On the importance of rock thermal conductivity and heat flow density in basin and petroleum system modelling

Abstract

The role of thermal petrophysics in modelling basin and petroleum systems has been growing in recent years for at least three major reasons. First, the results of deep continental scientific drilling have led to dramatic changes in the understanding of the thermal regime at substantial depths in the interior of the Earth (Emmerman & Lauterjung, 1997; Popov, Popov, Chekhonin, Spasennykh, & Goncharov, 2019). Second, temperature is a key parameter for determining the transformation of kerogen into oil and gas, and its evaluation is impossible without reliable data on thermal properties. The most sophisticated and appropriate modelling techniques for analysing thermal histories and organic maturation levels may fail when applied to real basins if the thermal conductivity

Advanced Determination of Heat Flow Density on an Example of a West Russian Oil Field

“…Notice: (1) Table contains determined for each core sample the following data on rock thermal properties: λ aver -average thermal conductivity parallel to the bedding plane, λ ⊥aver -average thermal conductivity perpendicular to the bedding plane, K-coefficient of thermal anisotropy, β -thermal heterogeneity factor obtained during scanning parallel to the vertical axis of the full-sized core, β ⊥ -thermal heterogeneity factor obtained during scanning perpendicular to the vertical axis of the full-sized core, C-volumetric heat capacity. (2) Numerator-average value of the corresponding parameter, in brackets-standard deviation, in the denominator-minimal and maximal values of the corresponding parameters, N-number of core samples.…”

“…An impact of the uncertainty of thermal conductivity and heat flow density on the results of sedimentary basins and petroleum system modeling is beyond dispute among specialists [47,48]. However, corresponding estimates obtained with reliable geothermal data are rarely published (see, e.g., [2] and references therein). Two variants of the 1D model of the investigated sedimentary basin (which are distinct in their geothermal parameters, and both were successfully calibrated on temperature data and vitrinite reflectance data) were constructed to demonstrate the impact on the degree and volume of organic matter transformation (see details in [24]).…”

“…The reliability of the modeling results depends on the reliability of these data. It has been shown that uncertainties in these data lead to a severe reduction in the reliability of basin and petroleum system modeling [2] conducted on areas of the Earth's crust with the occurrence of unconventional reservoirs, where only scarce special geothermal surveys have been conducted recently. All of this has led to the necessity to measure the thermal properties of rock and assess variations of heat flow density when drilling a prospecting and appraisal well located in the Orenburg region on the European part of Russia in the southern part of the piedmont of the western Urals.…”

New estimates of the influence of paleoclimate on the vertical distribution of heat flow

“…Информация о реальном тепловом потоке и термических свойствах горных пород необходима для моделирования осадочных бассейнов и нефтегазоносных систем. Показано, что неопределенность в этих данных приводит к резкому снижению достоверности моделирования [Chekhonin et al, 2020].…”

Numerical determination of pressure‐dependent effective thermal conductivity in Berea sandstone

“…For the technical use of geothermal applications, detailed knowledge of the thermal conductivity of the underlying rock formation is of great importance. Typical examples are basin modelling for the prediction of hydrocarbon maturation (Chekhonin et al ., 2019), analysis of geothermal reservoirs for energy production or storage (Sipio et al ., 2013) and finding suitable locations for nuclear waste disposal (Mirkovich and Soles, 1978).…”