A mathematical model for compaction in sedimentary basins

Audet, D. Marc; Fowler, A. C.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-246x.1992.tb02093.x

Cited by 127 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

121

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…[Audet and Fowler, 1992] and [Fowler and Yang, 1999] show that for purely mechanical and viscous compaction, respectively, l ( 1 corresponds to low hydraulic conductivity or fast sedimentation rate, conditions that tend to limit compaction to the basal part of the sediment column. In this case, overpressure is generated because high fluid pressures are unable to dissipate.…”

Section: Nondimensional Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This equation shows that in the absence of other forces the volumetric strain rate of the porous medium controls the pore fluid flow. [12] It is important to note that following multiphase flow theory, two different kind of quantities can be defined [e.g., see Audet and Fowler, 1992;Bercovici et al, 2001;Richard et al, 2007]: phase averaged quantities, q, defined within a small volume of the phase considered:…”

Section: Mass Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A numerical model for coupled fluid flow and matrix deformation with applications to disequilibrium compaction and delta stability

Morency¹,

Huismans²,

Beaumont³

et al. 2007

J. Geophys. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] A model is developed which couples fully saturated porous compaction to the viscous-plastic deformation of the skeleton matrix. The Darcy fluid flow during compaction is described by an advection-diffusion equation for the excess pressure with two source/sink terms that depend on the mechanical compressibility and viscous compaction of the pore space, the latter representing the effect of pressure solution. The incompressible deformation of the composite medium is described by a force balance equation and its rheology can be viscous, plastic, or viscoplastic (Bingham material). For the plastic and viscoplastic cases, the coupling between the compacting and plastically deforming parts of the system is through the Drucker-Prager frictional-plastic yield criterion modified by Terzaghi's principle, so that the yield strength depends on the effective dynamical pressure. The coupled system is solved using a two-dimensional (2-D) finite element method. Two problems are solved to demonstrate the behavior of our theory. The first considers compaction of a uniform sediment layer. The numerical results agree with the predictions of the nondimensional control parameters and previously published results. The second problem concerns 2-D kinematic progradation of deltaic sediments. Substratum and delta sediments have the same compaction properties and a Bingham rheology during deviatoric deformation, such that the delta undergoes linear postyield viscous flow. For certain depositional regimes, overpressure is generated. When pore pressures approach critical values, yielding occurs and the delta front fails and becomes unstable, spreading gravitationally under its own weight. The flow velocity is limited to geological rates by the Bingham viscosity. For the range of parameter values considered, pressure solution is the most effective mechanism for generating nearlithostatic fluid pressures that lead to initial failure, and it appears that mechanical compaction hardly contributes to the fluid overpressure at this stage.Citation: Morency, C., R. S. Huismans, C. Beaumont, and P. Fullsack (2007), A numerical model for coupled fluid flow and matrix deformation with applications to disequilibrium compaction and delta stability,

show abstract

Section: Nondimensional Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mass Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A numerical model for coupled fluid flow and matrix deformation with applications to disequilibrium compaction and delta stability

Morency¹,

Huismans²,

Beaumont³

et al. 2007

J. Geophys. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the fully general situation, porosity, permeability, and fluid density may be functions of fluid pressure and the overburden or confining pressure, leading to a non-linear generalization of the diffusion equation (3), (Audet andFowler 1992, Wu andPruess 2000).…”

Section: A Diffusion Equation For Fluid Pressure Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating permeability from quasi-static deformation: Temporal variations and arrival-time inversion

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Transient pressure variations within a reservoir can be treated as a propagating front and analyzed using an asymptotic formulation. From this perspective one can define a pressure 'arrival time' and formulate solutions along trajectories, in the manner of ray theory. We combine this methodology and a technique for mapping overburden deformation into reservoir volume change as a means to estimate reservoir flow properties, such as permeability. Given the entire 'travel time' or phase field, obtained from the deformation data, we can construct the trajectories directly, there-by linearizing the inverse problem. A numerical study indicates that, using this approach, we can infer large-scale variations in flow properties. In an application to Interferometric Synthetic Aperture (InSAR) observations associated with a CO 2 injection at the Krechba field, Algeria, we image pressure propagation to the northwest. An inversion for flow properties indicates a linear trend of high permeability.

show abstract

“…Material added to the top of the basin will form new nodes when sufficient material is added. See also [7] and [3]. Chen et al [9] presents a similar model for compacting soils, but differs in that only compaction and fluid flow are considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel basin modelling concept for simulating deformation from mechanical compaction using level sets

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As sedimentation progresses in the formation and evolution of a depositional geologic basin, the rock strata are subject to various stresses. With increasing lithostatic pressure, compressional forces act to compact the porous rock matrix, leading to overpressure buildup, changes in the fluid pore pressure and fluid flow. In the context of petroleum systems modelling, the present study concerns the geometry changes that a compacting basin experiences subject to deposition. The purpose is to track the positions of the rock layer interfaces as compaction occurs. To handle the challenge of potentially large geometry deformations, a new modelling concept is proposed that couples the pore pressure equation with a level set method to determine the movement of lithostratigraphic interfaces. The level set method propagates an interface according to a prescribed speed. The coupling term for the pore pressure and level-set equations consists of this speed function, which is dependent on the compaction law. The two primary features of this approach are the simplicity of the grid and the flexibility of the speed function. A first evaluation of the model concept is presented based on an implementation for one spatial dimension accounting for vertical effective stress. Isothermal conditions with a constant fluid density and viscosity were assumed. The accuracy of the implemented numerical solution for the case of a single stratigraphic unit with a linear compaction law was compared to the available analytical solution [38]. The multi-layer setup and the nonlinear case were tested for plausibility.

show abstract

A mathematical model for compaction in sedimentary basins

Cited by 127 publications

References 16 publications

A numerical model for coupled fluid flow and matrix deformation with applications to disequilibrium compaction and delta stability

A numerical model for coupled fluid flow and matrix deformation with applications to disequilibrium compaction and delta stability

Estimating permeability from quasi-static deformation: Temporal variations and arrival-time inversion

Novel basin modelling concept for simulating deformation from mechanical compaction using level sets

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About