An innovative seismo-petrophysical characterization of a turbidite sand in the Nam Con Son Basin, using permeability-linked adapted rock physics template (K-ARPT) with reference to gas exploration and carbon storage

The MMF30 sand in the Hai Thach-Moc Tinh (HT-MT) field, located in the Nam Con Son basin (NCSB) offshore Southern Vietnam, is a significant gas condensate-producing reservoir. However, its deep depth and complex, highly-cemented nature pose unique challenges for reservoir characterization. Due to the limited availability of well log data over a large area, seismo-petrophysical characterization of this turbidite sand is particularly challenging. With the declining gas production observed in many fields in the NCSB since 2018 one needs to explore more hydrocarbon reservoirs. Moreover, in line with the ongoing global energy transition, there is a growing interest in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), which would involve injection of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) into depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs or deep saline aquifers. For the latter, reservoir characterization efforts must pay a particular attention to mapping the highly permeabley zones within the depleted reservoir that are pertinent for CCS. In this study, we successfully conducted a comprehensive seismo-petrophysical characterization of the MMF30 sand. This was achieved by integrating core testing, well log analysis, machine learning-assisted prediction of permeability, construction of a new Permeability-linked Adapted Rock Physics Template (K-ARPT), and prestack seismic inversion techniques. By combining these methodologies, we were able to address the challenge of characterizing highly-cemented turbidite sands for augmented gas exploration, optimal gas production and potential carbon injection and storage in the near future.