Multidisciplinary Formation Evaluation of the Waarre-C Reservoir: Otway Basin CO₂ Sequestration Pilot Project

Tess M. Dance¹ and John Pallikathekathil Zachariah^2
1The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies CO₂CRC, CSIRO Petroleum, Kensington, WA, Australia
²Schlumberger Oilfield Aust Pty Ltd, Perth, WA, Australia

Petrophysical log analysis, sedimentological core logging, and conventional core analysis are essential tools in the evaluation of reservoir formation suitability for injection of CO₂. The CO₂CRC Otway Project in Victoria, Australia, conducted a comprehensive logging and coring program of the Waarre-C Formation during drilling of the “CRC-1” injection well, providing a valuable database for such analysis.

The suite of data included wire-line log information, MDT tests, and 24m of continuous core recovered through the Waarre-C Formation. Core analysis included Computed Tomography (X-Ray CT scanning), Gamma Ray, mini profile permeability, and porosity/permeability plug analysis. Results from this analysis, combined with a detailed sedimentological interpretation, suggest that the target reservoir has excellent reservoir quality sands, with high porosity and multi darcy permeability, deposited by high energy fluvial channels, which were laid down in a tidally influenced incised valley. Core flooding experiments and well injectivity tests were also incorporated to quantify the effects of reservoir heterogeneity, and bulk permeability on the migrating CO₂ plume.

This multidisciplinary approach reduces uncertainty in reservoir characterization and modeling prior to the CO₂ injection process.

AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa 2008 © AAPG Search and Discovery