that mA is a homogeneous unit. Kro curves for three mB2ab plugs were practically identical, that is referring to the homogeneity in the upper portion of the unit. The mB2 unit has a more solid‐phase concentration than other units. In addition, the general trend of low residual oil saturation is related to the raising in porosity but no reliable correlation between the residual oil saturation to water drive (Sorw) and Klinkenberg-corrected permeability (Kinf). Based on the correlation between the effective oil permeability at the initial water saturation [ko(Swi)] and (Kinf/f)1/2 for the high-permeability lithofacies mB1 plugs, ko(Swi) is approximately equal to or exceeds Kinf. While ko(Swi) was below Kinf for the other samples. New good empirical equations were obtained for effective gas permeability at final water saturation versus Kinf, as well as, for Kro and Krw versus saturation for all lithofacies.