Method and Apparatus for Evaluation of Hydrocarbon-Bearing Reservoirs

摘要

A method and system for evaluation of a hydrocarbon-bearing shale formation employs a data processing system that defines a response model that relates first data representing measured petrophysical properties of the shale formation at a given location to second data representing volume fractions for a particular set of formation components at the given location. The first data includes hydrogen index at the given location, and the particular set of formation components of the second data include a number of mineral components and a number of hydrocarbon-bearing components. The hydrocarbon-bearing components include at least one kerogen component. A computation solver processes the response model along with the first data to solve for the second data. The solved second data representing the volume fraction of the at least one kerogen component is processed to derive at least one ratio that is indicative of kerogen maturity at the given location.

主权项

1. A method of characterizing a subterranean shale formation, comprising:
on a data processing system, defining a response model that relates first data representing measured petrophysical properties of the shale formation at a given location in the shale formation to second data representing volume fractions for a particular set of formation components at the given location in the shale formation, wherein the first data includes hydrogen index at the given location of the shale formation, and wherein the particular set of formation components of the second data include a number of mineral components and a number of hydrocarbon-bearing components, said hydrocarbon-bearing components including an immature kerogen component and a fully mature kerogen component; on the data processing system, transforming third data representing concentration of a number of chemical elements at the given location in the shale formation to fourth data representing concentration of the particular set of formation components at the given location in the shale formation, wherein the chemical elements of the third data include at least one of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen; on the data processing system, defining a mathematical model that relates the fourth data to the second data representing volume fractions for the particular set of formation components; on the data processing system, using a computation solver to process the response model and the mathematical model along with the first data to solve for the second data representing volume fractions for the particular set of formation components; on the data processing system, using the solved second data representing volume fraction of the immature kerogen component as well as the solved second data representing volume fraction of the fully mature kerogen component to derive a first ratio and a second ratio, the first ratio indicative of hydrogen content relative to carbon content for total kerogen at the given location in the shale formation, and the second ratio indicative of oxygen content relative to carbon content for total kerogen at the given location in the shale formation, wherein total kerogen includes both the immature kerogen component and the fully mature kerogen component at the given location in the shale formation; and using the first and second ratios to ascertain characteristics of the total kerogen at the given location in the shale formation.