Geological Structure Features of Carbonate Formations and Their Impact on the Efficiency of Developing Hydrocarbon Deposits

Abstract

The development of deposits with a complex geological structures is often accompanied by a set of problems associated with optimal decision making. The efficiency of the entire development system depends on the completeness and the quality of the analysis of reservoir parameters. This paper presents methodological approaches for the study of carbonate deposits, and the development of further steps to increase the efficiency of reserve recovery. The secondary transformation of reservoir rocks, resulting in channels of increased conductivity, cracks, and caverns, plays a special role in the nature of the recovery of hydrocarbon reserves from such deposits. Secondary cavernosity leads to violations of the linear laws of fluid filtration in a porous medium, and complicates the field performance prediction based on geological and hydrodynamic modeling. The studied geological structure was detailed using the example of carbonate deposits composed of oil and water- saturated formations, taking into account the results of core studies and the interpretation of geophysical well studies. Furthermore, the parameters of production wells made it possible to confirm that the oil saturated and underlying water saturated formations have hydrodynamic connectivity due to the presence of vertical micro cracks. At the same time, the thickness of the bridge between the reservoirs directly affects the initial water cutting of well production, and further growth dynamics of the water ratio are associated with the structural factors determining the initial oil content of the reservoir. The combination of the obtained dependencies and the distribution model of the reservoir properties along the area made it possible to build a complex map reflecting the predicted development efficiency in certain areas. The integration of the results of various field studies on the injection well stock established that a significant part of the water flows was injected into the water saturated formation, which reduces the efficiency of formation pressure maintenance in the target formation. As a result, in order to reduce the low efficiency injection volume, switching to a more rigid waterflooding system, in terms of the ratio of production and injection wells, is proposed with a further decrease in the injection pressure inside the wells.