1-1 Overcoming Data Scarcity in Carbon Storage Assessment: Estimating Petrophysical Properties in Legacy Wells Integrating Sample Logs and Geostatistical Approaches

Session: Energy Geology

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Geological CO₂ sequestration feasibility studies in mature basins frequently face challenges associated with legacy well data, which often lack the comprehensive logging suites required for accurate reservoir characterization. This study evaluates the storage potential of Ordovician–Devonian formations in a filed in the Delaware Basin portion of the Permian Basin, using a dataset of 47 wells. Data scarcity is significant: only 9 wells have more than 2 logs beyond Gamma Ray, and core data is absent.

To address this, a hybrid petrophysical workflow integrating qualitative sample logs with quantitative geostatistics was developed. Initially, formation-specific lithology , including Dolomite, Limestone, Chert, Sandstone and Shale, was quantified in control wells using petrophysical lithology cross-plots calibrated against sample log descriptions from 13 key wells. These control points established lithological baselines and shale volume parameters for complex carbonate-clastic sequences. To extend these constraints to legacy wells—primarily Gamma Ray, Sonic, or Neutron porosity data— a spatial interpolation technique was applied. Rather than using static matrix parameters, mineral volumes were interpolated from control wells using inverse distance weighting and Monte Carlo simulations were utilized to account for spatial uncertainty.

This geostatistical approach generated synthetic, depth-variable matrix properties for each target well, replacing standard fixed-matrix assumptions. The resulting lithology and porosity profiles effectively resolve vertical heterogeneity and distinguish between tight matrix and porous intervals. This workflow provides a robust framework for reducing uncertainty in data-limited carbon storage assessments and supplies realistic petrophysical inputs for high-resolution static modeling and storage capacity estimation.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1, 2026

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