Patent Document ID: 7516016
Application ID: 11449965
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for improving prediction of the viability of potential petroleum reservoirs by determining improved estimates of reservoir permeability, the method comprising the steps of: (a) assembling measurements of P-wave velocity and density or porosity for a region of porous sedimentary rock to be modelled, (b) modelling the porous rock as a system consisting of a load-bearing solid matrix with pores containing fluids and also non-load-bearing solids, the proportion of solid material consisting of non-load bearing solids being represented by a floating solid fraction, (c) estimating a value for the floating solid fraction on the basis of the measurements of P-wave velocity and density or porosity, and the porous rock model, (d) determining an estimate of permeability as a function of porosity and estimated floating solid fraction, and (e) using the determined function to estimate reservoir permeability based on measured values of porosity and the estimated floating solid fraction.