Microporosity is by volume the most important porosity type in the giant carbonate reservoirs of Arabia with an estimated percentage of above 60%. With much of the historic production having drained the macro-pores, most of the remaining oil resides in micro-pores. Future production and maintenance of production profiles will hence heavily rely on successfully draining oil from micropores. Despite the economic significance of microporosity, the origin and diagenesis of the carbonate micro-crystals that define this porosity are poorly understood. Moreover, the impact of the variable types and distributions of microporosity on enhanced oil recovery is not well known. The aim of this project is to identify the microporosity types in the Jurassic and Cretaceous reservoirs of Saudi Arabia with due consideration to the origin and evolution of the host micrite and evaluate their impact on multi-phase fluid flow.
