On changes in porosity and volume during burial of argillaceous sediments

The porosity and hence volume of argillaceous sediments is determined by: (1) the magnitude of the effective stress acting within the sediment; (2) the previous stress history of the sediment; and (3) at shallow depths of burial, by features such as the mineralogy and the nature of the depositional environment. Stress paths and the critical state diagrams for a number of clays are used to investigate the range of porosities possible in argillaceous sediments as the effective stresses increase. It is found that all porosity/effective stress curves converge at large stresses. The change in porosity is strongly dependent on the mean effective stress but largely independent of the deviatoric stress, and thus is largely independent of the nature of the stress field acting on the basin (compressional, extensional etc.). Because of the dependence of porosity on the mean effective stress, no simple relationship exists between porosity and depth of burial but in the absence of overpressured pore fluids and assuming the sediment is not overconsolidated, it is possible to contour the porosity/effective stress diagram in terms of burial depths. These data should assist in recalculating stratigraphic thicknesses for basin reconstruction and stratigraphic correlation studies.     

Influence of hydrocarbon injection on the compaction by pressure-solution of a carbonate rock: An experimental study under triaxial stresses

The preservation of good petrophysical properties (high porosity/high permeability) at great depth in carbonate rocks may lead to the existence of a deeply buried reservoir (DBR), a target of interest for the oil industry. One of the key processes controlling diagenesis of the burial environment is Pressure Solution Creep (PSC), an efficient compaction process responsible for the evolution of porosity and permeability in many carbonate reservoirs. In this experimental study, we examine the effect of i) the presence of oil in the pore space and ii) its timing of injection on the PSC process and the petrophysical properties of a carbonate rock. The experiments were performed using a flow-through high-pressure cell, allowing the simulation of the pressure/stresses and temperature conditions of a DBR. Multi-disciplinary data (mechanical, chemical, petrographical and petrophysical) demonstrate that, without oil in the pore space, the main diagenetic process is the PSC, a process reducing by three the initial porosity but having no influence on intrinsic water permeability. An early injection of oil prior to water circulation causes the inhibition of PSC by the coating of the grains, leading to the preservation of porosity. Conversely, a late injection of oil does not preserve initial porosity. The dataset obtained from these experiments show the importance of the timing of oil charging in a reservoir in the preservation of initial porosity at great depth by the inhibition of PSC. However, the coating of grains by hydrocarbons may also inhibit further diagenetic processes leading to a creation of secondary porosity at depth.     

Fracture patterns and petrophysical properties of carbonates undergoing regional folding: A case study from Kurdistan,N Iraq

The Zagros-Taurus fold and thrust belt hosts a prolific hydrocarbon system. Most hydrocarbon reserves are stored in naturally fractured reservoirs and such fracture systems can therefore have a significant impact on reservoir performance. Fractures are one of the most important paths for fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs, and industrial geoscientists and engineers therefore need to understand and study fracture patterns in order to optimise hydrocarbon production. The observed fracture patterns in outcrops may have implications on fluid flow and reservoir modelling in subsurface reservoirs, and we have therefore undertaken a case study of fracturing associated with regional folding in Iraqi Kurdistan. In this area, some exploration wells currently target Upper Triassic dolostones (Kurra Chine Formation) and/or Lower Jurassic limestones and dolomitised limestones (Sehkaniyan Formation). In both units hydrocarbon production comes mainly from secondary porosity created by dolomitisation, dissolution and fracturing. Both formations have undergone multiple phases of deformation associated with burial, uplift, folding and thrusting. We investigate some fracture pattern characteristics and some petrophysical properties of these units using selected outcrops around the Gara, Ora and Ranya anticlines that form folds directly traceable for 25–70 km. Our outcrop data is compared with subsurface fracture and petrophysical datasets reported from wells in the nearby Shaikhan and Swara Tika Fields. The 1-2-3D fracture attributes collected from outcrops are fracture orientation, type, spacing, intensity, length and cross-cutting and abutting relationships. Fracture orientations show a clear relationship to the local fold axis in both the outcrop and subsurface, although in some cases they appear to relate more to the present day in-situ maximum horizontal stress direction or local strike-slip faulting. Three stages of fracturing are proposed: pre-folding, early-folding and post-folding fractures. In addition, we report petrophysical properties - porosity, permeability and acoustic velocity of both the Kurra Chine and Sehkaniyan formations in relation to their structural position within folds and faults and stratigraphic level. The highest porosities and permeabilities are recorded in the hinges and backlimbs of the Gara Anticline. The best reservoir quality (highest porosity and permeability) is often found in areas associated with replacement dolomite i.e. solution vugs and intercrystalline porosity. The Kurra Chine Formation displays similar trends in velocity-porosity data at both outcrop and the subsurface. However, the Sehkaniyan Formation displays lower acoustic velocity for a given porosity at outcrop compared to the subsurface.     

Predicting rock mechanical properties of carbonates from wireline logs (A case study: Arab-D reservoir,Ghawar field,Saudi Arabia)

Four hundred plug samples from the Arab-D carbonate reservoir, Ghawar field, were tested for acoustic and mechanical properties at increasing triaxial stress. The results show that the rock mechanical parameters are primarily functions of porosity and, to a lesser degree, of mineralogy, texture and pore fabric (in order of degree of impact from higher to lower). The rock mechanical parameters of the intact matrix rock show no significant changes with stress under reservoir condition.     

Experimental mechanical compaction of reconstituted shale and mudstone aggregates: Investigation of petrophysical and acoustic properties of SW Barents Sea cap rock sequences

This study investigates petrophysical and acoustic properties of experimentally compacted reconstituted samples of seal sequences from the southwestern Barents Sea. The aggregates were collected from drill cuttings of mudstone and shale formations of two exploration wells, 7220/10-1 (Salina discovery) and 7122/7-3 (Goliat field). The washed and freeze-dried samples were characterized for grain size distributions, geochemical analyses, and mineralogical compositions. A total of 25 compaction tests (12 dry and 13 brine-saturated) were performed with a maximum effective vertical stress of 50 MPa. The laboratory measurements demonstrated that petrophysical and acoustic properties of argillaceous sediments can change within a sedimentary basin and even within a given formation. The results show that the collected aggregates from Goliat field are compacted more compared to Salina discovery. The maximum and minimum compaction are measured in samples collected from Snadd and Fuglen formations, respectively. The final porosity of brine-saturated specimens varies between 5% and 22%. The ultrasonic velocity measurements depict that samples with the same porosity values can have a broad range of velocity values. The resulting compaction trends in this study were compared to published compaction curves for synthetic mixtures of quartz and clay. All compaction trends show higher porosity reduction than the silt fraction with 100% quartz. Comparison of experimental compaction result of each mudstone and shale aggregate with its corresponding acquired well log data helps to delineate the burial history and exhumation in the study area. A net exhumation of 950 m and 800 m is estimated at Salina and Goliat wells, respectively. The outcomes of this study can provide insights for hydrocarbon prospect discovery in a pre-mature sedimentary basin in terms of exploration and production, and also for geological CO₂ storage sites. The experimental results may provide information for well log and seismic interpretation, basin modeling and seal integrity of investigated horizons.