Calibrating fault seal using a hydrocarbon migration model of the Oseberg Syd area, Viking Graben

Childs, Conrad; Sylta, Øyvind; Moriya, Susumu; Morewood, N. C.; Manzocchi, Tom; Walsh, John J.; Hermanssen, D.

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.05.004

Cited by 28 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Jev et al 1993;Fristad et al 1997;Ottesen Ellevset et al 1998). Childs et al (2009a) for example, calibrated a critical Pc T ⁄ SGR sealing envelope against known column heights in the Oseberg Syd area of the North Sea by randomly selecting possible fault seal envelopes and identifying those that provided the closest match to the observed column heights of several hydrocarbon accumulations when predicted using a raytracing migration modelling tool (Sylta 1991;Krokstad & Sylta 1996;Childs et al 2002b). A summary of the modelling is given in Fig.…”

Section: Membrane Seals In Explorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faults and fault properties in hydrocarbon flow models

Manzocchi¹,

Childs²,

Walsh³

2010

Geofluids

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The petroleum industry uses subsurface flow models for two principal purposes: to model the flow of hydrocarbons into traps over geological time, and to simulate the production of hydrocarbon from reservoirs over periods of decades or less. Faults, which are three-dimensional volumes, are approximated in both modelling applications as planar membranes onto which predictions of the most important fault-related flow properties are mapped. Faults in porous clastic reservoirs are generally baffles or barriers to flow and the relevant flow properties are therefore very different to those which are important in conductive fracture flow systems. A critical review and discussion is offered on the work-flows used to predict and model capillary threshold pressure for exploration fault seal analysis and fault transmissibility multipliers for production simulation, and of the data from which the predictions derive. New flow simulation models confirm that failure of intra-reservoir sealing faults can occur during a reservoir depressurization via a water-drive mechanism, but contrary to anecdotal reports, published examples of production-induced seal failure are elusive. Ignoring the three-dimensional structure of fault zones can sometimes have a significant influence on production-related flow, and a series of models illustrating flow associated with relay zones are discussed.

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Section: Membrane Seals In Explorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faults and fault properties in hydrocarbon flow models

Manzocchi¹,

Childs²,

Walsh³

2010

Geofluids

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123

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“…Manzocchi et al (2010) also review comparisons between empirical and deterministic approaches, and reiterate the point that most of the sensitivity between seal capacity and SGR occurs in the critical SGR range between 0.2 and 0.4 (20-40%). Childs et al (2009) calibrated a regional North Sea migration model involving many faults and concluded that there is a sharp increase in seal capacity around SGR = 0.2 and little sensitivity beyond this value. Hence, the range of SGR where fault seal becomes significant is within the central division (PFFR) in the fault-rock classification summarized above.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using probabilistic shale smear modelling to relate SGR predictions of column height to fault-zone heterogeneity

Yielding¹

2012

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Fault-seal analysis in hydrocarbon exploration often involves prediction of the sealing capacity of fault rock at reservoir-reservoir juxtapositions on subsurface faults. A proxy property, such as Shale Gouge Ratio (SGR), is mapped on to the fault surface, and then SGR is either (a) calibrated by observations of known sealing faults, to define its sealing capacity (empirical approach), or (b) assumed to be equal to the composition of the fault rock, for which a database of capillary threshold pressures is available from cores (deterministic approach). The deterministic approach implicitly assumes that capillary pressures measured on centimetre-scale samples are representative of seismically mappable faults, for example that faults of intermediate SGR are equivalent to phyllosilicate framework fault rocks.This contribution builds on earlier outcrop and modelling work to suggest an alternative explanation for the observed progressive increase in sealing capacity on faults of increasing SGR. Stochastic models of disrupted shale smears display the same pattern of increasing sealing capacity as SGR increases. These models have a bimodal 'fault rock' composed only of sealing shale smears and non-sealing matrix and, yet, at intermediate SGR the predicted column heights are similar to those normally ascribed to intermediate composition fault rocks. The resulting 'fault-seal envelope' in the models is a statistical estimate of the maximum trappable column height, dependent on the random occurrence of a gap in the smeared fault surface. research-articlethematic set article: fault and top seals18110.1144/1354-079311-013G. YieldingProbabilistic shale smear modelling 2012

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“…One of the key elements that control hydrocarbon accumulation and migration is the faulting system (Ben-Awuah et al 2013;Ben-Awuah et al 2014). Lateral migration of hydrocarbons can be impeded by faults by juxtaposing lithologies against reservoir/carrier units or by forming a layer of high capillary threshold pressure fault rock (Childs et al 2009). During faulting, sediments adjacent to the faults are crushed creating a shale gouge (Yielding et al 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Methods of incorporating fault and seal properties in hydrocarbon migration studies have evolved significantly over time (Perkins 1961;Lindsay et al 1993;Yielding et al 1997;Davies et al 2003;Childs et al 2009) and focused mainly on the shale content in faults separating juxtaposed reservoirs in migration modelling and fault seal studies. However, there are still opposing views on the best methods to use to properly account for the impact of fault properties in hydrocarbon accumulation and migration studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating critical fault properties controlling hydrocarbon accumulation in 3D basin and petroleum system modelling: a case study in the northern North Sea

Andriamihaja

Ben-Awuah

Ali

2019

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

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Fault properties are very important parameters in migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in sedimentary basins. However, there are still several different schools of thought on how to incorporate such prospect-bounding fault properties into petroleum system migration and modelling studies. This paper investigates how shale gouge ratio (SGR), which defines the sealing/non-sealing capacity of faults, can be incorporated in basin modelling using the Gullfaks, Visund, Kvitebjorn and Huldra fields in the northern North Sea as a case study. The paper also presents the results from the most likely model representing the present day reality in the basin by varying the faults properties defined by SGR until the reserves-in-place in the four fields are obtained. Our results show that gas accumulations are more sensitive to SGR than the oil accumulations. The oil accumulation in the Gullfaks field is controlled by three main faults. The first fault bounding the field is a non-sealing fault with SGR = 10%. The second fault located further south in the field is a sealing fault, and the third fault located in the north is a non-sealing fault. A NE-SW non-sealing trending fault controls the hydrocarbon accumulation in the Visund field. In the Kvitebjørn field, another NE-SW trending fault surrounding the field with an SGR of 30% controls the hydrocarbon accumulation. The gas-in-place in the Huldra field is controlled by two N-S trending faults. The first fault is located in the west of the field and is defined by SGR of 40%, while the second fault is defined as open. Analysis of the burial history curves of the most likely petroleum system model obtained after the fault properties modelling shows that the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous uplift in the basin is more pronounced in the footwall of the triple rift graben system in the basin. In the same period, the axis of the graben system is characterized by non-deposition of sediments.

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Calibrating fault seal using a hydrocarbon migration model of the Oseberg Syd area, Viking Graben

Cited by 28 publications

References 15 publications

Faults and fault properties in hydrocarbon flow models

Faults and fault properties in hydrocarbon flow models

Using probabilistic shale smear modelling to relate SGR predictions of column height to fault-zone heterogeneity

Incorporating critical fault properties controlling hydrocarbon accumulation in 3D basin and petroleum system modelling: a case study in the northern North Sea

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