Digital Rock Physics has been a promising technology for faster, cheaper and deeper reservoir understanding. However, it does not come with some pitfalls and complexities. One of such complications is related to the understandable need from customers and users to directly compare scalar outputs with conventional RCAL/SCAL data coming from plugs and SWC’s which sometimes can be misleading if certain considerations are not taken. Another detected issue is the time2market from some of the regular workflows as detailed tomographic work and numerical simulation can in certain projects not be as cost/time effective as promised. Finally another hindrance detected is that proper imaging of representative volumes at proper resolution when critical pore throats sizes are on the limit of resolution of most tomography systems. This, sometimes also requires more time and money than what a digital lab data counterpart should represent.
In this work we present an alternative solution based on the use of multi-physics imaging in rock fragments or cuttings. It is based on the use of several imaging instruments like SEM, SAM, EDS, NanoIndentators among other technologies and the application of image analysis and physical models to obtain emergent properties from the acquired probabilistic density functions vectors. Going through some physical principles as correlation length, percolation and effective medium we establish some ground rules for proper data interpretation and comparison with “real” RCAL/SCAL data.
This is our view on how digital rock physics and image analysis can provide meaningful information leaning on precision by data density and ubiquity improving time and cost efficiency together with a better uncertainty constraint.
