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Migration
and Entrapment
The project will study the influence
of fault on hydrocarbon migration and entrapment. A group of two-dimensional
scaled physical models are constructed which provide both visualization
of the flow patterns and estimates of hydrocarbon migration rates and efficiencies.
Different faults and faulted traps are designed by using water-wet quartz
sand with different permeability. After a known volume of dyed red oil
is injected into the models, fluid pressure can be measured by using ultrasonic
velocities, and also we can use the digital-camera to record the hydrocarbon
migration process Finally we will make use of the numerical simulation
to confirm the experimental results.
The designed experiments aim to study three aspects:
1. Hydrocarbon migration rates in different fault
systems.
2. Hydrocarbon migration and entrapment efficiencies
in different faulted traps
3. The influence of different migration conduits,
patterns and lithology combinations on hydrocarbon secondary migration
in faulted traps.
The experimental study on the influence of fault
on hydrocarbon migration and entrapment will help to deeply understand
the secondary oil migration
mechanism in faulted traps, which can especially
provide some criteria for quantitative evaluation of fault seal ability.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90925©1999 AAPG Foundation Grants-in-Aid