Saturation Height Methods and Their Impact on Volumetric Hydrocarbon in Place Estimates

Abstract

Abstract The paper reviews four of the more popular saturation-height methods employed in the oil and gas industry, namely those proposed by Leverett, Johnson, Cuddy and Skelt. The advantages and drawbacks of each method are highlighted. Each technique is compared by investigating how accurately they model the saturation-height profiles of a Palaeocene oil well from the UK Central Graben and a Permian gas well from the UK Southern North Sea. Both wells have complete data sets including conventional core, SCAL and a comprehensive suite of electric logs. Besides comparing each of the methods on a well basis, the paper applies the resultant saturation-height relationships to the reservoir structures to see the effect on the computed hydrocarbon-in-place estimates. By moving to an areal field-wide basis, the effects of reservoir structural relief and the relative importance of the transition zone modelling is brought into focus.