Predicting Carbonate Rock Properties Using NMR Data and Generalized Interpolation-Based Techniques

摘要

This paper describes an application of the radial basis function (RBF) method, a generalized interpolation method, for predicting petrophysical parameters of complex carbonate formation rocks from NMR measurements. The predictions are re fined using a forward-selection algorithm. To develop and validate the petrophysical models based on RBF methods, 103 core-plug measurements, including porosity, permeability, NMR relaxation times, capillary pressure, and thin-section images are used. The forward selection algorithm is used to improve the robustness of the RBF methods for predicting the permeability, the Thomeer parameters of the capillary pressure function, and the pore-throat-size distribution. It is demonstrated that for heterogeneous carbonate rocks, the generalized interpolation method is better than a closed-form expression to correlate NMR measurements with petrophysical variables. Furthermore, the comparison of four approaches of applying the RBF technique for permeability prediction is presented together with recommended methods for practical use.