--> ABSTRACT: Basin Modeling Approach to the Prediction of Fault Rock Properties in High Net-to-Gross Reservoirs, by Dula, William F., Eddie McAllister; #90026 (2004)
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Dula, William F.1, Eddie McAllister1
(1) Shell Exploration & Production Technology Research, 2280 AB Rijswijk, Netherlands

ABSTRACT: Basin Modeling Approach to the Prediction of Fault Rock Properties in High Net-to-Gross Reservoirs

Prediction of fault rock properties is critical where exploration prospects involve Previous HitreservoirNext Hit-Previous HitreservoirNext Hit juxtapositions and during field production when faults may baffle, or enhance (dynamic response), the flow of hydrocarbons. A forward modeling approach is described for Previous HitpredictingNext Hit the paleo- and present-day properties of fault rocks formed at different depths and times in clean sandstones.
Given a description of the original clastic sediment (grain size, quartz and clay content, depositional Previous HitporosityNext Hit) and the burial/thermal history, the Previous HitporosityNext Hit and permeability evolution of the Previous HitreservoirNext Hit rock can be determined. The state of the Previous HitreservoirNext Hit (Previous HitporosityNext Hit, temperature, stress, and fluid pressure) at the time of faulting provide quantitative constraints on the texture and properties of the resultant fault rock which may then be modified by subsequent diagenesis. The tendency toward dilatency versus shear compaction is constrained by deformation experiments on high-Previous HitporosityNext Hit sandstones and unconsolidated sands. Fault rock grain size is also constrained by experimental data and is related to the effective pressure and the Previous HitreservoirNext Hit rock Previous HitporosityNext Hit and grain size at the time of faulting. Quartz cementation of the fault rock is tracked along with the undeformed Previous HitreservoirNext Hit Previous HitsandstoneNext Hit. Permeabilities of the fault and Previous HitreservoirNext Hit rocks are estimated through various theoretical and empirical relations (e.g., modified Kozeney-Carmen), and the permeability contrast (k fault / k Previous HitreservoirTop) is calculated throughout the remainder of the burial history.
The approach is illustrated using well, burial/thermal history, and core data from the offshore Netherlands. Implications of the timing of faulting, timing of hydrocarbon charge, and hydrocarbon retention are discussed.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90026©2004 AAPG Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, April 18-21, 2004.