Characterization of the Bakken Formation Using NMR and SEM Techniques

As fewer new oilfields are being discovered, with most of the conventional reservoirs having reached their peak production, maximizing the recovery from existing unconventional reservoirs has become crucial. With the development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in recent years, unconventional formations, such as the Bakken Formation, have come into the foreground of the oil and gas industry at state, national, and global levels. However, due to its heterogeneity and very low permeability and porosity, the Bakken recovery factors remain minimal (5–10 %). One of the potential methods for solving this specific problem and improving oil recovery lies within the injection of solvent fluids to interact with the reservoir rock and fluids to enhance fluid flow toward the wellbore. Previous studies have generated a great deal of information regarding the characterization of different lithofacies of the Middle Bakken, and in this study, we present additional data on the petrophysical properties of the Bakken Formation in the McKenzie, Mountrail, and Williams counties, North Dakota. The main objective is to characterize the lithofacies of the Bakken Formation using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM), for more accurate measurements of porosity and permeability.