Method of Predicting Reservoir Quality for Feldspathic Sandstones of Southern California: ABSTRACT

Abstract

The diagenetic alteration of a sandstone results from the combined effects of many factors. In order to ascertain the role played by a particular diagenetic factor, the remaining diagenetic factors must be held constant. For the sandstones of the basins of southern California, we have found that the effects of almost all of the principal diagenetic factors are essentially uniform, the notable exception being thermal history. Because of this, we have been able to evaluate the diagenetic imprint of temperature upon the sandstones. Measured reservoir property data taken on core samples of reservoir sandstones from 16 fields in the Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Joaquin basins were used to determine the average rate of porosity and permeability loss with depth for each field. straight line appears to be the proper representation for the porosity vs. depth profiles for the interval of interest. The slope of this line is defined here as the porosity gradient. Porosity gradients for the fields investigated range from 1.1% to 5.8%/1,000 ft. A direct relationship exists between the porosity gradient and the present geothermal gradient for the 16 fields which have been examined. As geothermal gradient increases, porosity gradient increases. The correlation coefficient between these variables is +0.916 for geothermal gradients between 1.6°F and 2.2°F/100 ft. A similar relationship also exists between the rate of permeability loss with depth and the geothermal gradient, but the average deviation from the mean permeability value is so great the relationship has little practical significance. End_of_Article - Last_Page 143------------