Fractured Reservoirs (Geological Society Special Publication no 270)

Fractured reservoirs contain a significant proportion of the global hydrocarbon reserves; however, they commonly exhibit unpredictable and extreme production behaviour. To develop such reservoirs it is necessary to obtain the best understanding possible of the fracture network and its impact on the fluid flow within the reservoir, using the full range of geoscience and engineering datasets available at all scales. This book presents an overview of current techniques and the latest technologies used to understand and exploit fractured reservoirs. The contributions are organized into sections on outcrop analogues, the application of geophysical techniques for fracture detection and imaging, numerical and analogue modelling and case studies from fields in the Middle East, Europe and North America. A number of the case studies also consider ways of assessing uncertainties in fracture geometry description and the implications for effective reservoir management.Also available: Geometry and Petrogenesis of Dolomite Hydrocarbon Reservoirs - ISBN 1862391661 The Initiation, Propagation, And Arrests of Joints And Other Fractures - ISBN 1862391653 Fracture And In-situ Stress Characterisation of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs - ISBN1862391300 Opening histories of fractures in sandstone -- S.E. Laubach ... [et al.] Growth of ductile opening-mode fractures in geomaterials -- P. Eichhubl Age and depth evidence for pre-exhumation joints in granite plutons -- P. Bankwitz ... [et al.] Feedback between joint-zone development and downward erosion of regularly spaced canyons in the Navajo sandstone, Zion National Park, Utah -- C.M. Rogers & T. Engelder Predicting fracture swarms, the influence of subcritical crack growth and the cracktip process zone on joint spacing in rock -- J. E. Olson Fracture-pattern variations around a major fold and their implications regarding fracture prediction using limited data / M. Belayneh & J.W. Cosgrove -- Index of hackle raggedness on joint fringes -- D. Bahat, P. Bankwitz & E. Bankwitz Arrest and aperture variation of hydrofractures in layered reservoirs -- S.L. Brenner & A. Gudmundsson Preferential jointing of Upper Devonian black shale, Appalachian Plateau, USA -- G. Lash, S. Loewy and T. Engelder Using differential geometry to characterize and analyse the morphology of plants -- D. D. Pollard, S. Bergbauer & I. Mynatt Relationship of tilt and twist of fringe cracks in granite plutons -- P. Bankwitz, E. Bankwitz Differences between veins and joints using the example of the Jurassic limestones of Somerset -- D.C.P. Peacock Fracture development within a straovolcano -- M. Nemčok ... [et al.] 2 Palaeostress orientation inferred from surface morphology of joints on the souern margin of the Bristol Channel Basin, UK -- M. Belayner Eight distinct fault-joint geometric/genetic relationships in the Beer Sheva syncline, Israel -- D. Bahat Probabilistic-mechanistic simulation of bed-normal joint patterns / W. Hoffman, W.M. Dunne -- Orientation distribution of single joint sets -- T. Engelder & J. Delter Stress-controlled localization of deformation and fluid flow in fractured rocks -- D. J. Sanderson & X. Jhang Indentation pits -- T Engelder, K. Schulmann & O. Lexa. This publication introduces the newly developed, integrated discipline of fracture and in-situ stress characterization of hydrocarbon reservoirs, through 16 well-illustrated case studies. These cover a wide range of tools, from borehole scale (logs and core) to reservoir scale (e.g. 3-D and 4-D seismic). It also covers surface studies (outcrop and remote sensing). In addition, it addresses the impact of fractures and in-situ stresses on fluid flows and their simulation.

The subject that this volume deals with is gaining increasing interest with the advancement of technologies and shifting boundaries of marginal fields into more challenging ground. Fractures and their response to current-day in-situ stresses have become a crucial part of reservoir characterization in deep tight reservoirs. In addition, maturing reservoirs, which were considered as 'conventional' at discovery, are displaying symptoms characteristic of fractures and/or geomechanical contribution. This has lead to the need to delineate the fractures and the stresses in these reservoirs and revise reservoir management accordingly.

This volume will be of interest to a broad range of readers from both academic and industrial institutes, who are researching and dealing with hydrocarbon reservoir characterization, simulation and management.

this Volume Is A State Of The Art Look At Our Understanding Of Joint Development In The Crust. Answers Are Provided For Such Questions As The Mechanisms By Which Joints Are Initiated, The Factors Controlling The Path They Follow During The Propagation Process, And The Processes Responsible For The Arrest Of Joints. Many Of The Answers To These Questions Can Be Inferred From The Geometry Of Joint Surface Morphology And Joint Patterns. Joints Are A Record Of The Orientation Of Stress At The Time Of Propagation And As Such They Are Also Useful Records Of Ancient Stress Fields, Regional And Local. Because Outcrop And Subsurface Views Of Joints Are Limited, Statistical Techniques Are Required To Characterize Joints And Joint Sets. Finally, Joints Are Subject To Post-propagation Stresses That Further Localize Deformation And Are The Focus For The Development Of New Structures.

The wide distribution of dolomite rocks in North American, Middle- and Far-Eastern hydrocarbon reservoirs is reason enough for their intensive study. In this volume dolomite enthusiasts review progress and define the current boundaries of dolomite research, related particularly to the importance of these rocks as reservoirs. As might be expected, reviews provide critical analyses of past ideas on origins and why many are no longer tenable. Discussions range between conceptual models and numerical simulations of the flow paths of dolomitizing fluids, geochemical modelling, and microbial mediation. Case studies from areas as diverse as North America, the Middle East, South-east Asia and Australia provide a solid background but illustrate important differences in views on the origins of these enigmatic rocks Cover......Page 1 Frontmatter......Page 2 Contents......Page 10 1......Page 11 23......Page 32 43......Page 52 55......Page 63 73......Page 80 83......Page 90 93......Page 99 101......Page 106 117......Page 122 139......Page 143 157......Page 160 171......Page 173 193......Page 194 205......Page 206 227......Page 227 245......Page 245 265......Page 264 Index......Page 279 Back......Page 284 Papers based on a conference on'The Geometry and Petrogensis of Dolomite Hydrocarbon Reservoirs'held at the Geological Society of London, 3-4 December 2002. The geometry and petrogenesis of dolomite hydrocarbon reservoirs: introduction Genesis of some Carboniferous dolomites in the south and east of Ireland