Conceptual model for predicting mudstone dimensions in sandy braided-river reservoirs

Lynds, Ranie; Hajek, Elizabeth

doi:10.1306/03080605051

Cited by 60 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Although problems of compartmentalization by abandonment deposits are also seen in deposits interpretable as the product of braided or single-thread low-sinuosity rivers (cf. Lynds & Hajek 2006;McKie 2011), it must be noted that the morphometry and scaling relationships of bars, channel fills and channel bodies produced by braided rivers are fundamentally different from what is described here (cf. Gibling 2006;Kelly 2006;Colombera et al 2013;Holzweber et al 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 72%

Geometry and compartmentalization of fluvial meander-belt reservoirs at the bar-form scale: Quantitative insight from outcrop, modern and subsurface analogues

Colombera

Mountney

Russell

et al. 2017

Marine and Petroleum Geology

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The preserved deposits of fluvial meander belts typically take the form of patchworks of sand-prone bar-form elements bordered by genetically related, muddy channel fills. In meander belts that act as hydrocarbon reservoirs, characteristics of sedimentary architecture, including the geometry of point-bar elements and the internal compartmentalization exerted by the presence of mud-prone abandoned channel fills, control the effectiveness of primary and enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. Therefore, a quantitative description of meander-belt architectures is desired to provide constraints to subsurface predictions.To this end, an examination of sedimentological datasets, enabled by database-assisted analysis, is undertaken. Sixty-four database case studies of modern, ancient outcropping and subsurface fluvial depositional systems are characterized in a quantitative manner, to assess the relative importance of different styles of lithological compartmentalization, and to provide constraints that can be applied to inform predictions of the geometry and connectivity of bar-scale sandbodies in meander-belt reservoirs. The results of this study include: (i) a set of empirical relationships that relate dimensional parameters describing the geometry of point-bar elements, associated channel fills, channel complexes and potentially unswept compartments; (ii) probabilistic descriptions that relate well density to both the proportion of compartments intersected by a well array, and the maximum volume of untapped bar-form compartments.The resulting predictive tools can be applied to assist reservoir development and production, either directly or through incorporation into reservoir models. For example, it is shown how to use these quantitative constraints to predict the likely volume of point-bar reservoir compartments with potential bypassed hydrocarbons, and to optimize drilling strategies (e.g., whether and how to perform infill drilling or horizontal drilling), by providing a measure of the likely presence, size, spacing, and orientation of bypassed hydrocarbon volumes.

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mentioning

confidence: 72%

Geometry and compartmentalization of fluvial meander-belt reservoirs at the bar-form scale: Quantitative insight from outcrop, modern and subsurface analogues

Colombera

Mountney

Russell

et al. 2017

Marine and Petroleum Geology

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“…Outcrops in the study area exhibit exceedingly few mud drapes, interbar mud deposits, or channel-lining muds (sensu Lynds and Hajek, 2006), and there is only a very minor to minor component of horizontally stratified sands (cf., Tooth, 2000;Miall, 2006). Moreover, desiccation cracks are common only in lithofacies C, Fm, and Sm, in which they are associated with the episodic evaporation of standing water in the former case and longer-term subaerial exposure and pedogenesis in the latter two cases.…”

Section: Interpretations Of Lithofaciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Architecture, heterogeneity, and origin of late Miocene fluvial deposits hosting the most important aquifer in the Great Plains, USA

Joeckel

Wooden

Korus

et al. 2014

Sedimentary Geology

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“…Similarly, mud-rich drapes often found at bartail locations will act to reduce vertical and lateral connectivity (e.g. termed 'interbar muds' by Lynds and Hajek, 2006). Therefore, prediction of geobodies on the length-scale of unit-bars is important.…”

Section: Application To Reservoir Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, prediction of geobodies on the length-scale of unit-bars is important. Lynds and Hajek (2006) list four channel-scale fine-grained lithofacies (channel-lining muds, interbar muds, inclined heterolithic muds and mud plugs) that can all occur in sandy braided rivers. They demonstrate how estimates of the size of these lithofacies can be derived from estimates of flow depth to better constrain mudstone dimensions used in reservoir models.…”

Section: Application To Reservoir Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deposits of the sandy braided South Saskatchewan River: Implications for the use of modern analogs in reconstructing channel dimensions in reservoir characterization

Lunt¹,

Smith²,

Best³

et al. 2013

Bulletin

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The estimation of fluvial geobody dimensions from core data is a notoriously difficult problem in reservoir modelling. To try and improve such estimates and hence reduce uncertainty in geomodels, data on dunes, unit bars, cross-bar channels and compound bars and their associated deposits are presented from the sand-bed braided South Saskatchewan River, Canada. These data are used to provide a test of models that relate the scale of formative bedforms to the dimensions of the preserved deposits, and therefore an insight into how such deposits may be preserved over geologic time. The preservation of bedform geometry is quantified using a comparison of the alluvial architecture above and below the maximum erosion depth of the modern channel deposits. This comparison shows that there is no significant difference in the mean set thickness of dune cross-strata above and below the basal erosion surface of the contemporary channel, thus suggesting that dimensional relationships between dune deposits and the formative bedform dimensions are likely to be valid from both recent and older deposits.The data show that estimates of mean bankfull flow depth derived from dune, unit bar and cross-bar channel deposits were all very similar. Thus the use of all these metrics together can provide a useful check that all components and scales of the alluvial architecture have been identified correctly when building reservoir models. The data also highlight a number of practical issues with identifying and applying data relating to cross-strata. For example, the deposits of unit bars were found to be severely truncated in length and width, thus only ~10% of the mean barform length may remain making identification in section difficult. For similar reasons, the deposits of compound bars was found to be especially difficult, and hence estimates of channel depth based on this method may be problematic. Where only core data is available (i.e. there is no outcrop data) it is suggested that formative flow depths are best reconstructed using cross-strata formed by dunes. However, this study found that theoretical 3 relationships between the distribution of set thicknesses and formative dune height result in slight overestimates of the latter, and hence mean bankfull flow depths derived from these measurements.This study illustrates that the preservation of cross-strata, and thus the paleohydraulic inferences that can be drawn from them, are a function of the ratio of the size and migration rate of bedforms and the time scale of aggradation and channel migration. These factors must be considered when deciding on appropriate length:thickness ratios for the purposes of object-based modelling.4

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Conceptual model for predicting mudstone dimensions in sandy braided-river reservoirs

Cited by 60 publications

References 42 publications

Geometry and compartmentalization of fluvial meander-belt reservoirs at the bar-form scale: Quantitative insight from outcrop, modern and subsurface analogues

Geometry and compartmentalization of fluvial meander-belt reservoirs at the bar-form scale: Quantitative insight from outcrop, modern and subsurface analogues

Architecture, heterogeneity, and origin of late Miocene fluvial deposits hosting the most important aquifer in the Great Plains, USA

Deposits of the sandy braided South Saskatchewan River: Implications for the use of modern analogs in reconstructing channel dimensions in reservoir characterization

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