[First Hit]

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Tabor, John R.1, Jay P. Busch2, William F. Dula3, Stephen J. Naruk4 
(1) Shell Oil, Houston, TX
(2) Shell Oil, 
(3) Shell Exploration & Production Technology Research, 2280 AB Rijswijk, Netherlands 
(4) Shell International Exploration and Production Inc, Houston, TX

ABSTRACT: Previous HitFaultNext Hit Seal Controls On Gas Column Heights, Offshore Netherlands, Southern North Sea

Previous HitFaultNext Hit-seal capacity can either be enhanced or diminished along critically stressed faults. The dominant mechanisms by which Previous HitfaultNext Hit seals are enhanced are juxtaposition, Previous HitfaultNext Hit gouge formation or cementation/diagenesis, whereas geomechanical dilation is believed to diminish the sealing capacity of faults. Most of the oil industry is polarized over which of these mechanisms is the dominant control on hydrocarbon column height in Previous HitfaultNext Hit-dependent traps. Recent work by Shell in the southern North Sea, suggests that a unified approach to Previous HitfaultNext Hit seal analysis that integrates these mechanisms best explains observed column heights. 
The gas play in the southern North Sea, offshore Netherlands, relies on Previous HitfaultNext Hit dependent traps in the high (50-85%) net/gross (N/G) Rotliegende reservoir. Juxtaposition leak points appear to control the majority of column heights, however, column heights for several of these traps can also be explained by the sealing capacity of Previous HitfaultNext Hit gouge. Some of the largest column heights cannot be adequately explained by either juxtaposition or Previous HitfaultNext Hit gouge, but by a third mechanism that adds to column heights and is impacted by burial history and basin inversion (e.g. cementation and diagenesis). Finally, Previous HitfaultNext Hit seal destruction by geomechanical dilation appears to not have played a role in this area. 
We are attempting to integrate multiple Previous HitfaultNext Hit seal mechanisms (juxtapostion, Previous HitfaultNext Hit gouge, cementation/ diagenesis and geomechanical dilation) into a unified workflow for Previous HitfaultNext Hit seal analysis. A better understanding of the conditions under which these Previous HitfaultTop seal mechanisms operate will greatly facilitate our ability to predict column heights globally.

 

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