Pore space reconstruction of vuggy carbonates using microtomography and multiple-point statistics

reconstruct complex porous media, such as carbonates, we propose a two-step approach to combine different types of images: microtomography at the resolution of a few microns to resolve large pores and vugs, with statistically reconstructed high-resolution images for smaller features. Two-dimensional (2-D) thin sections provide multiple-point statistics which describe the statistical relation between multiple spatial locations that can be used to generate 3-D images with accurate connectivity. These statistical reconstructions are combined with images directly measured by microtomography. The integrated method is tested on carbonates for which 3-D images of disconnected vugs are captured, while 2-D thin sections characterize the small-scale structure. The integrated images have permeabilities computed using the lattice Boltzmann method that are similar to laboratory-measured values.