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Understanding the role of bioturbation in modifying petrophysical properties: a case from well L5 of the third-member Paleocene Funing Formation (E1f3), Gaoyou Sag, Subei Basin, China

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Abstract

This study presents a detailed petrophysical characterization of bioturbated reservoir facies retrieved from well L5 of the most oil-productive third-member Paleocene Funing Formation (E1f3). Two siltstones and two sandstone reservoir facies (Rf1, Rf2, Rf3, and Rf4), respectively, are tested and analyzed using petrographic, pressure decay porosimetry, pulse decay permeametry, and TOC techniques. The results indicate that Rf1 (fine-grained, light gray siltstone) is intensely bioturbated (BI = 5; 91–99 vol.%) by Palaeophycus and Taenidium and shows a 64.02% increment in burrow porosity. Rf2 (fine-grained, light gray siltstone) is intensely bioturbated (BI = 5; 91–99 vol.%) by Ophiomorpha, Planolites, and Taenidium with 34% porosity. Rf3 (fine-grained, brown sandstone) is intensely bioturbated (BI = 5; 91–99 vol.%) by Rhizocorallium and Taenidium and indicates a 49.6% burrow porosity increment. Rf4 (fine-grained, brown sandstone) is intensely bioturbated (BI = 5; 91–99 vol.%) by Ophiomorpha, Palaeophycus, and Taenidium with a marginal 4.36% porosity gain. Burrows permeability in all reservoir facies samples improves by approximately 59%, 38%, 52%, and 15%, respectively. The harmonic mean of permeability (vertical fluid flow) best describes the bulk permeability of all reservoir facies. The effects of organic matter (OM) on porosities of Rf1 (0.59% ≤ TOC ≤ 0.76%), Rf2 (0.66% ≤ TOC ≤ 0.98%), Rf3 (0.03% ≤ TOC ≤ 0.05%), and Rf4 (0.04% ≤ TOC ≤ 0.08%) show that OM-hosted porosity is controlled by emplacement of organic matter in Rf2, Rf3, and Rf4 but the removal of organic matter in Rf1. Bioturbation influences porosity, permeability, and TOC, combined with depositional factors such as sorting, grain size distribution, mud-matrix/burrow content, and organic matter-hosted porosity.

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Data availability

Data is available on request due to privacy/ethical restrictions. The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of the Petroleum Exploration and Development Research Institute of Jiangsu Oilfield (SINOPEC) to the supply of quality core materials and wellbore data. Special thanks to workers at the old and new core libraries of Jiangsu Oilfield in Yangzhou, China, for their benevolent gesture in our core descriptions. Many thanks to the editor(s) and anonymous reviewers of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences for their constructive comments that helped identify faults in the paper. Their meticulous comments allowed us to reinforce our research before publication.

Funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China, under Grant No. 41772090, and the China National Science and Technology Major Project, under Grant No. 2017ZX05009-002, supported this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Geo-Engineering, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

    Jonathan Atuquaye Quaye, Caspar Daniel Adenutsi, Stephen Adjei, Kwame Sarkodie & Yen Adams Sokama-Neuyam

  2. School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, No. 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Zaixing Jiang & Chao Liu

  3. School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Yanick Brice Lemdjou

  4. Department of Geosciences, University of Namibia, Gordon Street, Keetmanshoop, Namibia

    Collen-Issia Uahengo

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  1. Jonathan Atuquaye Quaye
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Contributions

Jonathan Atuquaye Quaye: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, writing — review and editing, methodology, software, data curation, visualization, formal analysis, validation.

Zaixing Jiang: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, supervision, project administration, fund acquisition, resources, validation.

Chao Liu: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, investigation, software, validation.

Caspar Daniel Adenutsi: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, visualization, investigation, formal analysis, validation.

Stephen Adjei: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, formal analysis, validation.

Kwame Sarkodie: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, formal analysis, validation.

Yen Adams Sokama-Neuyam: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, formal analysis, validation.

Yanick Brice-Lemdjou: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, formal analysis, validation.

Collen Issia Uahengo: conceptualization, writing — original draft preparation, formal analysis, validation.

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Correspondence to Jonathan Atuquaye Quaye.

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Quaye, J.A., Jiang, Z., Liu, C. et al. Understanding the role of bioturbation in modifying petrophysical properties: a case from well L5 of the third-member Paleocene Funing Formation (E1f3), Gaoyou Sag, Subei Basin, China. Arab J Geosci 16, 407 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11506-x

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