Reservoir Geochemistry: A Link Between Reservoir Geology and Engineering? S.R. Larter, SPE, and A.C. Aplin, U. of Newcastle; P.W.M. Corbett and Neil Ementon, HeriotĆWatt U.; and Mei Chen and P.N. Taylor, U. of Newcastle Summary Geochemistry provides a natural, but poorly exploited, link between reservoir geology and engineering. We summarize some current applications of geochemistry to reservoir description and stress that, because of their strong interactions with mineral surfaces and water, nitrogen and oxygen compounds in petroleum may exert an important influence on the pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) properties of petroleum, viscosity and wettability. The distribution of these compounds in reservoirs is heterogenous on a submeter scale and is partly controlled by variations in reservoir quality. The implied variations in petroleum properties and wettability may account for some of the errors in reservoir simulations. Introduction Traditionally, fluid geochemistry has played little role in reservoir engineering practice, with some notable exceptions.1 Since 1985, however, the focus of geochemistry in the petroleum industry has shifted away from exploration toward reservoir appraisal and production. This new focus has been termed “reservoir geochemistry” and has been recently reviewed by Larter and Aplin.2 Because geochemists deal with both reservoir rocks and their contained fluids, reservoir geochemistry provides a natural, but underexploited, link between reservoir geologists and reservoir/petroleum engineers. The dual aims of this paper are to summarize recent developments in reservoir geochemistry and to discuss current and potential applications of reservoir geochemistry to petroleum and reservoir engineering. Current Status The methods of reservoir geochemistry are similar to those used for many years by classic petroleum geochemists. Samples are production and well-test fluids plus materials extracted from reservoir cores or cuttings with organic solvents or deionized water. Reservoir geochemical studies differ from conventional geochemical studies only in that much larger sample sets are processed, with up to several hundred reservoir core extract samples being analyzed in addition to available fluid samples. Collection and adequate storage of fluid samples is central to effective reservoir geochemistry, and early baseline studies are desirable if changes during production are to be identified and understood. Recent analytical developments now allow, early in field appraisal, the rapid and inexpensive production of high-resolution, three-dimensional compositional images of the petroleum column. Larter and Aplin2,3 have identified three methods that have been developed to characterize petroleum and residual salts rapidly in reservoir core. Two of these techniques plus some applications are summarized in Fig. 1. Routine, rapid, inexpensive assessment of levels and bulk composition of petroleum extracted from reservoir cores is now possible with automated liquid chromatographic devices, such as the Iatroscan.4 This approach produces logs of both petroleum saturation (comparable with electric-log measurements5) and composition, enabling the detection of such reservoir features as oil/water contacts (OWC’s) and small tar mats.4 This method has complemented reservoir screening by the Rockeval device6,7 and allows routine assessment of variation in oil quality throughout heavy- and light-oil reservoirs. Detection of small tar mats in petroleum reservoirs is critical because these can act as low-permeability zones or flow barriers (Fig. 2). Copyright 1997 Society of Petroleum Engineers Original SPE manuscript received for review 16 November 1994. Paper peer approved 28 October 1996. Paper (SPE 28849) first presented at the 1994 SPE European Petroleum Conference held in London, 25–27 October. 12 Automated thermovaporization gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems capable of producing high-quality gas chromatographic and gas chromatographic/ mass spectrometric data directly from reservoir cores have revolutionized the application of molecular geochemistry to the study of petroleum reservoirs.5,8 These systems allow the production of biomarker or aromatic-hydrocarbon parameter logs at near-meterresolution at a rate of one data point per hour. Detailed molecular geochemical logs produced from such systems enable the detection of compositional steps in petroleum columns, which can be sometimes interpreted as indicating the presence of a flow barrier.9,10 This interpretation is strengthened by the observation that pressure kicks sometimes occur across the same geological discontinuity across which the compositional step is seen.5 The benefit of the geochemical data is that they can be gathered before repeat-formation-test (RFT) pressure tests and can be used when deciding on the merits of making such tests. Correlations between the compositions of produced fluids with those predicted from preproduction compositional images has yet to be widely applied but may provide the ultimate test of the validity of production models based on engineering, geological, and geochemical data. Determination of the 87Sr/86Sr isotopic composition of salts precipitated by the evaporation of formation water or residual water during core storage11,12 permits the reservoir geochemist to obtain information about the heterogeneity of waters present in the reservoir, at high spatial resolution. As for petroleum, compositional steps across geological discontinuities imply that the discontinuity is an effective barrier to fluid flow. Downcolumn trends in the ratio within the oil leg imply that the composition of water was evolving during reservoir filling and can be used to suggest detailed filling histories.11 While these new methods have had a major impact on our ability to characterize petroleum reservoirs, traditional fingerprint gas chromatography coupled with multivariate data analysis has found a new lease of life, both as a reservoir continuity tool and for detection of leaking production tubing.13 Variation in water chemistry throughout a petroleum column is increasingly recognized by reservoir geochemists, although this information is not commonly incorporated in reservoir studies. Measurements of the salinities of aqueous fluid inclusions (tiny pockets of fluid trapped during the precipitation of diagenetic minerals in the reservoir) in petroleum fields indicate that oilfield water salinities may vary substantially through time. In one North Sea field we have studied, fluid-inclusion evidence suggests that salinities varied between 4 and 25 wt% total dissolved solids during the period of field filling, implying that residual waters trapped in the oil leg also have variable salinity. Coleman14 has shown that the water trapped within the oil leg of one North Sea field has a different chemical and isotopic composition from that in the water leg. The trapped paleowaters have a salinity of around 25 000 mg/L chloride, while the present-day formation water contains 60 000 mg/L chloride. These data force us to reassess the accuracy with which we calculate oil in place (OIP) because this involves the use of resistivity logs through the use of the practical Archie equation. In this case, assuming that the residual water in the oil leg is identical to that in the water leg would result in a 10% overestimate of OIP.3 In summary, reservoir geochemical methods provide cost-effective supplements to conventional reservoir appraisal and monitoring procedures and, in some cases, provide alternatives to conventional reservoir test procedures. SPE Reservoir Engineering, February 1997 Fig. 2—Probe permeameter logs of unextracted, slabbed core (line), and core-plug permeability logs (dots) obtained from solvent-cleaned core plugs show that, in contrast to the main reservoir sands, the tar mat (defined geochemically) in the reservoir shows markedly reduced measured permeability before core cleaning.41 Fig. 1—Some applications of reservoir geochemical methods. (a) Example of the application of latroscan geochemical logs, showing a log of the concentration of petroleum polar compounds (resins)asphaltenes) extracted from a core in the Ula field; shows a distinct OWC.4 (b) Log of the polar compound yields in the Ula and Skaggerak formations of Well 7/12-6 of the Ula field. Several zones in the Triassic oil column have high absolute yields of polar compounds. These zones represent small tar mats (“minimats”) within the oil column that have accumulated on sedimentologically defined features. (c) Geochemical and engineering data profiles through a well in the Eldfisk field. Shown are RFT pressures, biomarker parameters, and a summary geochemical parameter (PC1) derived by principal components analysis of a multivariate biomarker data set. Geochemical data were generated with the GC/MS system described in the text. Breaks or steps are visible in all logs between the ED/EE unit boundary and Tor formation boundary. The geochemical data have detected a barrier in the reservoir.5 Some Implications for Reservoir and Petroleum Engineering Although reservoir geochemistry has been applied to a range of exploration-, appraisal-, and production-related activities, there has been little geochemical input into field simulation procedures. This is surprising given that petroleum columns are known to be heterogeneous and that the physical properties of fluids are key inputs to reservoir simulations. SPE Reservoir Engineering, February 1997 Relationships Between Produced and Reservoired Fluids. Although petroleum is rich in hydrocarbons, it is the nonhydrocarbons (compounds rich in nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen) that may hold the key to the solution of many problems relevant to petroleum production. Petroleum extracted from North Sea cores contains up to 40% nonhydrocarbons compared with t25% for the produced oils.2 For example, core extracts from the Eldfisk chalk reservoir in the North Sea, which is low in both indigenous organic matter and clay minerals, contain 30 to 40% nonhydrocarbons compared with 10 to 20% in the produced oil.5 The physical location of these additional nonhydrocarbons (sorbed or not) and their phase relationships with the produced oils are unclear. Similarly the effect, if any, on the subsurface properties of fluids moveable on production time scales is unknown. However, if these polar-enriched petroleums are related to producible fluids, then it would imply that subsurface physical properties, such as bubblepoints and viscosities, could be significantly different from the properties derived from analysis of produced fluids.2 Traditionally, discrepancies between reservoir simulations and production histories are ascribed to imprecise knowledge of the properties of reservoir rocks rather than of the reservoired fluids. However, variations and uncertainties over the true compositions and physical properties of subsurface fluids suggests that variations in fluid properties may also need to be considered in sensitivity analyses of reservoir performance. Stoddart et al.5 have recently presented data that suggest that at least some of the unproduced nonhydrocarbons are strongly sorbed onto the surface of the reservoir rock. They showed that the distribution of nitrogen compounds (alkylcarbazoles and alkylbenzocarbazoles) in petroleum extracted from the Eldfisk chalk reservoir were variable on a meter scale, suggesting disequilibrium between mobile petroleum and petroleum sorbed on reservoir surfaces. This suggests that compositional heterogeneities in petroleums extracted from cores are more likely to influence reservoir wettability than the PVT properties of reservoired fluids. The apparent variability in the composition of core extracts and produced petroleum suggests that both the physical properties of petroleum and the reservoir wetting state may vary on both small (pore) and large (e.g., fault-block) scales. Fluid/Rock Interactions in Reservoirs. It is increasingly clear that sedimentologicallycontrolled, centimeter-scalegeological structures control permeability and thus fluid flow in petroleum reservoirs. The small-scalepermeability structure of rocks is often related to textural and mineralogical variations. If reservoirs are heterogeneous with respect to wettability (fractional wettability15), it is likely that the small13 Fig. 3—(a) Crossplots of Rockeval S1 and S1/(S1)S2) parameters for the oil leg of a North Sea, Rannoch formation sandstone reservoir. The proportion of lighter oil (S1—representing material up to approximately C25) to higher-boiling petroleum (S2) decreases as porosity and petroleum content decrease. (b) Probe permeameter data for a heterolithic, wavy bedded and rippled sandstone. The section represents a cored Rannoch formation section from the North Sea and is part of an oil leg. (c) Semivariograms of the variation of permeability and the Rockeval S1/(S1)S2) parameter for the interval in b. An increased correlation is suggested with a lag of 0.2 to 0.3 m, tentatively suggesting that there may be a relationship between the geochemical data and the permeability data sets at small scale.20 14 scalepetrophysical and mineralogical variations will control distribution of fluid phases. Differences in wettability can be incorporated into small-scale flow simulations by the use of appropriate relative permeability functions16 and the field effects identified. In a single reservoir, there is a commonly observed inverse relationship between reservoir quality (porosity and permeability) and the nonhydrocarbon content of core extracts.6,9,10,17-19 In many cases the trends cannot be ascribed to the occurrence of indigenous organic matter and must represent real variations in the petroleum. Fig. 3a shows crossplots of Rockeval S1 and S1/(S1)S2) parameters for an oil leg in a North Sea, Rannoch formation sandstone.20 (For reservoirs, S1 is approximately neutral for tC25"; S2 is material uC25.) Although designed for source rock analysis, the Rockeval S1/(S1)S2) parameter is useful as a monitor of the gross boiling range distribution of reservoired petroleums. The high petroleum content in the core (S1 yields of 10 to 30 mg petroleum/g rock) indicate that this is a normal oil leg; the data tentatively suggesting that the proportion of lighter oil (S1, representing material up to approximately C25) to higher-boiling-point petroleum (S2) decreases as petroleum content, and thus porosity, decrease. At these concentrations of petroleum, effects from indigenous organic matter will be small. Fig. 3b shows probe data for a heterolithic, wavy bedded and rippled sandstone. The section represents a cored Rannoch formation section from the North Sea and is part of an oil leg.16 The more-thanfour order of magnitude, small-scale permeability variation in the reservoir correlates well with small-scale sedimentological structure in the core, showing a cyclic variation on a scale of 0.3 m. Fig. 3c shows semivariograms of the variation of permeability and the Rockeval S1/(S1)S2) parameter.20 An increased correlation is suggested with a lag of 0.3 m, tentatively suggesting that there is a relationship between the geochemical and permeability data sets at small scale. There is much debate over the physical meaning of wettability determinations, but it is generally agreed that the distribution of wetting and of oil- and water-wetted phases in most reservoirs is complex, with most reservoirs having mixed wettability.21 Adsorption of organic species from petroleum is widely discussed as a control on reservoir surface state and wettability. Adsorption of nonhydrocarbon species, such as asphaltenes, resins, or specific nitrogen or oxygen compounds, onto dry mineral surfaces directly from oil or solvent solution is easily demonstrated in the laboratory.22-27 With waterwetted surfaces, the adsorption rates are dramatically reduced. While it is generally assumed that nonhydrocarbons are adsorbed onto reservoir surfaces in nature, there are few unequivocal observations to support this. Mitchell et al.28 performed surface chemical analyses of a suite of oil-bearing reservoir cores with varying Amott wettabilities.Increased oil-wetting indices were observed in samples the surfaces of which had higher carbon and nitrogen content, implicating adsorption of petroleum species onto the surfaces of the reservoir. Although the relationship between reservoir wettability and gross surface chemistry was clearly demonstrated and great care was taken to remove extraneous oil, it is generally difficult to be certain that stored cores are representative of the subsurface state. This is because resin or asphaltenic material may precipitate onto the reservoir surfacesduring core recovery and storage, even when special precautions are taken. Cuiec’s29,30 core restoration and wettability studies provide further evidence for the adsorption of petroleum species onto water-wet reservoir surfaces on a time scale of months. Both mineralogy and oil composition influenced the adsorption process. Also, core extracts are often rich in nonhydrocarbons compared with oils produced from equivalent reservoir intervals.2,17-19,28,31 Li et al.25,26 have provided convincing evidence for adsorption of nonhydrocarbon species onto petroleum carrier beds (and by implication reservoir rocks). These authors showed that alkylcarbazoles become fractionated during petroleum migration by selective adsorption onto rock surfaces. Isomers with no methyl substitution next to the active pyrrole functional group (e.g., 3,5 dimethylcarbazole) are removed more rapidly from the petroleum than isomers in which the pyrrole functional group is hindered by adjacent alkylation (e.g., 1,8 dimethylcarbazole). The fractionation resembles normal phase chromatography and simple calculations indicate that the chemical fractionations observed in migrating petroleums cannot be accounted for by partition of nitrogen compounds SPE Reservoir Engineering, February 1997 Fig. 4—Distribution of neutral nitrogen compounds in produced oils (triangles), reservoir sandstone core solvent extracts (open circles) and related source rocks (solid circles) from a North Sea sandstone oil-bearing reservoir.32 into water alone but require the involvement of carrier bed surfaces.2 This remains an area for further work. Similar fractionations are seen when the nitrogen compound distributions in produced oils and core extract petroleums are compared. Fig. 4 shows variations in the relative proportions of alkylcarbazoles, alkylbenzocarbazoles, and alkyldibenzocarbazoles for production and core solvent extract petroleums from a North Sea sandstone reservoir containing an undersaturated black oil. The core extract petroleums are enriched in alkylated dibenzo- and benzocarbazoles relative to the produced oils, reflecting selective partitioning of nitrogen compounds onto the solid reservoir surfaces.32 Controls on Distribution of Adsorbed Organic Species in Reservoir: Role of Organic Matter. It is typically assumed that nonhydrocarbons adsorb predominantly onto mineral surfaces because these are the volumetrically dominant component of most reservoir rocks. However, the large sorption capacity of solid sedimentary organic matter (kerogen plus bitumen) for petroleum species33 deserves note and is discussed later. Equilibria between petroleum species and reservoir rock components are not well understood. The actual distributions of wetting and variously wetted phases cannot be easily examined at the micron scale at which relevant heterogeneity may exist, but some considerations of the processes that occur during the early filling of a reservoir can be made. Fig. 5 shows a schematic reservoir/carrier rock with possible equilibria between phases. The fluid in contact with both mineral and solid organic phases in the rock is assumed initially to be water, so that direct contact between oil and potentially oil-wet phases, such as solid organic matter,15 will develop later once water films have been ruptured. Equilibrium partition of components between oil phases and waters can be described by a partition coefficient, P, representing the equilibrium concentration (kg/m3 or g/L) of the component in the oil phase divided by the concentration in the water phase. P + CoilńC water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) Equilibrium partition of components between waters and solid phases (minerals or organic matter) can be described by a distribution coefficient, K, representing the equilibrium concentration of the component on the rock phase (kg/kg or mg/g) divided by the concentration in the water phase. K + CsolidńC water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) SPE Reservoir Engineering, February 1997 Fig. 5—Pore-scale interactions between oil, water, and solid phases on a secondary migration pathway. Equilibrium between the phases is controlled by an oil/water partition coefficient (P); two distribution coefficients describing equilibrium between oilwet organic matter and oil (Kd2) and between water and water-wet mineral phases (Kd1); the relative masses or volumes of the four phases present [oil (Vo ), water (Vw ), oil-wet organic matter (Mr2), and water-wet minerals (Mr1)]. in m3/ kg or mL/g. K can be determined from an adsorption isotherm.27 So that for oil in equilibrium with a solid phase through a water phase, CsolidńC oil + KńP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) Macleod et al.34 have suggested that components, such as lowmolecular-weight alkylphenols, are partitioned between petroleum and water phases. The lowest-molecular-weight alkylphenols, phenol and the cresols, dominate the phenol distributions in oilfield waters, whereas associated oil phases contain more abundant dimethyl and trimethyl phenols.34 Equilibration of petroleums and waters at the reservoir pore scale can be expected to occur very rapidly on a geological time scale on the basis of laboratory studies of mass-transfer coefficients.35 Phenols are thus ideal model species to examine the controls on the distribution of polar compounds in reservoirs. Values of K and P for alkylphenols27 and of P values for alkylcarbazoles22 are shown in Table 1. K values for the adsorption of alkylcarbazoles onto solid phases from aqueous solution are notoriously difficult to determine because the aqueous solubilities of carbazoles are very low. The partition coefficients of alkylcarbazoles are several orders of magnitude higher than those for such species as phenols or carboxylic acids (Table 1). At the early stages of reservoir filling, it is the morewater-soluble compounds, such as phenols and carboxylic acids, that would be predicted to be the preferentially adsorbed phases. Alkylated, high-molecular-weight components, such as asphaltenes and resins, probably control wettability; it is likely that these will have TABLE 1—DISTRIBUTION PROPERTIES FOR PHENOLS AND CARBAZOLES K Compound 2,5 dimethylphenol 2,3 dimethylphenol 3,4 dimethylcarbazole 1,8 dimethylcarbazole Brown Coal/ Water (mL/g) Illite/Water (mL/g) P Oil/water 990 920 — — 25 11 — — 15 13 7 250 26 733 Values were determined at ambient conditions (25°C); P values for phenols were determined at 80°C with a solution-gas-free oil from Eldfisk field. Knaepen et al.40 have indicated that P values are significantly pressure dependant; we are currently measuring phenol P values under subsurface conditions. Carbazole data are from Ref 26. 15 some cases. Our current work aims to tie together chemical compositional variations in reservoir rocks at small scale with measured and modeled small-scale flow behavior. Fig. 6—Fraction of total adsorbed 2,5 dimethyIphenol on solidphase organic matter as a function of sediment TOC. At 2.0% TOC, about 50% of the phenol is adsorbed on organic matter. The curve was calculated with the distribution data in Table 1. very large partition coefficients and thus will be only slowly adsorbed from the water phase onto solid rock surfaces. More rapid adsorption will occur if the oil film directly contacts an oil-wetted phase. The relative masses of components initially adsorbed onto the different phases (minerals and organic matter) from the water phase is proportional to the relative K values for mineral/water and organic matter/water multiplied by the mass fraction of each phase. Fig. 6 shows the distribution of 2,5 dimethylphenol between minerals (assumed to have the properties of illite) and organic matter (assumed to have the properties of brown coal) as a function of total organic carbon (TOC). The curve is calculated from the data in Table 1. The fraction of total adsorbed phenol on the organic matter is plotted vs. TOC content of the sediment, assuming water to be the contacting phase. The much larger value for the organic-matter/water distribution coefficient results in preferential adsorption of the phenol onto organic matter, with most of the phenol being on organic matter at TOC content higher than 2%. Although the actual distribution of organic matter (i.e., blocky phytoclasts vs. dispersed grain coatings) will affect the eventual distribution of wetting phases, it is likely that organic matter will exert an important influence on the distribution of hydrophobic species in the reservoir. The TOC content of reservoir sands and carbonates varies from t0.1% to u2%. Whether a systematic study of reservoir wettabilities would show any relationship with TOC content or distribution is unclear, but it is interesting to speculate whether, under appropriate conditions, elevated TOC content in reservoir sediments may help to preserve water-wet mineral phases by acting as sinks for hydrophobic petroleum nonhydrocarbons. Fractional Wettability. Studies at the subseismic to pore scale in reservoirs suggest that there are variations in fractional wettability controlled by petrophysically inferred mineralogical variations.16,36,37 Heterogeneous distributions of nonhydrocarbons at the large-faultblock or reservoir-compartment scale (hundreds to thousands of meters) might also result in different fractional wettabilities.5 Fractional wettability at a hierarchy of scales is predicted on the basis of the scaling observed in sedimentary rocks and is implicated in a variety of capillary trapping mechanisms proposed to account for residual oil distributions in waterfloods.38,39 Detailed studies linking reservoir geological, engineering, and geochemical protocols are required to verify these concepts, to determine the scales at which fractional wettability varies, and to assess its importance in assessment of residual oil distributions and improved petroleum production strategies. To date, useful bulk correlations of oil/mineral composition and wetting ability have not been achieved,15 and the analytical techniques appropriate for the characterization of adsorbed phases in rocks at relevant scales are not yet routinely used or even available in 16 Conclusions Reservoir geochemistry is a cost-effective reservoir management tool. Proven applications to reservoir engineering include detection of reservoir continuity problems, location of fluid contacts, detection of tubing leakage, and location of tar mats (see Ref. 2 for a review). Evidence that small-scale geological features do exert a control on the subsurface properties of petroleum, coupled with research on nonhydrocarbon distributions in reservoirs, strongly suggests that some of the dispersion in reservoir simulations may be related to variations in fluid properties rather than to the traditionally determined rock properties (porosity, permeability). That petroleum and waters in petroleum reservoirs are compositionally heterogeneous at a range of scales is certain. Whether these variations critically affect current reservoirengineering practices is suspected but not proved. Reservoir geochemistry has the potential for improving our understanding of rock/fluid interactions, enabling engineers to address the issue of residual oil in a more systematic fashion. Nomenclature C+ concentration, g/L or kg/m3 k+ permeability, L2 K+ distribution coefficient, mL/g or m3/kg P+ partition coefficient Acknowledgments We thank Maowen Li and Gordon Macleod for evolution of the concepts on partitioning of petroleum species. U. of Newcastle thanks the sponsors and supporters of our reservoir geochemical studies carried out since 1989 [Phillips Petroleum, Unocal, Saga Petroleum, Statoil, BP, PSTI, NERC, European Community (EC) Thermie Program. NRG Industrial Liaison Program]. This review was compiled as part of a technology demonstration carried out under the EC Thermie Program. Heriot-Watt U. thanks BP for provision of the Rannoch formation material. P.W.M. Corbett is the Elf lecturer in reservoir evaluation and thanks Elf Production Geoscience for financial support. The manuscript was prepared by Yvonne Hall and the figures by Christine Jeans and Barbara Brown. References 1. Slentz, L.W.: “Geochemistry of Reservoir Fluids as Unique Approach to Optimum Reservoir Management,” paper SPE 9582 (1981). 2. Larter, S.R. and Aplin, A.C.: “Reservoir Geochemistry. Methods and Applications,” The Geochemistry of Reservoirs, W.A. England and J. Cubitt (eds.), Geological Soc. Special Publication (1995) 5. 3. Larter, S.R. and Aplin, A.C.: “Reservoir Geochemistry: Some Present and Future Applications,” paper SPE 28375 (1994). 4. 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Ringrose, P.S. et al.: “Immiscible Flow Behaviour in Laminated and CrossBedded Sandstones,” J. Pet. Science & Engineering (1993) 9, 103. 39. Huang, Y. et al.: “Waterflood Displacement in Laminated Rock Slab: Validation of Predicted Capillary Trapping Mechanisms,” paper SPE 28492 presented at the 1994 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, 25–28 September. 40. Knaepen, W.A.I., Tijssen, R., and Van Den Bergen, E.A.: “Experimental Aspects of Partitioning Tracer Tests for Residual Oil Saturation Determination With FIA-Based Laboratory Equipment,” SPERE (May 1990) 239. 41. Ball, L. et al.: “Permeability Prediction in a Braided Fluvial Reservoir: A Probe Permeameter Study on the PUC-b Sandstone, As Sarah Field, Sine Basin,” paper presented at the 1993 Sedimentary Basins of Lybia, Geology of the Cirte Basin, Ripoli, 10–13 October. SI Metric Conversion Factors ft 3.048* °F (°F*32)/1.8 md 9.869 233 psi 6.894 757 *Conversion factor is exact. E*01 +m +°C E*04 +mm2 E)00 +kPa SPERE Steve Larter is Professor of Geology, U. of Newcastle. Andy Aplin is Head of Fossil Fuels and Environmental Geochemistry Inst. U. of Newcastle.Pat Corbett is Elf Lecturer, HeriotĆWatt U. Neil Emerton is a researcher at HeriotĆWatt U. Mei Chen is a research associate at U. of Newcastle. Paul Taylor is a researcher at U. of Newcastle and is currently with Unocal Corp. in Texas. Photographs are unĆ available. 17
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