Reservoir Characterization of Carbonate in Middle East by QEMSCAN Automated Petrography

QEMSCAN (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy) is a fully automated analysis system that combines scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray spectrometers (EDS) and backscatter electron detector (BSE) to provide the ultrafast petrographic description of samples in the form of high resolution mineral maps, spatially resolved compositional and textural data. In this paper, QEMSCAN was used to evaluate the carbonate reservoir. Lithofacies, pore structure and diagenesis are identified based on thin section analysis and core data. Each sample displays a unique set of porosity, grain size and mineral association data from QEMSCAN, which are then compared to optical microscopy and core analysis data in order to assess the pros and cons for QEMSCAN. The results show that QEMSCAN is useful for the carbonate reservoir characterization which provides quantitative data on mineralogy and porosity more quickly and accurately. Compared with thin section, QEMSCAN gives a more precise estimation of porosity data. It is better to use integrated methods to get more accurate results.