Publication Date:
2000-01-01
Description:
Spatial continuity and linkage of faults may substantially affect fluid flow either by compartmentalizing the reservoir or by increasing the tortuosity of flow pathways, whether the faults act as seals or conduits; therefore, understanding fault linkage geometry should improve reservoir flow simulation models and, in turn, significantly reduce the number of wells required to drain reserves. A method has been developed to infer, in three dimensions, the fault tip-line geometry below the seismic resolution, as well as potential fault linkage using 3-D (three-dimensional) seismic data and geomechanical models based on elastic dislocation. A 3-D numerical model of the faulted reservoir and its surroundings is constructed using seismic interpretation. Such a model, combined with an appropriate set of boundary conditions, is used to compute the fault slip distribution, as well as vertical displacement field. By comparing the interpreted fault slip distribution to the computed slip distribution adjacent to potential intersection lines, the geomechanical models can constrain the geometry of the faults and the location of the intersection line between faults. The interpreted structure contour map and theoretical displacement field also are compared to constrain the fault geometry. Two subsurface examples from the Oseberg Syd oil field, northern North Sea, illustrate how such geomechanical analyses can increase confidence in seismic interpretation to refine fault connectivity and reservoir compartmentalization. Laurent Maerten received his M.Sc. degree in geology from the University of Montpellier II, France, in 1994. He completed his Ph.D. in geology under the supervision of David Pollard at Stanford University, Stanford, California, in December 1999. He is now working at the French Petroleum Institute in Paris as a research engineer in geology. Laurent's research interests focus on understanding geological structures, fault mechanics, and the development of new methods to improve hydrocarbon production in fractured reservoirs.David Pollard received a B.A. degree from Pomona College, a Ph.D. from Stanford University, and an M.Sc. degree from Imperial College, all in geology. He is a professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford and co-director of the Rock Fracture Project, an industrial affiliates program. His research interests focus on understanding rock fracturing and faulting with applications to fluid flow in heterogeneous reservoirs using outcrop and subsurface data, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling. Ridvan M. Karpuz has been working as a senior structural geologist at the Norsk Hydro Research Centre (Basin Analysis and Structural Geology Section), Bergen, Norway, since 1993. His work centers on exploration-related structural geology projects, with a strong focus on tectonic and thermal evolution of passive volcanic margins. He received his B.Sc. degree in geological engineering from the Dokuz Eylul University Geology Department, Izmir, Turkey, in 1986, and his Cand. Scient. degree from the University of Bergen Geology Department, Bergen, Norway, in 1989. Ridvan worked as a research fellow at the Geological Survey of Norway from 1989-1992.
Print ISSN:
0149-1423
Electronic ISSN:
1943-2674
Topics:
Geosciences
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