Search citation statements
Paper Sections
Citation Types
Year Published
Publication Types
Relationship
Authors
Journals
The present‐day stress state is a key parameter in numerous geoscientific research fields including geodynamics, seismic hazard assessment, and geomechanics of georeservoirs. The Taranaki Basin of New Zealand is located on the Australian Plate and forms the western boundary of tectonic deformation due to Pacific Plate subduction along the Hikurangi margin. This paper presents the first comprehensive wellbore‐derived basin‐scale in situ stress analysis in New Zealand. We analyze borehole image and oriented caliper data from 129 petroleum wells in the Taranaki Basin to interpret the shape of boreholes and determine the orientation of maximum horizontal stress (SHmax). We combine these data (151 SHmax data records) with 40 stress data records derived from individual earthquake focal mechanism solutions, 6 from stress inversions of focal mechanisms, and 1 data record using the average of several focal mechanism solutions. The resulting data set has 198 data records for the Taranaki Basin and suggests a regional SHmax orientation of N068°E (±22°), which is in agreement with NW‐SE extension suggested by geological data. Furthermore, this ENE‐WSW average SHmax orientation is subparallel to the subduction trench and strike of the subducting slab (N50°E) beneath the central western North Island. Hence, we suggest that the slab geometry and the associated forces due to slab rollback are the key control of crustal stress in the Taranaki Basin. In addition, we find stress perturbations with depth in the vicinity of faults in some of the studied wells, which highlight the impact of local stress sources on the present‐day stress rotation.
The present‐day stress state is a key parameter in numerous geoscientific research fields including geodynamics, seismic hazard assessment, and geomechanics of georeservoirs. The Taranaki Basin of New Zealand is located on the Australian Plate and forms the western boundary of tectonic deformation due to Pacific Plate subduction along the Hikurangi margin. This paper presents the first comprehensive wellbore‐derived basin‐scale in situ stress analysis in New Zealand. We analyze borehole image and oriented caliper data from 129 petroleum wells in the Taranaki Basin to interpret the shape of boreholes and determine the orientation of maximum horizontal stress (SHmax). We combine these data (151 SHmax data records) with 40 stress data records derived from individual earthquake focal mechanism solutions, 6 from stress inversions of focal mechanisms, and 1 data record using the average of several focal mechanism solutions. The resulting data set has 198 data records for the Taranaki Basin and suggests a regional SHmax orientation of N068°E (±22°), which is in agreement with NW‐SE extension suggested by geological data. Furthermore, this ENE‐WSW average SHmax orientation is subparallel to the subduction trench and strike of the subducting slab (N50°E) beneath the central western North Island. Hence, we suggest that the slab geometry and the associated forces due to slab rollback are the key control of crustal stress in the Taranaki Basin. In addition, we find stress perturbations with depth in the vicinity of faults in some of the studied wells, which highlight the impact of local stress sources on the present‐day stress rotation.
This paper proposes the use of spatial analysis of stimulation treatments and historical oil production to improve the selection of future candidate wells for workover treatments. Oil production data from four mature leases of the San Andres carbonate reservoir in the West Texas Permian Basin are analyzed to identify a potential correlation between historical oil production and the oil production improvement from well stimulation. Spatial grouping of producers is used to eliminate the bias introduced into the data because of workover failure, errors in production data, ongoing water and CO2 floods and other factors affecting the two correlated parameters. The spatial grouping approach is further extended to a semi-automated method for large datasets using the meanshift algorithm. To increase the robustness of the results, the analysis is repeated with ordinary kriging as an independent method. The results obtained from both methods confirm the presence of a positive correlation between the historical oil production and the well response after the stimulation. The results are also compared with porosity-height maps, indicating that wells located in zones with better porosity-height have better stimulation response. This has important implications in identifying wells with greater potential for oil production improvement from well stimulation. While the success of the treatment strongly depends on the selection, design, and implementation of the appropriate stimulation method, priority should be given to the wells that exhibit high historical oil production, or the wells located in highly productive zones. This practice will statistically increase the likelihood of maximized workover benefits. The presented analysis used the oil production data from the San Andres carbonate reservoir; however, the proposed method is applicable to gas reservoirs and unconventional reservoirs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.