Industrial Structural Geology: Principles, Techniques and Integration
The practical application of structural geology in industry is varied and diverse; it is relevant at all scales, from plate-wide screening of new exploration areas down to fluid-flow behaviour along individual fractures. From an industry perspective, good structural practice is essential since it feeds into the quantification and recovery of reserves and ultimately underpins commercial investment choices. Many of the fundamental structural principles and techniques used by industry can be traced back to the academic community, and this volume aims to provide insights into how structural theory translates into industry practice.
Papers in this publication describe case studies and workflows that demonstrate applied structural geology, covering a spread of topics including trap definition, fault seal, fold-and-thrust belts, fractured reservoirs, fluid flow and geomechanics. Against a background of evolving ideas, new data types and advancing computational tools, the volume highlights the need for structural geologists to constantly re-evaluate the role they play in solving industrial challenges.
The missing complexity in seismically imaged normal faults: what are the implications for geometry and production response?
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Published:January 01, 2015
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CiteCitation
Alan M. Wood, Douglas A. Paton, Richard E. Ll. Collier, 2015. "The missing complexity in seismically imaged normal faults: what are the implications for geometry and production response?", Industrial Structural Geology: Principles, Techniques and Integration, F. L. Richards, N. J. Richardson, S. J. Rippington, R. W. Wilson, C. E. Bond
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Abstract
The impact of geometric uncertainty on across-fault flow behaviour at the scale of individual intra-reservoir faults is investigated in this study. A high resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of a faulted outcrop is used to construct an outcrop-scale geocellular grid capturing high-resolution fault geometries (5 m scale). Seismic forward modelling of this grid allows generation of a 3D synthetic seismic cube, which reveals the corresponding seismically resolvable fault geometries (12.5 m scale). Construction of a second geocellular model, based upon the seismically resolvable fault geometries, allows comparison with the original outcrop geometries. Running fluid flow simulations across both models enables us to assess quantitatively the impact of outcrop resolution v. seismic resolution fault geometries upon across-fault flow. The results suggest that seismically resolvable fault geometries significantly underestimate the area of across-fault juxtaposition relative to realistic fault geometries. In turn this leads to overestimates in the sealing ability of faults, and inaccurate calculation of fault plane properties such as transmissibility multipliers (TMs).
- Afar Depression
- Africa
- data processing
- digital terrain models
- direct problem
- East Africa
- Ethiopia
- fault zones
- faults
- fluid dynamics
- fluid flow
- geometry
- geophysical methods
- high-resolution methods
- normal faults
- outcrops
- permeability
- petroleum
- physical properties
- production
- ramps
- reservoir properties
- rock mechanics
- saturation
- seismic methods
- seismicity
- simulation
- structural analysis
- tectonics
- three-dimensional models
- geocellular models