Relationships among low frequency (2Hz) electrical resistivity, porosity, clay content and permeability in reservoir sandstones

Han, Tongcheng, Best, Angus I., Sothcott, Jeremy, North, Laurence J. and MacGregor, Lucy M. (2015) Relationships among low frequency (2Hz) electrical resistivity, porosity, clay content and permeability in reservoir sandstones. Journal of Applied Geophysics, 112, 279-289. (doi:10.1016/j.jappgeo.2014.12.006).

Abstract

The improved interpretation of marine controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) data requires knowledge of the inter-relationships between reservoir parameters and low frequency electrical resistivity. Hence, the electrical resistivities of 67 brine (35 g/l) saturated sandstone samples with a range of petrophysical properties (porosity from 2% to 29%, permeability from 0.0001 mD to 997.49 mD and volumetric clay content from 0 to 28%) were measured in the laboratory at a frequency of 2 Hz using a four-electrode circumferential resistivity method with an accuracy of ± 2%. The results show that sandstones with porosity higher than 9% and volumetric clay content up to 22% behave like clean sandstones and follow Archie's law for a brine concentration of 35 g/l. By contrast, at this brine salinity, sandstones with porosity less than 9% and volumetric clay content above 10% behave like shaly sandstones with non-negligible grain surface conductivity. A negative, linear correlation was found between electrical resistivity and hydraulic permeability on a logarithmic scale. We also found good agreement between our experimental results and a clay pore blocking model based on pore-filling and load-bearing clay in a sand/clay mixture, variable (non-clay) cement fraction and a shaly sandstone resistivity model. The model results indicate a general transition in shaly sandstones from clay-controlled resistivity to sand-controlled resistivity at about 9% porosity. At such high brine concentrations, no discernible clay conduction effect was observed above 9% porosity.

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