Integrated Fault Seal Analysis
Faults commonly trap fluids such as hydrocarbons and water and therefore are of economic significance. During hydrocarbon field development, smaller faults can provide baffles and/or conduits to flow. There are relatively simple, well established workflows to carry out a fault seal analysis for siliciclastic rocks based primarily on clay content. There are, however, outstanding challenges related to other rock types, to calibrating fault seal models (with static and dynamic data) and to handling uncertainty.
The variety of studies presented here demonstrate the types of data required and workflows followed in today's environment in order to understand the uncertainties, risks and upsides associated with fault-related fluid flow. These studies span all parts of the hydrocarbon value chain from exploration to production but are also of relevance for other industries such as radioactive waste and CO2 containment.
Enhancing trap and fault seal analyses by integrating observations from HR3D seismic data with well logs and conventional 3D seismic data, Texas inner shelf
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Published:July 17, 2020
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CiteCitation
Johnathon L. Osmond, Timothy A. Meckel, 2020. "Enhancing trap and fault seal analyses by integrating observations from HR3D seismic data with well logs and conventional 3D seismic data, Texas inner shelf", Integrated Fault Seal Analysis, S. R. Ogilvie, S. J. Dee, R. W. Wilson, W. R. Bailey
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Abstract
An understanding of trap and fault seal quality is critical for assessing hydrocarbon prospectivity. To achieve this, modern analytical techniques leverage well data and conventional industry-standard 3D seismic data to evaluate the trap, and any faults displacing the reservoir and top seal intervals. Above all, geological interpretation provides the framework of trap and fault seal analyses, but can be hindered by the data resolution, quality and acquisition style of the conventional seismic data. Furthermore, limiting the analysis to only the petroleum system at depth may lead to erroneous perceptions because interpreting overburden features, such as shallow faults or gas chimneys, can provide valuable observations with respect to container performance, and can to help validate trap and fault seal predictions. A supplement to conventional 3D data are high-resolution 3D seismic (HR3D) data, which provide detailed images of the overburden geology. This study utilizes an HR3D seismic volume in the San Luis Pass area of the Texas inner shelf, where shallow fault tips and a sizeable gas chimney are interpreted over an unsuccessful hydrocarbon prospect. Static post-drill fault seal and trap analyses suggest that the primary fault displacing the structural closure could have withheld columns of gas c. 100 m high, but disagree with our HR3D seismic interpretations and dry-well analyses. From our results, we hypothesize that tertiary gas migration through fault conduits reduced the hydrocarbon column in the prospective Early Miocene reservoir, and may have resulted from continued movement along the intersecting faults. Overall, this study reinforces the importance of understanding the overburden geology and geohistory of faulted prospects, and demonstrates the utility of pre-drill HR3D acquisition when conducting trap and fault seal analyses.
- Cenozoic
- clastic rocks
- continental shelf
- data processing
- faults
- Galveston County Texas
- Galveston Island
- geophysical methods
- geophysical profiles
- geophysical surveys
- gouge
- Gulf of Mexico Basin
- high-resolution methods
- inner shelf
- lower Miocene
- Miocene
- Neogene
- oil wells
- petroleum
- petroleum engineering
- pressure
- reservoir properties
- reservoir rocks
- sealing
- sedimentary rocks
- seismic methods
- seismic profiles
- shale
- structural controls
- structural traps
- surveys
- Tertiary
- Texas
- three-dimensional models
- traps
- two-dimensional models
- United States
- well logs
- San Luis Pass Texas