scholarly journals New Method for Characterizing Internal Structure of Fault-Karst Reservoirs and Analysis on Acidizing Fracturing Effect: A Case Study in HLHT Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China

Lithosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (Special 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Cao ◽  
Shaoying Chang ◽  
Yongjin Zhu ◽  
Jinlong Shen ◽  
Zhanfeng Qiao ◽  
...  

Abstract Superimposed tectonic movement and karst erosion resulted in a combination of fractures and irregular caves in deep/ultradeep carbonate rocks, typically along major fault swarms. Outlining these fault-karst reservoirs mainly depends on recognizing the strong reflection in seismic profiles; however, characterizing their internal structures is still difficult, which are represented as weak amplitude in seismic profiles. This study intended to propose a method to dissect the internal structure of fault-karst reservoirs, which contains four steps: (1) elimination of the signal interference by the covering bed with strong energy and recognition of internal reservoirs with low energy based on seismic data conversion, frequency division, and inversion; (2) gradient structure tensor analysis based on an anisotropic Gaussian filter for fault-karst reservoir outlining; (3) internal faults and cave recognition on the basis of wave-based inversion; and (4) reevaluation of the number and scale of these faults and caves based on seismic recognition and well test results and verification of their volumes and hydrocarbon reserves. The method was used in the evaluation of the fault-karst reservoir in the Halahatang (HLHT) oilfield, which is located in the north of Tarim Basin. The results show that the fault-karst reservoirs along major faults and their internal structures are effectively recognized, and the error of the predicted depth of the reservoirs decreases from more than 20 m before to less than 4 m now; the drilling success ratio increases from 70% to 90%. In addition, the method supports the recognition of untapped fault-karst reservoirs around shut-in wells, which provides guidance for sidetracking plans. Further, by comparing the geophysical volume of fault-karst reservoirs and the reserve predicted by production performance, the untapped reserve in a certain reservoir can be evaluated; on this basis, producing wells received high yields by targeted acid fracturing. In summary, the method effectively improves the prediction accuracy and the recovery efficiency of fault-karst reservoirs.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. T1-T19 ◽  
Author(s):  
RenHai Pu ◽  
KunBai Li ◽  
Machao Dong ◽  
ZiCheng Cao ◽  
Pengye Xu

The eastern part of Tazhong area in the Tarim Basin consists of three sets of vertical strike-slip faults oriented in north–northeast (36°azimuth), east–northeast (68° azimuth), and west–northwest (126°azimuth) directions that cut the strata from Cambrian to Carboniferous. The fault belts indicate significant horizon upwarp and downwarp deformations and variations in their stratigraphic thickness on seismic profiles. Through detailed interpretation of the 3D seismic data, we consider that these phenomena reflect the different stress properties and active stages of the faults. The horizon upwarp and downwarp within the fault belts correlated respectively to the decrease and increase in stratigraphic thickness within the fault belts in comparison to the coeval counterpart of the bilateral fault blocks. For the same fault, different stratigraphic intervals express different types of horizon deformation and thickness changes. The horizon downwarp and the contemporaneous stratigraphic thickening inside the fault belts suggest the transtensional actions of the fault. The horizon upwarp and the contemporaneous thinning within the fault belts suggest transpressional actions of the fault. Based on this, we inferred the active periods of the three sets of strike-slip faults. The north–northeast-striking faults were formed in the late Ordovician Sangtamu Formation. This set of faults experienced four stages, i.e., sinistral transpression, sinistral transtension, static, and transtension. The east–northeast and west–northwest-striking faults initiated in the mid-Cambrian period as coupled transtension. Activity ceased in the west–northwest faults after the mid-Cambrian and in the east–northeast faults during the late Ordovician. The three sets of strike-slip faults all affect the formation of the hydrothermal dissolution reservoirs that are distributed in the Ordovician carbonate rocks.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. T739-T752
Author(s):  
Tianyu Ji ◽  
Wei Yang ◽  
Renhai Pu ◽  
Xueqiong Wu ◽  
Xiaochuan Wu

Sill emplacement mechanisms are very complex, diverse, and regional, and insights from sill reflections are helpful for understanding the emplacement process of magma in the Tarim Basin. This study takes advantage of high-quality 2D seismic data, which are rarely used to study sills in the Tarim Basin, to analyze the sills’ geometric characteristics, plan-view distributions, emplacement timing, and emplacement mechanisms with unconformity surfaces. In the seismic-reflection profiles of the middle-upper Ordovician in the North depression and the southern part of the Tabei uplift in the Tarim Basin, sills with strong positive polarity reflections appear, and they are closely distributed near the Tg52 unconformity surface, which represents the interface between Middle Ordovician limestone and Upper Ordovician mudstone. According to the vertical position of the sills relative to the unconformity, we can divide the sills into saucer-shaped or quasi-saucer-shaped sills above the unconformity surface, sill complexes and saucer-shaped sills on the unconformity surface, and saucer-shaped sills below the unconformity surface. Potential hydrothermal vents and peripheral faults associated with sill intrusion terminate upward in the Middle Permian strata, suggesting that these sills formed in the Middle Permian. Sills with inner flat sheets on the Tg52 unconformity surface formed when the magma ascended and encountered an abrupt change in the fracture toughness and tensile strength between the two adjacent host rock layers. The sills above and on the Tg52 unconformity surface overlap or are vertically linked; therefore, the sills above the Tg52 unconformity surface are the result of the continuous upward expansion of the sills on the unconformity surface, forming sill complexes. Our findings further confirm that unconformities are important interfaces that affect the emplacement of sills.


Author(s):  
A., C. Prasetyo

Overpressure existence represents a geological hazard; therefore, an accurate pore pressure prediction is critical for well planning and drilling procedures, etc. Overpressure is a geological phenomenon usually generated by two mechanisms, loading (disequilibrium compaction) and unloading mechanisms (diagenesis and hydrocarbon generation) and they are all geological processes. This research was conducted based on analytical and descriptive methods integrated with well data including wireline log, laboratory test and well test data. This research was conducted based on quantitative estimate of pore pressures using the Eaton Method. The stages are determining shale intervals with GR logs, calculating vertical stress/overburden stress values, determining normal compaction trends, making cross plots of sonic logs against density logs, calculating geothermal gradients, analyzing hydrocarbon maturity, and calculating sedimentation rates with burial history. The research conducted an analysis method on the distribution of clay mineral composition to determine depositional environment and its relationship to overpressure. The wells include GAP-01, GAP-02, GAP-03, and GAP-04 which has an overpressure zone range at depth 8501-10988 ft. The pressure value within the 4 wells has a range between 4358-7451 Psi. Overpressure mechanism in the GAP field is caused by non-loading mechanism (clay mineral diagenesis and hydrocarbon maturation). Overpressure distribution is controlled by its stratigraphy. Therefore, it is possible overpressure is spread quite broadly, especially in the low morphology of the “GAP” Field. This relates to the delta depositional environment with thick shale. Based on clay minerals distribution, the northern part (GAP 02 & 03) has more clay mineral content compared to the south and this can be interpreted increasingly towards sea (low energy regime) and facies turned into pro-delta. Overpressure might be found shallower in the north than the south due to higher clay mineral content present to the north.


GeoArabia ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-284
Author(s):  
John L. Douglas ◽  

ABSTRACT The North ‘Ain Dar 3-D geocellular model consists of geostatistical models for electrofacies, porosity and permeability for a portion of the Jurassic Arab-D reservoir of Ghawar field, Saudi Arabia. The reservoir consists of a series of shallow water carbonate shelf sediments and is subdivided into 10 time-stratigraphic slices on the basis of core descriptions and gamma/porosity log correlations. The North ‘Ain Dar model includes an electrofacies model and electrofacies-dependent porosity and permeability models. Sequential Indicator Simulations were used to create the electrofacies and porosity models. Cloud Transform Simulations were used to generate permeability models. Advantages of the geostatistical modeling approach used here include: (1) porosity and permeability models are constrained by the electrofacies model, i.e. by the distribution of reservoir rock types; (2) patterns of spatial correlation and variability present in well log and core data are built into the models; (3) data extremes are preserved and are incorporated into the model. These are critical when it comes to determining fluid flow patterns in the reservoir. Comparison of model Kh with production data Kh indicates that the stratigraphic boundaries used in the model generally coincide with shifts in fluid flow as indicated by flowmeter data, and therefore represent reasonable flow unit boundaries. Further, model permeability and production estimated permeability are correlated on a Kh basis, in terms of vertical patterns of distribution and cumulative Kh values at well locations. This agreement between model and well test Kh improves on previous, deterministic models of the Arab-D reservoir and indicates that the modeling approach used in North ‘Ain Dar should be applicable to other portions of the Ghawar reservoir.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kohei Kobayashi ◽  
Noriyuki Kodera ◽  
Taishi Kasai ◽  
Yuhei O Tahara ◽  
Takuma Toyonaga ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMycoplasma mobile, a parasitic bacterium, glides on solid surfaces, such as animal cells and glass by a special mechanism. This process is driven by the force generated through ATP hydrolysis on an internal structure. However, the spatial and temporal behaviors of the internal structures in living cells are unclear. In this study, we detected the movements of the internal structure by scanning cells immobilized on a glass substrate using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM). By scanning the surface of a cell, we succeeded in visualizing particles, 2 nm in hight and aligned mostly along the cell axis with a pitch of 31.5 nm, consistent with previously reported features based on electron microscopy. Movements of individual particles were then analyzed by HS-AFM. In the presence of sodium azide, the average speed of particle movements was reduced, suggesting that movement is linked to ATP hydrolysis. Partial inhibition of the reaction by sodium azide enabled us to analyze particle behavior in detail, showing that the particles move 9 nm right, relative to the gliding direction, and 2 nm into the cell interior in 330 ms, then return to their original position, based on ATP hydrolysis.IMPORTANCEThe Mycoplasma genus contains bacteria generally parasitic to animals and plants. Some Mycoplasma species form a protrusion at a pole, bind to solid surfaces, and glide by a special mechanism linked to their infection and survival. The special machinery for gliding can be divided into surface and internal structures that have evolved from rotary motors represented by ATP synthases. This study succeeded in visualizing the real-time movements of the internal structure by scanning from the outside of the cell using an innovative high-speed atomic force microscope, and then analyzing their behaviors.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Thomson ◽  
Baglan Kiyabayev ◽  
Barry Ritchie ◽  
Jakob Monberg ◽  
Maurits De Heer ◽  
...  

Abstract The Valdemar field, located in the Danish sector of the North Sea, targets a Lower Cretaceous, "dirty chalk" reservoir characterized by low permeabilities of <0.5mD, high porosities of >20% and contains up to 25% insoluble fines. To produce economically the reservoir must be stimulated. Typically, this is by means of hydraulic fracturing. A traditional propped fracture consists of 500,000 to 1,000,000 lbs of 20/40 sand, placed using a crosslinked seawater-based borate fluid. The existing wells in the field are completed using the PSI (perforate, isolate, stimulate)1 system. This system was developed in the late 1980s as a way of improving completion times allowing each interval to be perforated, stimulated and isolated in a single trip and has been used extensively in the Danish North Sea in a variety of fields. The system consists of multiset packers with sliding sleeves and typically takes 2-3 days between the start of one fracture to the next. Future developments in this area now require a new, novel and more efficient approach owing to new target reservoir being of a thinner and poorer quality. In order for these new developments to be economical an approach was required to allow for longer wells to be drilled and completed allowing better reservoir connectivity whilst at the same time reducing the completion time, and therefore rig time and overall cost. A project team was put together to develop a system that could be used in an offshore environment that would satisfy the above criteria, allowing wells to be drilled out to 21,000ft and beyond in excess of coiled tubing reach. The technology developed consists of cemented frac sleeves, operated with jointed pipe, allowing multiple zones to be stimulated in one trip, as well as utilizing a modified BHA that allows for the treatments to take place through the tubing, bringing numerous benefits. The following paper details the reasons for developing the new technology, the development process itself, the challenges that had to be overcome and a case history on the execution of the first job of its kind in the North Sea, in which over 7MM lbs of sand was pumped successfully, as well as the post treatment operations which included a proof of concept in utilizing a tractor to manipulate the sleeves. Finally, the production performance will be discussed supported by the use of tracer subs at each of the zones.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryvo Octaviano ◽  
Erik Hornstra ◽  
Jonah Poort ◽  
Pejman Shoeibi Omrani ◽  
Ruud van der Linden ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Michael R. Drompp

The Uyghurs (Chinese Huihe迴 紇, Huihu回鶻) were a pastoral nomadic people living in the region of the Selenga and Orkhon river valleys in modern Mongolia; they spoke a Turkic language. The empire that they created on the steppe lasted for nearly a century (744–840) and played an important role, both politically and culturally, in East Asia. Centered on the Mongolian Plateau, the Uyghur Empire at its height controlled numerous other peoples within a territory that included lands to the north in the modern regions of Tuva and Buryatia, as well as some parts of the northern Tarim Basin and eastern Inner Mongolia.1 During its eventful history, the Uyghur Empire sent cavalry to help the Tang Dynasty put down the An Lushan rebellion, maintained strong political and economic ties with China, fought with the Tibetan Empire for control of important international trade routes, built cities on the steppe, celebrated its rulers’ achievements in stone stelae, and—uniquely in the world—adopted Manichaeism as its state religion. After their empire collapsed, the Uyghurs developed new polities in Gansu and the Tarim Basin that continued to exercise influence in Inner Asia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. petgeo2019-144
Author(s):  
Ziyi Wang ◽  
Zhiqian Gao ◽  
Tailiang Fan ◽  
Hehang Zhang ◽  
Lixin Qi ◽  
...  

The SB1 strike-slip fault zone, which developed in the north of the Shuntuo Low Uplift of the Tarim Basin, plays an essential role in reservoir formation and hydrocarbon accumulation in deep Ordovician carbonate rocks. In this research, through the analysis of high-quality 3D seismic volumes, outcrop, drilling and production data, the hydrocarbon-bearing characteristics of the SB1 fault are systematically studied. The SB1 fault developed sequentially in the Paleozoic and formed as a result of a three-fold evolution: Middle Caledonian (phase III), Late Caledonian–Early Hercynian and Middle–Late Hercynian. Multiple fault activities are beneficial to reservoir development and hydrocarbon filling. In the Middle–Lower Ordovician carbonate strata, linear shear structures without deformation segments, pull-apart structure segments and push-up structure segments alternately developed along the SB1 fault. Pull-apart structure segments are the most favourable areas for oil and gas accumulation. The tight fault core in the centre of the strike-slip fault zone is typically a low-permeability barrier, whilst the damage zones on both sides of the fault core are migration pathways and accumulation traps for hydrocarbons, leading to heterogeneity in the reservoirs controlled by the SB1 fault. This study provides a reference for hydrocarbon exploration and development of similar deep-marine carbonate reservoirs controlled by strike-slip faults in the Tarim Basin and similar ancient hydrocarbon-rich basins.


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