Core Lab recently conducted an advanced geomechanics and reservoir characterization study in the Palagua Field in Colombia’s Middle Magdalena Valley, providing operators with insights to improve reservoir performance and support waterflood planning.
Reservoirs with low-resistivity contrast present significant challenges when evaluating fluid saturations and predicting production behavior. Accurate characterization of these systems is critical for mitigating subsurface risks and optimizing development strategies.
“This project demonstrated how Core Laboratories’ multidisciplinary approach to solving complex reservoir problems can create value in budget and data-constrained environments, even when new core is not available. By leveraging our technical experience and making the most of existing data and logs, we conducted targeted geomechanics testing in a complex reservoir that improved the client’s understanding and helped guide key decisions. Projects like this highlight the partnerships we build with our clients—working side by side to address their toughest subsurface challenges.”
Samantha Potthoff, General Manager, Petroleum Services

Core Lab’s multidisciplinary team integrated existing core and petrophysical data with well logs and newly acquired geomechanical laboratory measurements. This approach enabled the development of core-calibrated models that improved the understanding of reservoir properties and sand production risks associated with planned waterflood operations. The study delivered actionable insights that supported completion optimization and more efficient waterflood planning, helping the operator make more informed development decisions in a complex reservoir environment.

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