--> Abstract: Fracture Modeling and Fault Zone Characteristics Applied to Reservoir Characterization of the Rulison Gas Field, Garfield County, Colorado, by J. Jackson and B. Trudgill; #90092 (2009)
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Fracture Modeling and Fault Zone Characteristics Previous HitAppliedNext Hit to Reservoir Characterization of the Rulison Gas Field, Garfield County, Colorado

Jeff Jackson1 and Bruce Trudgill2
1XTO Energy, Ft. Worth, TX
2Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

Previous HitStructuralNext Hit modeling is a potentially valuable reservoir characterization tool. A good Previous HitstructuralNext Hit model is grounded in geologic Previous HitdataNext Hit but incorporates many aspects Previous HitfromNext Hit other disciplines. This work presents a Previous HitstructuralNext Hit model that incorporates geologic well Previous HitdataNext Hit, 3D Previous HitseismicNext Hit Previous HitdataNext Hit, geomechanical analysis, and well production Previous HitdataNext Hit to characterize the Cretaceous stratigraphic interval of the Rulison Field area in the Piceance Basin of northwestern Colorado. The Previous HitstructuralNext Hit evolution of the Rulison Field was derived Previous HitfromNext Hit the interpretation of 3D Previous HitseismicNext Hit. Shale Gouge Ratios along the seismically mapped fault surfaces have been calculated based on available well Previous HitdataNext Hit. Incorporation of geomechanical stresses allows the dilation tendency of faults and fractures within the field to be calculated and analyzed. The mapped faults and horizons were used to create an elastic dislocation model of the reservoir. This elastic dislocation model yields a Previous Hit3-DNext Hit fracture model, which predicts qualitative fracture densities and shear failure types Previous HitfromNext Hit the known geomechanical properties of the reservoir interval.

Ultimately, this model highlights compartmentalization within key reservoir intervals in the Rulison Field. It also confirms that the fault zones are pathways for fluid migration through their dilation, and that predicted Previous Hit3-DNext Hit fractures can be correlated to areas of known fracture production. On a larger scale, the interpreted tectonic history of early Cretaceous extension followed by Laramide aged Previous HitinversionNext Hit is a new interpretation of the Previous HitstructuralNext Hit evolution of the Piceance Basin. Thus, the Previous HitstructuralNext Hit model could be used to better optimize drilling locations and therefore production Previous HitfromTop within Rulison Field.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90092©2009 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section, July 9-11, 2008, Denver, Colorado