Pore Size Distribution of a Tight Sandstone Reservoir and its Effect on Micro Pore-throat Structure: A Case Study of the Chang 7 Member of the Xin'anbian Block, Ordos Basin, China

Pore distribution and micro pore-throat structure characteristics are significant for tight oil reservoir evaluation, but their relationship remains unclear. This paper selects the tight sandstone reservoir of the Chang 7 member of the Xin’anbian Block in the Ordos Basin as the research object and analyzes the pore size distribution and micro pore-throat structure using field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), high-pressure mercury injection(HPMI), highpressure mercury injection, and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) analyses. The study finds that:(1) Based on the pore size distribution, the tight sandstone reservoir is characterized by three main patterns with different peak amplitudes. The former peak corresponds to the nanopore scale, and the latter peak corresponds to the micropore scale. Then, the tight sandstone reservoir is categorized into three types: type 1 reservoir contains more nanopores with a nanopore-to-micropore volume ratio of 82:18; type 2 reservoir has a nanopore-to-micropore volume ratio of 47:53; and type 3 reservoir contains more micropores with a nanopore-to-micropore volume ratio of 35:65.(2) Affected by the pore size distribution, the throat radius distributions of different reservoir types are notably offset. The type 1 reservoir throat radius distribution curve is weakly unimodal, with a relatively dispersed distribution and peak ranging from 0.01 μm to 0.025 μm. The type 2 reservoir’s throat radius distribution curve is single-peaked with a wide distribution range and peak from 0.1 μm to 0.25 μm. The type 3 reservoir’s throat radius distribution curve is single-peaked with a relatively narrow distribution and peak from 0.1 μm to 0.25 μm. With increasing micropore volume, pore-throat structure characteristics gradually improve.(3) The correlation between micropore permeability and porosity exceeds that of nanopores, indicating that the development of micropores notably influences the seepage capacity. In the type 1 reservoir, only the mean radius and effective porosity have suitable correlations with the nanopore and micropore porosities. The pore-throat structure parameters of the type 2 and 3 reservoirs have reasonable correlations with the nanopore and micropore porosities, indicating that the development of these types of reservoirs is affected by the pore size distribution. This study is of great significance for evaluating lacustrine tight sandstone reservoirs in China. The research results can provide guidance for evaluating tight sandstone reservoirs in other regions based on pore size distribution.