Modelling the effect of grain anisotropy on inter-granular porosity

Abstract Porosity is the dominant factor that determines exploitable capacity of sedimentary reservoir rocks. Generally, pore heterogeneity poorly represented in subsurface geological models due to complexity. Granular mixtures produce complex space controlled by grain size, shape, and sorting. Heterogeneities volume are present at micro- nanoscales granular packing conditions resulting from deposition diagenesis. In study, three-dimensional were generated provide a realistic description mixtures. Accordingly, this study presents static for unit cells idealised spherical elongated grains using cubic, orthorhombic, rhombohedral models. Subsequently, shape effects terms elongation degree size distribution sorting evaluated. The mixing effect on inter-granular porosity each cell model was analysed. A range values derived parameters through in-house developed MATLAB codes digital FESEM images sandstone samples. Our demonstrates actual does not influence porosity, but real samples, affect values. estimated method can be basin level as replicate sediment maturity. adopted distributed spatial especially basin-scale hydrocarbon resource estimation.