Reservoir Rock Typing of Upper Shu'aiba Limestones, Northwestern Oman

Core samples from 10 wells in Lower Cretaceous limestones of the Upper Shu'aiba Formation were characterized by conventional core analyses, petrography, bulk chemical analyses, and mercury injection capillary pressure data to define reservoir rock types (RRT) for input to reservoir modeling. Initial grouping by lithofacies allows linkage of rock types to a 3D geological model, but results in RRT with high degrees of overlap in petrophysical properties. When diagenesis is included, however, in the form of porosity cut-offs added to the lithofacies criteria, RRT can be defined having both 3D geological significance and distinct ranges of pore-throat size distribution. The use of total porosity as a rock typing criterion is based on the interpretation that porosity is controlled on reservoir scale by depositional clay content of the local stratigraphic environment. The seaward and uppermost parts of the clinoforms have low clay and thus highest porosity. Although most of the pore space is microporosity, higher total porosity corresponds with higher proportions of macropores and probably also with greater frequency of open fractures, resulting in better permeability. High-porosity samples also have several systematic positive differences in MICP characteristics from lower-porosity samples of the same lithofacies. Because both lithofacies and porosity are related to the sedimentological and stratigraphic organization of the Upper Shu'aiba clinoforms, the RRT defined by these criteria can potentially be implemented in a reservoir model for assigning particular ranges of petrophysical properties to distinct portions of each clinoform. By this procedure, seven RRT have been defined in the present selection of samples.