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What Are Unconventional Resources? A Simple Definition Using Viscosity and Permeability*
Harris Cander1

Search and Discovery Article #80217 (2012)

Posted May 29, 2012

*Adapted from poster presentation at AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Long Beach, California, April 22-25, 2012
**AAPG©2012 Serial rights given by author. For all other rights contact author directly.

1
Exploration and Production, BP, Houston, TX ([email protected])

Abstract

There is no formal definition of “unconventional resources” despite the fact that unconventional resources are the most active
petroleum play in North America. Meckel and Thomasson, 2008, defined unconventional resources using purely a permeability
threshold (< 0.1 md). Yet, coal bed methane plays are considered unconventional and many have permeabilities exceeding 1 md over
large portions of the fairway (ex: San Juan Basin, Powder River Basin). Other workers have defined unconventional resources based
on an interpretation of the petroleum system and have stated that unconventional resources are “continuous” or “basin centered” and
lack traditional traps. While some have restricted the term to product type (i.e. unconventional gas), many shale and tight sand plays
have gas, wet gas, and oil fairways and all can be considered unconventional. Heavy oil and oil sands are also unconventional
resources and many of these deposits are in reservoirs with permeability exceeding 500 nd. Thus, unconventional resources include
both low and high permeability reservoirs with both low and high viscosity fluids. Previous definitions have not accounted for all
phases of petroleum in all types of reservoirs in all types of petroleum systems.

This paper proposes a simple graphical definition that incorporates properties of both the rocks and their fluids. All petroleum
reservoirs can be plotted on a graph of viscosity versus permeability (both in log scale). On this graph, conventional resources all plot
in the lower right quadrant, regardless of fluid phase. All unconventional resources plot outside this quadrant due to a low ratio of
permeability to viscosity. Unconventional resources are thus defined as those petroleum reservoirs whose permeability/viscosity ratio
requires use of technology to alter either the rock permeability or the fluid viscosity in order to produce the petroleum at commercially
competitive rates. Conversely, conventional resources are those that can be produced commercially without altering permeability or
viscosity. This simple graphical definition avoids the pitfalls inherent in a petroleum system interpretation (i.e. basin centered or self-
sourced versus migrated petroleum). The graphical definition accommodates and delineates tight gas, tight oil, shale gas, shale oil,
heavy oil, coal bed methane, and even offshore reservoirs with low k/viscosity ratios.

Selected References

Edman, J.D., 2012, How local variations in thermal maturity affect shale oil economics and producibility: World Oil (March 2012) v.
233/3. Web accessed 25 May 2012.
http://www.worldoil.com/March-2012-How-local-variations-in-thermal-maturity-affect-shale-oil-economics-and-producibility.html

Hill, R.J., D.M. Jarvie, J. Zumberge, M. Henry, and R.M. Pollastro, 2007, Oil and gas geochemistry and petroleum systems of the Fort
Worth Basin: AAPG Bulletin, v. 91/4, p. 445-473.

Hill, R.J., E. Zhang, B.J. Katz, and Yongchun Tang, 2007, Modeling of gas generation from the Barnett Shale, Fort Worth Basin,
Texas: AAPG Bulletin, v. 91/4, p. 501-521.
 WHAT ARE UNCONVENTIONAL RESOURCES?
Harris Cander Harris Cander
[email protected] A simple definition using viscosity and permeability [email protected]
BP America, Houston TX 77079

Purpose Unconventionals do not have different petroleum system rules

• Define “Unconventional Resources” Unconventionals can be defined on a graph of viscosity ( vs. permeability (k)
Migrated & Accumulated Retained
• Fluid movement is governed by Petroleum is allochthonous Generated in situ
Why? 10000 buoyancy, capillary pressure, and Usually extra-formational Rock saturates itself

• No simple definition exists Oil shales hydrodynamics (pressure).

• Current definitions depend on interpretations of
geology or the petroleum system • Petroleum is either retained in source CBM

• Current definitions do not always consider fluid 1000 rocks (shale and coal) via absorption
properties (viscosity) and adsorption or migrated and
Heavy oil accumulated in structural,
Structural trap
Accumulation
TOC
-poor

AL
seal
### Fractured
Solution stratigraphic, and diagenetic traps Reservoir
Str
at tr
ap

N
as

• Graph k vs  (permeability vs. viscosity)

100 Subcrop Tig
ht g
-lik
e

IO Onshore
Accumulation Sh en
ale kk p
oil Ba tra
• See also Edman, 2012, World Oil; Hill et &

• Ratio of k/ defines unconventional resources

shal

T
e ga
s Shale Source Rock
Viscosity al., 2007 AAPG; Shanley et al., 2004
EN
viscous oil Diagram heavily modified from U.S. EIA
HC 2011

Why is this definition helpful?

 cp 10 V
AL
/k relates Unconventionals to flow
• Differentiates all unconventional reservoirs from all
conventional reservoirs
Low GOR
CON N • Must increase k and/or decrease  to achieve Q=
k * H *P

shale oil
• Encompasses all petroleum phases
• Uses quantitative properties of both reservoirs and 1 UN N TIO
GOM Neogene
commercial flow rates (Q).
• But, not all flow in nanopores is purely Darcy flow
fluids and the ability of fluids to flow Shale &Tight oil
N VE oil fields Viscosity matters for fluid flow in shales… even for gases
Problems with existing definitions 0.1 Shale wet gas CO Trinidad offshore
1000

liq
100

liq
100
• “k < 0.1 md” was a political definition for purposes of ui 10

ui
Tight gas gas fields d Viscosity

d
tax credits Viscosity 10
Shale dry gas
 cp
1
• Usually focus only on gas and omit liquids  cp 1
vapor vapor
• Treat unconventionals as obeying different rules of 0.01 0.1
0.1

entrapment or seal (basin-centered or continuous) 1E-05 0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 0.01 0.01
0.5 1 1.5 2
• Fail to recognize continuum from “conventional” to 100 1000 10000 100000
Ro
Gas Oil Ratio scf/bbl
“unconventional”
• Qualitative rather than quantitative Permeability k md Viscosity of petroleum retained in …so  correlates with Ro and continues
shales is mostly a function of GOR… to decrease even in the gas window

Summary Points
• Unconventional resources are not defined by the type of petroleum system nor by
Some common Viscosity values Unconventionals are resources in which technology
rock properties alone.
must be used to increase k/ ratio in order to achieve • Unconventional resources can be defined using a graph of viscosity vs. permeability
Water 1.0 cp
commercial rates of flow ( vs. k) which differentiates all unconventional from conventional reservoirs
Bitumen 5000 -1mm cp API 4-10 • k is usually increased by fracking • In unconventional resources, technology is required to increase k and/or decrease 
Heavy oil 100 - 5000 cp API 10-20 in order to achieve commercial flow rates (Q)
Black oil 2 - 100 cp API 20-45 •  is usually decreased by heat • Unconventionals obey the same rules of physics as conventional resources
Masters and Gray, 1979 Volatile oil 0.25 - 2 cp API 30-55 •Graphical definition translates to all languages • Fluid movement is still governed by buoyancy, capillary pressure, and pressure
“Resource Triangle” defines unconventional •Does not require interpretations of the petroleum system • Petroleum in unconventionals is either retained or migrated
Natural gas < 0.25 cp
qualitatively as difficult to develop • Most petroleum in shales and CBM was generated in situ and retained
• Avoids debate over “continuous” or “basin-centered” petroleum