Work

Rock-Physics-Constrained Intelligent Porosity Prediction for Fracture–Vuggy Carbonate Reservoirs: A Case Study from the XX Well Block, Tarim Oilfield

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Fracture–vuggy carbonate reservoirs exhibit strong heterogeneity, spatial discontinuity, and highly variable porosity, which limit the effectiveness of traditional seismic attributes and conventional inversion. Focusing on the XX well block in the Tarim Basin, this study develops a rock-physics-constrained Physics-Constrained TransUNet method for intelligent porosity prediction. A carbonate-specific rock-physics model is first established, considering mineral composition, pore type, and water saturation, ensuring physical consistency between porosity, elastic parameters, and seismic responses. On this basis, a deep-learning framework integrating U-Net multi-scale feature extraction and Transformer global modeling is constructed. By embedding rock-physics priors, regularization constraints, and log-derived porosity labels, the method forms a unified physics- and data-driven inversion scheme. Applications to multiple deep wells and 3D post-stack seismic data from the FI7 fault zone demonstrate stable training, rapid convergence, and strong capability in capturing nonlinear porosity–seismic relationships. Compared with conventional inversion, the proposed approach significantly improves prediction accuracy in cavern-dominated intervals, fractured zones, and areas with abrupt porosity changes, while maintaining robust lateral continuity. Inter-well sections and target-layer slices further verify its effectiveness in identifying fracture–dissolution–vug composite reservoirs. The method provides a practical and reliable workflow for porosity prediction in ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs, supporting fine reservoir characterization and sweet-spot evaluation.

Source: Processes

DOI: 10.3390/pr14030520

Authors: Haitao Zhao, Xingliang Deng, Yufan Lei, Zhengyang Li, Yuan Ma, Ziran Jiang

Institutions: China National Petroleum Corporation (China), Chengdu University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation

Language: English

Topic: Seismic Imaging and Inversion Techniques

Subfield: Geophysics

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

Funders: China National Petroleum Corporation, PetroChina Company Limited