Upscaling permeability for reservoir-scale modeling in bioturbated, heterogeneous tight siliciclastic reservoirs: Lower Cretaceous Viking Formation, Provost Field, Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Variations in bed- and bedset-scale permeability in bioturbated siliciclastic rocks result in heterogeneity that is difficult to model at a reservoir scale. This paper presents a technique to upscale permeability, such that the permeabilities of the bioturbated zones are explicitly included in the upscaled values. Study of 28 cored wells of the Lower Cretaceous Viking Formation in the Provost Field, Alberta, Canada integrated sedimentologic and ichnologic features to define recurring bed-/bedset-scale hydrofacies (HFs) characterized by a geometric mean permeability derived from plug samples. Permeability was upscaled by calculating equivalent vertical and horizontal permeabilities for composite hydrofacies (CHFs) using expressions for layered media. The equivalency of the vertical and horizontal permeability values assigned to the CHFs against those of the HFs was evaluated using a simple numerical flow model. Reservoir-scale flow was then simulated along a hydrogeological cross-section that was constructed using the CHFs. The resulting flow regime was consistent with flows simulated using published permeability estimates from tight reservoir units of the Viking Formation. This approach has the potential, therefore, for upscaling permeability for reservoir-scale modeling in tight oil and gas reservoirs, and more broadly in reservoirs where permeability is highly variable at the bed/bedset scale.