Method to determine relative thermal maturity from porosities measured by quantitative imaging on uncleaned samples and GRI porosity measured on crushed cleaned samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940398-B2
Application number	US-202217821108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2022
Priority date	Aug 19, 2022
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A method of determining a thermal maturity model of a subterranean region of interest is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a plurality of rock samples for the subterranean region of interest. The method further includes determining a first porosity value, a second porosity value, and a volume fraction of organic matter, for each of the plurality of rock samples. The method further includes determining, for each of the plurality of rock samples, a thermal maturity index based, at least in part, on the first porosity value, the second porosity value and the volume fraction of organic matter. The method further includes determining the thermal maturity model based, at least in part, on the thermal maturity index for each of the plurality of rock samples.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of determining a thermal maturity model of a subterranean region of interest, comprising:
obtaining a plurality of rock samples for the subterranean region of interest;
for each of the plurality of rock samples, using a computer processor:
determining a first porosity value,
determining a second porosity value,
determining an amount of organic matter,
determining a thermal maturity index based, at least in part, on the first porosity value, the second porosity value and the amount of organic matter, and

determining, using a computer processor, the thermal maturity model based, at least in part, on the thermal maturity index for each of the plurality of rock samples.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising planning a wellbore trajectory using a wellbore planning system based, at least in part, on the thermal maturity model.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising drilling a wellbore based, at least in part, on the planned wellbore trajectory using a drilling system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first porosity value comprises:
determining a bulk density;
determining a grain density;
determining a fluid density, and
determining the first porosity based, at least in part on a ratio of the bulk density to the grain density.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the second porosity value comprises:
determining a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a cross-section through the sample;
segmenting the SEM image into a labeled pore space phase, and a labeled matrix mineral phase, and a labeled organic matter phase; and
determining the second porosity value based upon a total area of labeled pore pixels and a total area of the SEM image.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein segmenting the SEM image comprises applying a trained machine learning network to the SEM image.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of organic matter comprises:
determining a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a cross-section through the sample;
segmenting the SEM image into a labeled pore space phase, and a labeled matrix mineral phase, and a labeled organic matter phase; and
determining the amount of organic matter based upon a total area of labeled organic matter pixels and a total area of the SEM image.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a low value of the thermal maturity index indicates a high thermal maturity.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a computer processor, the instructions comprising functionality for:
receiving, for each of a plurality of rock samples:
a bulk density,
a grain density,
a fluid density, and
a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a cross-section;

determining a first porosity value based, at least in part on, the bulk density, grain density, and fluid density;
determining a second porosity value from the SEM image,
determining an amount of organic matter from the SEM image,
determining a thermal maturity index based, at least in part, on the first porosity value, the second porosity value and the amount of organic matter; and
determining, using a computer processor, a thermal maturity model based, at least in part, on the thermal maturity index for each of the plurality of rock samples.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , the instructions furthering comprising functionality for planning a wellbore trajectory based, at least in part, on the thermal maturity model.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein determining the first porosity is based, at least in part on a ratio of the bulk density to the grain density.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein determining the second porosity value comprises:
segmenting the SEM image into a labeled pore space phase, a labeled matrix mineral phase, and a labeled organic matter phase; and
determining the second porosity value based upon a total area of labeled pore pixels and a total area of the SEM image.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein segmenting the SEM image comprises applying a trained machine learning network to the SEM image.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein determining the amount of organic matter comprises:
segmenting the SEM image into a labeled pore space phase, a labeled matrix mineral phase, and a labeled organic matter phase; and
determining the amount of organic matter based upon a total area of labeled organic matter pixels and a total area of the SEM image.

15. A system comprising:
a scanning electron microscope (SEM) configured to form an SEM image of a cross-section through a plurality of rock samples;
a computer processor, configured to:
for each of the plurality of the rock samples,
receive a bulk density and a grain density,
determine a first porosity value based, at least in part, on the bulk density and the grain density,
from the SEM image:
determine a second porosity value; and
determine an amount of organic matter, and
determine a thermal maturity index based, at least in part, on the first porosity value, the second porosity value and the amount of organic matter; and

determine a thermal maturity model based, at least in part, on the thermal maturity index for each of the plurality of rock samples.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a wellbore planning system configured to plan a planned wellbore trajectory using a wellbore planning system based, at least in part, on the thermal maturity model.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising wellbore drilling system configured to drill a wellbore based, at least in part, on the planned wellbore trajectory.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein determining the second porosity value comprises:
segmenting the SEM image into a labeled pore space phase, a labeled matrix mineral phase, and a labeled organic matter phase; and
determining the second porosity value based upon a total area of labeled pore pixels and a total area of the SEM image.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein determining the amount of organic matter comprises:
segmenting the SEM image into a labeled pore space phase, a labeled matrix mineral phase, and a labeled organic matter phase; and
determining the amount of organic matter based upon a total area of labeled organic matter pixels and a total area of the SEM image.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein segmenting the SEM image comprises applying a trained machine learning network to the SEM image.

Assignees

• Aramco Services Co
• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Eichmann Shannon Lee
• Jacobi David
• Srinivasan Poorna

Classifications

• E21B49/00

  Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells · CPC title

• E21B2200/22

  Fuzzy logic, artificial intelligence, neural networks or the like · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

  Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits · CPC title

• E21B41/00

  Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 · CPC title

• G01N23/2251 Primary

  using incident electron beams, e.g. scanning electron microscopy [SEM] · CPC title