Hard to swallow!

[Mohamed]

I am taking a Seismic Petrophysics class, and my professor was explaining about reservoirs with around a 60% heavy oil and a 40% rock (the grains of that rock kind of do not touch each other). Does this geological setting exist in nature? Would the heavy oil be capable of holding the whole formation?

[Mohamed]

Given that the highest rock porosity ever recorded is ~ 35%. If this rock exists, it would have a 60% porosity !!! (i.e. void space is > matrix itself!!!).

[Dave]

It is confusing. If the the grains of the rock do not touch each other, it's unconsolidated sediments, not a rock. Maybe the rock was loosely defined by your professor. The highest porosity ever reported is close to 50% in chalk formations. I can imagine that the grains of chalk formation can be very loosely touching each other, especially after the secondary porosity developed after the deposition. In this case, it's still kind of a chalk formation, with some skeletons holding the formation together in large scales and filled with loose grains in small scales.

[Mohamed]

I have no experience about the properties\ physics of heavy oil, but my professor said that heavy oil along with the grains suspended in it would be able somehow to hold the whole "thing" together (i.e. the combination acts as a rock). I will open the discussion with him again on Monday, and I will let you know how it goes.

** I may need to attach a graph\ picture, if anyone knows how (and you have the time), please let me know.

Thanks Dave!

[Mohamed]

(the grains of that rock kind of do not touch each other)

Hey Dave, I may have added this sentence from my head. I am not sure whether he really said or not. Would this make a difference in your answer?

[Geos]

Just copy it from one of my previous posts:
Here is how to post a image:
When you post or reply a message, below the text window, there is a tab "upload attachment", click it, and then use the button "browse" to locate the image file in your computer, click "add the file", the window will be refreshed. Under the text window, click "place inline" under the file name you just added. You'll see something like "[attachment..." in the text window. Now you have added the image to the post, the rest is like post the regular post. Submit the post and the image would appear.

[marken]

The viscosity of the some heavy crude oils is really high. Combined with the right environment to form something similar to bitumen/tar, the oil does not flow at all.

[Dave]

The viscosity of the some heavy crude oils is really high. Combined with the right environment to form something similar to bitumen/tar, the oil does not flow at all.

This makes sense if it works the same way the tar does, but the porosity can be that high?

I have no experience about the properties\ physics of heavy oil, but my professor said that heavy oil along with the grains suspended in it would be able somehow to hold the whole "thing" together (i.e. the combination acts as a rock). I will open the discussion with him again on Monday, and I will let you know how it goes.

Please let me know, I am also interested in what the professor is going to say. Thanks!

[Mohamed]

Please let me know, I am also interested in what the professor is going to say. Thanks!

My professor said that this situation does exist in nature. They call it "Tar Sand", and it exists in some parts of the world like Alberta, Canada

[Dave]

My professor said that this situation does exist in nature. They call it "Tar Sand", and it exists in some parts of the world like Alberta, Canada

So it's not really a rock?

[Mohamed]

Nope! When you hold in your hands, it will fall apart as big chunks.

[Dave]

Just find a good link with pictures for tar sands, they do look like rocks, maybe you can call them sedimentary rocks.
http://ostseis.anl.gov/guide/tarsands/index.cfm

[Mohamed]

Thanks for the link. This picture kind of matches what my Prof said.

[Eegamizer]

I never knew the oil can be mined instead of pumped from oil wells. It's a very interesting geological setting.