W.J. Ebanks, Jr.
Flow Units for Reservoir M. H. Scheihing
Characterization C. D. Atkinson
ARCO Oil and Gas Company
Piano, Texas, U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION 2. A flow unit is correlative and mappable at the interwell
scale.
Petroleum geologists and hydrologists have long
recognized the need to define quasi-geological/petrophysical Because flow units are deterministic elements in a reservoir
units to formalize their descriptions of rock strata as storage description, they must be of a scale that is correlative and
containers and conduits for flow of fluids. Maxey (1964) even mappable relative to well spacing. Flow units should be
proposed the introduction of the term hydrostratigraphk unit continuous at interwell scales, but they need not extend across
into the Code of Stratigraphic Nomenclature to fulfill this the entire reservoir. Because some parts of a reservoir can be
need. Other terms that have been introduced include reservoir efficiently drained only on closer well spacings, the definition
fades (Langston and Chin, 1968), reservoir unit (Pettijohn et al., of some flow units may change with infill drilling and
1973), flow unit (Hearn et al., 1984; Ebanks, 1987), and changes in production mechanism (such as initiation of
lithohydmulk unit (Krause et al., 1987). waterflooding) during field life.
This chapter outlines one approach to zonation of a
reservoir for modeling and prediction of performance—the 3. A flow unit zonation is recognizable on wireline logs.
flow unit concept. The subdivision of a reservoir into flow
units provides a practical means for reservoir zonation that Mappability in the subsurface requires that flow units be
makes use of both geological and petrophysical data recognizable on wireline logs. Flow units recognizable only
representing heterogeneity observed at several scales (see the in core are useful only if all wells have been cored. Some
chapter on "Geological Heterogeneities" in Part 6). method must be found to translate a flow unit zonation based
on core to a zonation based on the wireline log suite available
in a particular reservoir.
DEFINITION A N D CHARACTERISTICS
OF FLOW UNITS 4. A flow unit may be in communication with other flow
units.
A flow unit is defined as a mappable portion of the total
reservoir within which geological and petrophysical Flow units may be in communication with one another across
properties that affect the flow of fluids are consistent and their boundaries, both in terms of pressure and in the ability
predictably different from the properties of other reservoir of fluids to move vertically and laterally, or they may be
rock volumes (modified from Ebanks, 1987). Flow units have completely isolated from one another by permeability
the following characteristics in common: barriers.
1. A flow unit is a specific volume of a reservoir, which is The fundamental requirement of flow unit delineation is
composed of one or more reservoir quality lithologies that reservoir volumes in which properties that affect fluid
and any nonreservoir quality rock types within that flow differ are consistently distinguished. Furthermore, the
same volume, as well as the fluids they contain. extent of these volumes should be definable in the subsurface
relying predominantly on wireline logs at existing well
Flow units are internally consistent, but not necessarily spacings.
homogeneous, in terms of either geological or petrophysical
properties. They may contain more than one reservoir quality
lithology and they may include nonreservoir features such as METHODS OF DEFINING FLOW UNITS
shales and cemented layers. Petrophysical properties may
correspond to those of lithofacies defined geologically. There is no universally applicable set of rules by which to
However, petrophysical similarities among lithofacies may define flow units. Dividing a reservoir into flow units
indicate that those lithofacies should be grouped into a single requires an integration of stratigraphic, sedimentological,
flow unit if they are contiguous. Alternatively, petrophysical structural, petrographic, petrophysical, and field performance
dissimilarities within a geologically defined lithofacies may data. The process is summarized as follows (Figure 1):
dictate that subdivision of a single lithofacies into several flow
units is warranted. A flow unit zonation differs in principle 1. Identify the major lithofacies, vertical sequences, and
from a lithofacies zonation in that it integrates geological, deposirional environments from available core. Relate
petrophysical, and production data with the end purpose of lithofacies, at the whole-core scale, to their
describing fluid flow pathways in the reservoir, not the mineralogical, textural, and pore level properties and to
distribution of depositionally distinctive lithologies. permeability, porosity, fluid saturations, and capillarity
