of the International Association of ENGINEERING GEOLOGY

BULLETIN de I'Association Internationale de GIS:OLOGIE DE L'INGC:NIEUR Paris - No 53 - Avril 1996

I~TUDE PI~,TROPHYSIQUEDE L'UNITI~ Ra DU RI~SERVOIR CAMBRIEN D'HASSI-MESSAOUD

(SECTEUR SUD-EST), ALGI~RIE

PETROPHYSICAL RESEARCH ON THE CAMBRIAN RESERVOIR Ra OF HASSI MESSAOUD (SOUTH

EASTERN SECTOR), ALGERIA

KHELLAF A.**, MANLk J.*, BROQUET P.*, BELHAOUS A.***, CHAUVE P.*

Rdsum6

Une analyse statistique de quelques param~tres pdtrographiques : granulomdtrie, silice secondaire et argile totale du rdservoir grdseux pdtrolier d' ~ge cambrien
d'Hassi-Messaoud a dtd entreprise en liaison avec les caractdristiques pdtrophysiques de transfcrt de fluide (permdabilitd) et de stockage (porosit,5).
Le faeteur principal de ddtdrioration relative de la porositd est la silice secondaire tandis que l'argile totale et lc grain maximum semblem jouer un r61e
d'amdlioration. Le grain moyen par contrc n ' a aucunc influence sur la porositd.
Le premier facteur de ddtdrioration de la permdabilit6 est la silice secondaire (r = - 0,924). La porositd et la perm~:abilitd sont intimemem lids. Le coefficient
de correlation entre ces deux param~:tres est de 0,95.

Abstract

The statistical analysis of the granular parameters, of the secondary, silica and of the total clay of cambrian sandstone Ra reservoir of Hassi Messaoud is
undertaken in link with the characteristics of the transfer of fluid (perrneability and storage porosity). We show that the principal factor of relative deterioration
of the porosity is the secondary silica while the total clay and the maximum grain seem to play a sensible positive part in this respect. The average grain
doesn't have any influence on the porosity (r = 0.443). The first factor of deterioration of the permeability is the secondary, silica (r = - 0.924). The maximum
grain and the total clay look play a role in the amelioration of the permeability. The coefficient of interrelationship between the porosity and the permeability
is of 0.950 which prove a good link between these two parameters. The structure of Hassi Messaoud appears like a vast flattened anticlinal of orientation
SSW-NNE extending on more than 4 200 km: on the oriental termination of the triassic basin of the Algeria (Figure l). The formations of the Paleozo'ic are
eroded under the clayed and salted triassic formations. In this sector the Cambro-Ordovician formation subsists under the limit of the triassic erosion
(Figure 2).
Four units constitute the main camhro- ordovician reservoir (Ri, Ra, R2 and R3) with a total thickness of the productive formations between 175 and 240
meters. The reservoir is constituted by some quartzitic beds, of medium sandstone to coarse micaceous and feldspathic sandstones with siltic levels or
micro-conglomerates (Figure 3). A network of SW-NE faults and NW-SE cuts up the bearing.
We study separately in a first time the variables of porosity and of permeability, then we attempt to study the bond between them introducing from there
other explanatory variables such as the granularity, the rate of clay and the silicification. The transmissivity and the indication of productivity will be presented
only with comparative object.
Eighteen core-drills were sampled with a spacing on the vertical varying from 0.25 to 0.50 m. More than 2000 thin sections have been analyzed by microscope
polarizing. Near 65 % of the porosity values were included into one slice from 6 to 12 % (Figure 4). "['he arithmetic average of the porosity is about 8.17 %.
The geographical distribution of the values of porosity indicates (Figure 5) :
- - a first east sector having some improved porosities higher than 8 % situated along the line 12. where some porosities reacb sometimes 10.3 % on Md 368
well and 9.6 % on Md 366 well,
- - a second sector is situated on the West center, extended from the South toward the West-north. The values of the porosity decrease with the center toward
the periphery of these sectors and from North toward the South of the field. We attempt to determine the factors having one major influence on the porosity :
secondary silice, total clay and the maximum grain. The histogramm of the permeability is made with 3 228 measures achieved into 18 wells. The interval
of the classes have a logarithmic gradation and about 85 % of the measures have some included values between 0.1 and 100 md (Figure 6). The distribution
is unimodal and gaussian. The average of the permeability into the reservoir is near 17.6 rod. The variations of permeabilities is in relationship with some
lateral changes of facies. The countour map permeability is drawn with the data of 112 wells, the equidistance of the lines have a logarithmic scale.
The lines of isopermeability describe two zones of which the permeability overtakes 10 md (Figure 7). The first of shape is transverse with a East-West
direction starting to the Eastern extends until the center, the second zone is wholly at the West with a North-South orientation. These two zones look strongly
like the anomalies of the maximum grains and some observed porosities on their respective maps. The relation between porosity and permeability is done
for the whole level Ra in the southerly part East of the field of Hassi Messaoud.
The quartzification and the compaction carry a discontinuity of the pores and are translated with a reduction of the values of the porosity and of the
permeability. The figures 8 and 9 show a deterioration of the porosity and of the permeability with the increase of the content of silica.
For best fear the factors having one major influence on the porosity and the permeability we have settled some interrelationships between the petrophysical
parameters (porosity and permeability) and the petrographical parameters. We show that the porous and permeable zones are conditioned by a strong level
of clay and a coarse granularity then that the silica fact goes on a decrease of their respective values. Although the fracturation plays a negative role rather

* Universit6 de Franche-Comt6, Laboratoire de G6ologie Structurale et Appliqu6e. Place Mar6chal Leclerc, 25000 B E S A N ~ O N (France).
** Institut National des Hydrocarbures, BOUMERDES (Alg6rie).
*** Sonatrach, centre de Recherche et de Ddveloppement, B O U M E R D E S (Algdrie).
 56

on the production, it is difficult to define with precision the zones where this effect is predominant for they are not, in this case, associated to some mapped
accidents and their present location therefore a qualitative character.
The totality of the productive capacity of the reservoir has a porosity higher than 5.5 % and a storage capacity equal to 92.5 %. We think that the data of some
plugs are statistically representative in the Ra and that the value of the porosity cutting near 5.5 % is reasonable (Figure 10).
The settled correlation between the average porosity per classes and the log of the average permeability has a polynomial regression such as :
Ln (k) = -2,43 + 0,747 ~ - 0,0212 qb-'
and give for a porosity of 5.5 % a value for log (k) = 1,04 which represents a permeability of 2.82 md. We suggest therefore a minimal porosity of 5.5 % and
a minimal permeability of 2.4 md for the lower bounding of the useful reservoir (Figure 1I).
The kaolinitisation of the illite and some feldspaths is a good illustration of the amelioration of the petrophysical characteristics. Nevertheless the
kaolinitisation of some micas by gradual spacing of the leaflets lead to a reduction of the permeability by the mean of the largest specific surface.
The illite neoformation state is present under the shape of fibrous entanglements. So the phenomenon of illitisation of the kaolinite translates a deterioration
of some petrophysical properties by increase of the occupied volume and consequently a reduction of the porosity and the permeability.

I. I n t r o d u c t i o n II. Porosit6

Le g i s e m e n t d ' H a s s i M e s s a o u d appara~t c o m m e un vaste La porositE drsignEe par le s y m b o l e q~ s ' e x p r i m e en % ou

anticlinal aplati d ' o r i e n t a t i o n S S W - N N E s ' E t e n d a n t sur
plus de 4 2 0 0 km 2 (Figure l) pros de la t e r m i n a i s o n orien-
tale du bassin triasique sud algdrien. Les f o r m a t i o n s du
Paldozoi'que sont droddes sous les f o r m a t i o n s argilo-salif~-
res du Trias qui c o n s t i t u e n t la c o u v e r t u r e du g i s e m e n t
(Figure 2). Dans notre secteur seu[ le C a m b r o - O r d o v i c i e n
subsiste sous la d i s c o r d a n c e triasique. Un rEseau de failles
S W - N E et N W - S E recoupe le g i s e m e n t ( T h o u v e n i n et al.,
1972). Quatre unit4s c o n s t i t u e n t le r r s e r v o i r principal cam-
b r o - o r d o v i c i e n (Ri, Ra, R2 et R3) avec une 6paisseur totale
des f o r m a t i o n s p r o d u c t i v e s oscillant entre 175 et 240 m~-
tres. Une coupe dEtaillde des d i f f r r e n t s n i v e a u x est donnEe
en figure 3. Le r e s e r v o i r est constitu6 par des quartzites,
des g r r s m o y e n s it grossiers micacds f e l d s p a t h i q u e s ~ ni-
v e a u x silteux ou m i c r o - c o n g t o m d r a t i q u e s ( M a l l e n f e r et aL,
1963, M o n t a d e r t , 1963, L ' H o m e r , 1967).
Le r e s e r v o i r a subi une l o n g u e et c o m p l e x e Evolution
gdologique. Des p r o c e s s u s c o m b i n 4 s li~s au d r p 6 t , b. la
c o m p a c t i o n , h la diagen~se et /1 l ' h i s t o i r e tectonique ont
gdnEr6 un rdservoir hEtdrog~ne difficile h a p p r r h e n d e r spa-
tialement.
Les c a r a c t r r i s t i q u e s p h y s i q u e s des r r s e r v o i r s acquises au
m o m e n t du dEp6t v a r i e n t en f o n c t i o n des d i f f r r e n t s types
d'environnement.
L ' a n a l y s e des carottes au l a b o r a t o i r e et les essais potentiels
sur puits, d r t e r m i n e n t les caract4ristiques p h y s i q u e s des
roches m a g a s i n s , c o m m e la p o r o s i t r , la permEabilitr, la
saturation en liquides et en gaz, l ' r p a i s s e u r utile, la trans-
m i s s i v i t r , et l ' i n d i c e de p r o d u c t i v i t 6 (IP) qui sont des
v a r i a b l e s i m p o r t a n t e s duns l'Etude du r6servoir. Elles inter-
v i e n n e n t p o u r d r f i n i r la c o m p l d t i o n o p t i m a l e du puits en
p a r t i c u l i e r p o u r limiter le c h a m p , dEfinir les c o n t a c t s entre
les diff~rents fluides, 6tablir des correlations structurales et
stratigraphiques, d 4 t e r m i n e r les hauteurs productrices, es-
timer les rdserves e t l a productivitE initiale. N o u s 6tudions
s E p a r r m e n t dans un p r e m i e r t e m p s les v a r i a b l e s (porositE,
p e r m r a b i l i t 4 ) , puis nous t e n t o n s d ' r t u d i e r les liens qui
e x i s t e n t e n t r e elles en i n t r o d u i s a n t d ' a u t r e s v a r i a b l e s expli-
catives telles que la g r a n u l o m r t r i e , l'argilosit6 e t l a silici-
fication. La transmissivit6 et l ' i n d i c e de productivitE ne
seront prrsentEs q u ' h titre c o m p a r a t i f .
en fraction. Les vides c o n n e c t d s entre eux et susceptibles
de c o n t e n i r des fluides d r t e r m i n e n t la porosit6 c o n n e c t d e
(qbr appel6e porositE utile. U n e fine pellicule de fluide
reste toujours a d s o r b r e (ou f i r e ) sur la surface des grains
d i m i n u a n t le v o l u m e du pore o u de la fissure.
Si Sf c o r r e s p o n d ~ la s a t u r a t i o n de ta roche en fluide
irrrcupErable, la porositE utile (q%) est dgale tt ( 1 - St).
Dans la suite, la porositE sera e n t e n d u e c o m m e 6tant la
porosit6 utile.
It peut e x i s t e r des pores qui n e c o m m u n i q u e n t pas entre
eux, on peut alors ddfinir une porositE rEsiduelle due aux
seuls pores non relids. La p o r o s i t 6 totale (utile + rEsiduelle)
est celle qui est apprEhendde p a r les d i a g r a p h i e s 61ectriques
ou n u c l r a i r e s .
La porositE est dite m a t r i c i e l l e l o r s q u ' e l l e est le rdsultat de
vides intergranulaires, par o p p o s i t i o n ,5 la porosit6 de fis-
sure. Pour I'I.F.P. (1978) le r d s e r v o i r g r r s e u x d ' H a s s i Mes-
s a o u d m o n t r e une porosit6 p r e s q u e toujours matricielte.
La porositE d e p e n d de la nature d e la roche et des c o n d i t i o n s
de son drp6t, mais aussi des c o n d i t i o n s qui ont p r r v a l u
apr~s la s d d i m e n t a t i o n ( c o m p a c t i o n , c i m e n t a t i o n , dissolu-
tion).
I L l . Pr616vement et pr6paration des 6chantillons
Des 6 c h a n t i l l o n s c y l i n d r i q u e s s o n t prrlevEs dans les carot-
tes b. l ' a i d e d ' u n outil d i a m a n t 6 au rythme de deux 6chan-
tillons t o u s l e s 25 ou 50 cm, F u n s u i v a n t l ' a x e de la carotte
(6chantillon vertical), l ' a u t r e p e r p e n d i c u l a i r e h cet axe
(Echantillon horizontal). L e u r d i a m b t r e est de 22 m m et leur
l o n g u e u r de 26 ram, leur v o l u m e total est voisin de I0 c m 3.
Ces 6 c h a n t i l l o n s sont l a v r s d a n s un e x t r a c t e u r qui e n l e v e
l ' e a u et l ' h u i l e q u ' i l s c o n t i e n n e n t , le liquide de l a v a g e
utilisd est le xylene (solvant) d o n t la tempdrature d'dbullition
est de 140~ Ils sont ensuite s d c h r s dans une 6tuve ~ 80~
II.2. M6thodes de mesure de la porosit6
D e u x m f t h o d e s de m e s u r e ont 6t6 u t i l i s r e s : s o i t avec l ' a i d e
d ' u n p o r o s i m ~ t r e ~ i m m e r s i o n d a n s le m e r c u r e (typ~ C o r e -
lab), soit par la m 6 t h o d e p r t r o g r a p h i q u e de m e s u r e de la
porosit6 ( i m p r 6 g n a t i o n p r r a l a b l e sous pression des d c h a n -
tillons par une r r s i n e c o l o r r e ) .