An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Petrographic & Reservoir Quality Analysis (Thin Section)
Thin Section Reservoir Quality Analysis
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
15 Nov 2027
Home Geology and Geoscience Petrographic & Reservoir Quality Analysis (Thin Section)
Petrographic & Reservoir Quality Analysis (Thin Section)
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Petrographic & Reservoir Quality Analysis (Thin Section) - GG-PETROGR-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-PETROGR-PEA27 | 15 - 19 Nov 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
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Petrographic & Reservoir Quality Analysis (Thin Section)
This training covers petrographic analysis of reservoir rocks in thin section. It works through sample selection and thin section preparation, optical microscopy and mineral identification, framework and texture description, point counting and quantification, cement and diagenetic sequence determination, porosity types and their recognition, clay identification, staining and impregnation techniques, integration with other analyses and the application of petrography to reservoir quality prediction.
Description
A thin section shows why a reservoir has the properties it has. Grain size and sorting, the proportion and type of cement, the sequence in which cements formed, the clay minerals and their habit, the pore types and their connectivity are all visible, and together they explain the measured porosity and permeability and allow them to be predicted elsewhere. No other analysis gives this explanatory power at comparable cost.
This training covers petrographic analysis for reservoir purposes. Sample selection and thin section preparation are established first, covering the preparation requirements that determine what can be seen. Optical microscopy and mineral identification follow, covering the optical properties used to identify the minerals present. Framework and texture description are then developed. Point counting and quantification follow. Cement and diagenetic sequence determination are then addressed in detail, since the sequence is what links the petrography to burial history. Porosity types and their recognition follow. Clay identification is then developed. Staining and impregnation techniques are addressed. Integration with other analyses follows. The training closes with reservoir quality prediction.
Blue epoxy impregnation is what makes porosity visible and countable. A thin section of a porous rock prepared without impregnation has pores filled with air or lost material, and the pore space is difficult to distinguish from grain boundaries and preparation damage. Vacuum impregnation with blue-dyed epoxy before sectioning fills the connected pore space and makes it unambiguous, which allows porosity to be point counted and pore types to be classified. It should be specified for every reservoir thin section.
The diagenetic sequence is read from the textural relationships. A cement that lines a pore and is overlain by a later cement formed first; a cement that fills a fracture cutting an earlier cement formed later; a grain dissolved and its void filled by a cement establishes a relative order. Working through these relationships produces a sequence of events, which can then be tied to the burial and thermal history. This is the step that converts a description into a predictive tool.
Point counting gives numbers and the count size determines their reliability. Counting three hundred points gives a porosity estimate with a confidence interval of a few per cent; counting a hundred gives an interval wide enough to be unhelpful for close comparisons. The same applies to the quantification of cement and framework components. Specifying the count size, and reporting it, allows the numbers to be used appropriately, and a point count reported without its count size cannot be assessed.
Finally, carbonate staining distinguishes minerals that look identical. Calcite, dolomite, ferroan dolomite and ankerite are difficult to separate optically and have different diagenetic significance and different effects on reservoir quality. Alizarin red S and potassium ferricyanide staining colours them differently, which resolves the ambiguity in minutes. For any carbonate-cemented reservoir, or any carbonate reservoir, half of the thin sections should be stained.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Select samples and specify thin section preparation including impregnation
- Identify minerals using optical properties
- Describe framework composition and texture
- Perform point counting and report it with its count size
- Identify cements and determine the diagenetic sequence
- Recognise and classify porosity types
- Identify clay minerals and their habit
- Apply staining and impregnation techniques
- Integrate petrography with core analysis and other data
- Apply petrographic results to reservoir quality prediction
The training is microscope work throughout on thin sections from clastic and carbonate reservoirs with accompanying core analysis data. Participants describe and point count sections, determine diagenetic sequences, and relate their observations to the measured porosity and permeability. Stained and unstained, impregnated and unimpregnated sections of the same rock are compared.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Specify petrographic programmes that answer reservoir questions
- Explain measured reservoir properties petrographically
- Determine diagenetic sequences and link them to burial history
- Predict reservoir quality from petrography
- Specify impregnation and staining as standard
- Obtain more value from thin section expenditure
Participants will:
- Describe reservoir rocks in thin section
- Identify minerals and cements optically
- Point count and quantify reliably
- Determine diagenetic sequences
- Classify porosity types
- Apply petrography to reservoir quality prediction
- Reservoir geologists and sedimentologists
- Petrophysicists using petrographic data
- Core analysis and laboratory staff
- Geoscientists predicting reservoir quality
- Exploration geologists assessing reservoir risk
- Graduate geoscientists learning petrography
- Technical staff specifying petrographic work
Module 1 - Sample Selection and Preparation
- Sample selection criteria
- Representativeness and sampling density
- Paired samples with core analysis plugs
- Orientation requirements
- Vacuum impregnation with blue epoxy
- Why impregnation is essential
- Thin section cutting and grinding
- Standard thickness and its importance
- Polishing and coverslip
- Doubly polished sections
- Preparation faults and their recognition
- Specifying preparation to a laboratory
Module 2 - Optical Microscopy and Minerals
- Polarising microscope components
- Plane polarised and crossed polars
- Refractive index and relief
- Birefringence and interference colours
- Extinction angle and twinning
- Cleavage and fracture
- Quartz identification
- Feldspar identification and twinning
- Mica and clay identification
- Carbonate mineral identification
- Heavy mineral identification
- Opaque mineral identification
Module 3 - Framework and Texture
- Framework grain composition
- Quartz, feldspar and lithic proportions
- Monocrystalline and polycrystalline quartz
- Lithic fragment types
- Grain size measurement in thin section
- Sorting assessment
- Grain shape and roundness
- Grain contacts and packing
- Fabric and orientation
- Matrix and its distinction from cement
- Textural maturity
- Sandstone classification from thin section
Module 4 - Point Counting
- Point counting method
- Grid spacing and traverse design
- Count size and statistical reliability
- Confidence intervals for counted proportions
- Categories to count
- Framework, cement, matrix and porosity
- Counting conventions and consistency
- Automated and image based counting
- Comparison against core analysis porosity
- Reasons for discrepancy
- Reporting counts with count size
- Consistency between analysts
Module 5 - Cements and Diagenetic Sequence
- Cement types in clastic rocks
- Quartz cement and its recognition
- Syntaxial overgrowths and dust rims
- Carbonate cement types
- Clay cement and its habits
- Zeolite and sulphate cements
- Textural relationships and relative timing
- Cross-cutting and overlay relationships
- Replacement textures
- Dissolution and its evidence
- Building the diagenetic sequence
- Tying the sequence to burial history
Module 6 - Porosity Types
- Primary intergranular porosity
- Secondary dissolution porosity
- Intragranular porosity
- Microporosity and its recognition
- Fracture porosity
- Carbonate porosity classification
- Interparticle and intraparticle porosity
- Vuggy and moldic porosity
- Pore throat observation
- Pore connectivity assessment
- Porosity type and permeability relationship
- Describing a pore system
Module 7 - Clays and Special Techniques
- Clay mineral identification in thin section
- Kaolinite recognition
- Illite and its habits
- Chlorite recognition and grain coatings
- Detrital against authigenic clay
- Clay distribution and pore occlusion
- Carbonate staining techniques
- Alizarin red S and ferricyanide
- Feldspar staining
- Cathodoluminescence applications
- Fluorescence for hydrocarbon and porosity
- Electron microscopy as a complement
Module 8 - Integration and Prediction
- Integration with routine core analysis
- Explaining measured porosity and permeability
- Integration with X-ray diffraction
- Integration with capillary pressure data
- Integration with electron microscopy
- Petrographic rock typing
- Facies and diagenesis relationships
- Reservoir quality controls identified
- Predicting quality with depth
- Predicting quality laterally
- Report content and photomicrographs
- Specifying a petrographic study
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
