Digital rock technology enables the precise digital
characterization of core samples and facilitates the study of microscale rock
physical properties through numerical simulations. Unconventional reservoir
rocks display distinct features across various scales, and multiscale imaging
technology can capture the rock’s microstructure at resolutions ranging from
sub-nanometer to millimeter levels. However, single-resolution scanning methods
fail to resolve cross-scale structural information, making the development of
multiscale, multiresolution, and multicomponent digital rock models crucial to
overcoming this limitation. Existing multiscale digital rock modeling methods
can be broadly categorized into two main approaches: image fusion modeling,
which relies on mixed overlays, template matching and deep learning, and pore
network integration modeling, which incorporates explicit micropore networks,
additional throat networks, and fracture systems. The image fusion approach
accurately represents the three-dimensional distribution of pores and minerals
across various scales and supports multiphysics simulations. However, its
computational efficiency constrains its ability to manage large-scale
discrepancies in hybrid modeling. Conversely, the pore network integration
approach allows for modeling across multiple contiguous scales, requires less
storage space, and offers high numerical simulation efficiency, although it is
limited to certain physical properties. Moreover, digital rock workflows still
face challenges, such as the precise extraction of minerals and the
determination of suitable representative elementary volumes. Future research
should focus on optimizing models using experimental data, studying physical
properties as needed, and integrating homogenization and equivalent theory
modeling to develop specific application systems that enhance well-logging
interpretation and hydrocarbon reservoir development.