An integrated and quantitative approach to petrophysical heterogeneity

Exploration in anything but the simplest of reservoirs is commonly more challenging because of the intrinsic variability in rock properties and geological characteristics that occur at all scales of observation and measurement. This variability, which often leads to a degree of unpredictability, is commonly referred to as “heterogeneity”, but rarely is this term defined. Although it is widely stated that heterogeneities are poorly understood, researchers have started to investigate the quantification of various heterogeneities and the concept of heterogeneity as a scale-dependent descriptor in reservoir characterization.