Our research aims to constrain the controls on carbonate porosity and permeability (deposition, diagenesis) and the physics of multiphase flow. More than half of Earth’s conventional hydrocarbon resources are found in carbonate reservoirs. These are highly heterogeneous over many length scales and are typically extensively fractured; thus, recovery factors are often low. Essential to improving oil and gas recovery is to understand the fundamental controls on carbonate porosity and permeability (deposition, diagenesis) and the multiphase flow physics. The carbonates strand focuses on research in the following areas: Integrated carbonate workflows for geoscience, petrophysics and engineering Effective properties at the reservoir simulator scale Rock physics and reservoir geophysics workflows Common sample framework for shared earth modelling Ongoing development of a research agenda for carbonate reservoirs International Centre for Carbonate Reservoirs To address the many research questions surrounding carbonates, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh universities have formed a strategic research alliance that includes several joint research institutes in engineering and mathematics. As part of that alliance, they have invested in new staff with carbonate expertise. An ambitious strategic research consortium called the International Centre for Carbonate Reservoirs (ICCR) was set up by the Edinburgh COllaborative in Subsurface Science and Engineering (ECOSSE). It aims to address the key geoengineering challenges that concern the recovery of hydrocarbons from carbonate reservoirs. Visit the International Centre for Carbonate Reservoirs (ICCR) website Publications * Does not include authors non-affiliated with the School (2020) Modelling the impact of depositional and diagenetic processes on reservoir properties of the crystal-shrub limestones in the ‘Pre-Salt’ Barra Velha Formation, Santos Basin, Brazil. Marine and Petroleum Geology Volume 112, 104100. *Authors: Hosa, A., Wood, R. A., Corbett, P. W.M., Souza, R.S., Roemers, E. View publication (2020) Order of diagenetic events controls evolution of porosity and permeability in carbonates. Sedimentology. *Authors: Hosa, A., Wood, R.A. View publication (2020) Quantifying the impact of early calcite cementation on the reservoir quality of carbonate rocks: A 3D process-based model. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 112, 104100. *Authors: Hosa, A., Wood, R.A. View publication This article was published on 2024-07-01
