--> 3-D Temperature Distribution and Heat Flow Analysis for the Eugene Island 330 Area, Offshore Louisiana, by G. Guerin, R. N. Anderson, and W. He; #90986 (1994).
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Abstract: 3-D Temperature Distribution and Heat Flow Analysis for the Eugene Island 330 Area, Offshore Louisiana

Previous HitGillesTop Guerin, Roger N. Anderson, Wei He

The present-day temperature distribution in an area with active fluid circulation can provide a very rich set of information on the actual migration pattern and history of past fluid movements. Fluid bursts through open fractures or the cancellation of circulation when faults close create temperature anomalies that can, help estimate the extent and duration of such migration events.

Two hundred and fifty temperature measurements from 200 different wells in the Eugene Island 330 field have made possible the reconstruction of the present-day temperature field. Bottom hole temperatures (BHT), available for most of the wells, lack precision because their acquisition was usually only a short time after drilling and the end of mud circulation. Therefore, we corrected BHT's using statistical methods. More accurate temperature logs were also available but less numerous.

The resulting temperature field was used to infer the depths of different isothermal surfaces. There is a clear relationship between the thermal structure and the fault zone, along which production is largely trapped. At the base of known production, 2500 m (8200 feet), an increase in temperature of about 10°C was observed from both the foot wall and hanging wall of the fault zone system. This temperature anomaly persists along the strike of the fault zone as well.

Lithologies, provided by seismic and well-log data, were used to infer thermal conductivities of the different formations. We then predicted the temperature field assuming a purely conductive thermal regime for the whole area. Assuming that the main differences from a conductive regime to the observed thermal distribution are due to fluid circulation, the differences provide significant clues to the timing and rates of fluid migration.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994