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

To 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.