Shale Reservoir Properties from Digital Rock Physics

A majority of the whole core samples recovered in the US today come from shale reservoirs. A primary reason for so much shale coring is that shale well log analysis requires rigorous core calibration to provide reliable data for reservoir quality, hydrocarbon-in-place, and hydraulic fracturing potential. However, the uncertainty in interpreting shale well log data is sometimes matched or exceeded by the uncertainty observed in traditional methods of analyzing core samples. Most commercial core analysis methods in use today were developed originally for sandstones and carbonates exceeding 1 millidarcy in permeability. High quality organic-rich shale on the other hand is usually lower than 0.001 millidarcy. This extreme low permeability creates substantial challenges for existing methods and has contributed to the rapid rise of a new approach to reservoir evaluation called Digital Rock Physics or DRP.