The Power of RockPORE™: MCWL’s Exclusive Tool for Real-Time Nanoporosity and Enhanced Recovery

Nanoporosity plays a critical role in hydrocarbon storage and recovery within shale and tight formations, yet its accurate measurement remains a technical challenge. Porosity data is fundamental to understanding unconventional resource potential, specifically in Unconventional resources where porosity is often underestimated. Our scientists at MCWL dedicate substantial time towards unlocking this data potential and offer a true look at nanoporosity potential using RockPORE®.

Traditional methods such as BET/BJH gas adsorption, Helium Porosimetry, and Mercury Intrusion Capillary Pressure (MICP) have shown significant variability due to pore access limitations, drilling fluids and sample preparation artifacts. RockPORE®, a novel Density Difference Porosimetry (DDP) method specifically designed for cuttings and core chips to assess nanoporosity without intrusive preparation.

Unlike conventional wireline gamma density logs, which are subject to baseline drift and mud contamination, RockPORE® provides high-resolution porosity measurements directly from drill cuttings collected during drilling. The method leverages advanced X-ray crystallography and calibrated bulk-to-grain density differentials to achieve porosity results with a rigorous calibration program to ensure accuracy of nanoporosity results within ±.001 standard deviation.

Background:

Our findings indicate that nanoporosity comprises more than half of the total porosity in many tight formations, influencing resource estimation and recovery strategy. RockPORE®'s ability to work with water-based or oil-based mud cuttings makes it an invaluable tool for porosity analysis during drilling operations to optimize targets, characterizing the reservoir heterogeneity and enhancing post well strategic decisions.

During fracking, water will open the unconnected nano porosity, and release oil and gas through imbibition process. This production mechanism calls for a nano-porosity measurement protocol that could measure the nano-porosity whether connected or not. Shale or tight reservoir porosity is often underestimated. One good example of DDP porosimetry unique advantage over conventional porosimetry methods is the Barnett shale. Although core evaluations indicated average values of 3.7% porosity (average log values of 13.5% from density response using a 2.71 grain density), the majority of the porosity in the rock was not visible. It was not until 2007, when the Bureau of Economic Geology in Austin, Texas, applied argon ion milling to the sample-preparation process, that the source of the porosity was identified in masked oil/gas filled nanopores.

Key Insights:

- Provides calibrated nanoporosity data sets using optimized mineralogical inputs

- Measures porosity from cuttings and/or core chips from fresh or archived samples

- Allows for the quantification of porosity heterogeneity across horizontal well bores

- Carefully integrated formation specific models to ensure accuracy of data sets

- Multi-variable applications from exploration, benchmark delineations, lateral characterization, completions, EUR (estimated ultimate recovery) estimations and more

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Why This Matters:

-Provides a detailed quantitative understanding of the nanopore/pore networks and the ramifications of lithological impacts

-Addresses the disconnect between porosity values derived from traditional logs and actual reservoir performance

-Enables more strategic well completions and EUR estimates with having high resolution porosity data in horizontal well bores

-Can provide full operating area isopach maps of the nanoporosity trends for active drilling regions

RockPORE® provides accurate and cost-effective technology to quantify porosity in conventional and unconventional resource plays. The calibrated models allow operators to fine tune their results based on specific reservoir conditions while maintaining covertness with respect to competitors.

Interested in integrating RockPORE® into your drilling and/or reservoir evaluation workflows?

Reach out to us at info@mcwlinc.com to get more information.

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