Plant Physiological Modelling: From Aid to Reservoir Characterisation and Quantification

Surajeet Rath
ONGC Ltd., Kolkata, India

As we know that any interaction between the plant organism and its environment is considered as its physiological process, similarly reservoir physiology grows through different phases of environmental and physico chemical interactions.

The transportation of fluids/colloids are being transported from the roots of the plant to leaf tips through different biological tissues and xylems involving different mode of processes like Adsorption, Absorption through forces like Capillary force, adhesive force, Cohesive force and pressure variations like Diffusion, Osmosis and Absorption.

All these processes are similarly play very important roles through different lithology and geomorphology in a reservoir system characterising and quantifying the dynamic growth of reservoirs through different phases of formation, migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in source rocks, reservoir rocks and traps. (Reservoir system)

So the physico chemical principles that are true to the plants physiology, growth and transport of fluids from one part to other have a great similarity in explaining fluid movements in hydrocarbon reservoirs. Observations like grain size variations from very fine to coarse grain depositions as layers with in a sedimentary system can act as permeable or impermeable membrane for different colloidal system bringing different type of pressures like diffusion, osmosis and forces like cohesion, adhesion to play by virtue of which a positive force for fluid movement inside the system starts working similar to Plant physiology. Secondly primary interconnected micro-pores, secondary developed micro-pores behave like thin nets of capillary tubes, where capillary pressure, surface tension and cohesive force combined together to accelerate the movements of fluids (migration) within a reservoir system similar to the processes occurs inside a plant. Conclusively there are a number of explanations from plant physiology which can be demonstrated and can be explained to get a better idea regarding fluid movements, entrapment and possible forces causing enrichment vis-à-vis dryness in a reservoir system.

Presentation GEO India Expo XXI, Noida, New Delhi, India 2008©AAPG Search and Discovery