Rock Physics
Experiments on oil sand samples show that the wave velocities and amplitudes change with pressure. This is shown in Figures 10 and 11. For P-waves, velocity increases and attenuation decreases with pressure in the range shown below, with for S-waves, velocity increases with pressure but attenuation decreases to a minimum and then increases.
Viscosity is also an important factor in heavy oil reservoir characterization. Based on the theory of viscoelasticity, attenuation changes with viscosity. Different configurations respond differently to variations in viscosity (Figure 12).
