Mineralogy of deepwater Gulf of Mexico salt formations and implications for constitutive behavior

Fredrich, Joanne T.; Fossum, A.F.; Hickman, R.J.

doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2006.11.006

Cited by 60 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Successful drilling of the salt layers is not easy, and it is considered a challenge in deepwater drilling operations due to the complex salt behavior. The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is the most active deepwater region in the world where salt is a dominant structural element that increases drilling risks and affects long-term well integrity [88].…”

Section: Salt Formationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These traps were developed due to local faulting and bending processes in formations nearby the salt layers and upward migration of salt layers displacing other sediments [87,88]. The chemistry of salts found in these formations can vary significantly.…”

Section: Salt Formationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The chemistry of salts found in these formations can vary significantly. However, typical salts reported [11,88] (CO 3 ) 2 ) associated with their structure [11,88]. Salt presents exceptional and problematic characteristics.…”

Section: Salt Formationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Drilling Fluids for Deepwater Fields: An Overview

Alcázar-Vara¹,

Cortés-Monroy²

2018

Recent Insights in Petroleum Science and Engineering

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The increasing oil demand around the world along with the depletion of onshore and shallow water oil reserves have forced the oil companies moving into the development of deepwater subsea hydrocarbon reservoirs. Drilling fluids play a key role in all drilling operations, but they get a greater relevance in deepwater environments where the technological challenges of drilling at these extreme conditions generate significant operational risks as well as very high costs during the development of this kind of fields. The operational issues and concerns related to the drilling fluid design and application for deepwater fields are generally well known: narrow pore/fracture pressure gradient margins, wellbore stability, clay swelling, gas hydrates formation, formation damage, salt formations, lost circulation, stuck pipe, cuttings transport and environmental and safety aspects. Therefore, the present chapter aims to give an overview on the main challenges and research related to drilling fluid design and application for deepwater fields through the revision of the state of the art of the current and innovative technological solutions reported in literature.

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Section: Salt Formationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Salt Formationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Drilling Fluids for Deepwater Fields: An Overview

Alcázar-Vara¹,

Cortés-Monroy²

2018

Recent Insights in Petroleum Science and Engineering

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“…Recently, Fredrich et al [18] have analyzed the composition of a number of salt specimens from both deep water and coastal salt domes and structures using x-ray techniques. This work included samples from the Bayou Choctaw core described by Neal et al [8].…”

Section: Salt Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They all have some elements of a cylindrical cavern development, with other features added. The caverns are Cavern 15,17,18,19,20,101, and 102 (graphical representations of these caverns are found in Appendix A). Let us examine Cavern 15 first.…”

Section: Apparently Mixed Solutioning Shapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Features of Bayou Choctaw SPR caverns and internal structure of the salt dome.

Munson¹

2007

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Deformation, stress, and pore pressure in an evolving suprasalt basin

et al. 2017

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We develop a two‐dimensional plane strain large‐deformation coupled poroelastoplastic finite element model to simulate initiation and rise of a salt wall from a flat salt body during sedimentation. We run transient analyses with high‐permeability and low‐permeability sediments in the model to simulate drained conditions and overpressure (or pore fluid overpressure). We investigate deformation, stress, and overpressure in the evolving suprasalt basin. Model results show that horizontal stress increases even higher than vertical stress at the flank of the salt wall and in the minibasin due to horizontal pushing out of the rising salt wall and that orientations of principal stresses rotate in the minibasin relative to far‐field stress state. Model predicts that compared with far‐field overpressure, the overpressure near the salt wall and within the minibasin is largely perturbed by the salt body. We find that perturbations of pore pressure (or pore fluid pressure) near the salt wall and within the minibasin cannot be resolved by traditional pore pressure prediction methods such as normal compaction trend approach and mean stress model approach. In order to predict pore pressure more accurately, especially in the regions near salt bodies or where stresses are perturbed, we need to apply a method that includes both effects of mean effective stress and deviatoric stress on pore pressure and compaction, for example, the Modified Cam Clay model approach, to pore pressure prediction. Our results provide geoscientists insights into evolution of salt basins, near‐salt deformation, stress, overpressure, and overpressure prediction methods and have implications for near‐salt wellbore drilling programs.

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Mineralogy of deepwater Gulf of Mexico salt formations and implications for constitutive behavior

Cited by 60 publications

References 21 publications

Drilling Fluids for Deepwater Fields: An Overview

Drilling Fluids for Deepwater Fields: An Overview

Features of Bayou Choctaw SPR caverns and internal structure of the salt dome.

Deformation, stress, and pore pressure in an evolving suprasalt basin

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