Three-dimensional carbonate reservoir geomodeling based on the digital outcrop model

Abstract To better know the spatial distribution and architecture of carbonate reservoirs, three-dimensional carbonate reservoir geologic modeling based on the digital outcrop model (DOM) is proposed. Based on the traditional geologic study of outcrops, combined with digitizing the outcrop walls by utilizing the advanced instrument (LIDAR, RTK-GPS, GPR, Gigapan, etc), DOM is built, from which geological information based on measured sections and samples (litho-facies, porosity, permeability, sonic velocity) is extracted and used to build the 3-D outcrop reservoir geologic model by modeling software. Eventually the 3-D reservoir geologic model of outcrop is used to guide the subsurface research. The DOM-based 3-D reservoir geologic model for oolitic reservoirs of Triassic Feixianguan Formation in Yudongliang outcrop, NW Sichuan Basin, reveals more realistic spatial distribution of litho-facies, porosity and permeability, and their relationship, consequently providing more reliable evidence for seismic data interpretation and reservoir prediction of subsurface reservoirs with similar geological conditions.