3D coupled hydro-mechanical modeling of multi-decadal multi-zone saltwater disposal in layered and faulted poroelastic rocks and implications for seismicity: An example from the Midland Basin

Abstract

Knowledge of subsurface coupled pore pressure and stress perturbations due to saltwater disposal (SWD) is crucial for understanding and managing induced seismicity. Current studies choose Biot poroelasticity to implement fluid-rock coupling and perform numerical modeling in relatively simple settings. In this study, we first introduce a general poromechanical framework to capture a broader range of hydro-mechanical coupling and then apply it to model real-world SWD problems with geological and operational complexities. We demonstrate a viable workflow through the case study of a 2500 km2, layered, faulted, and recently seismically awaken area that has undergone multi-decadal multi-zone injection by nearly 200 SWD wells in the Midland basin. The example provides a unique opportunity to study the respective impact of shallow and deep injections across depths and the role of inter-zone interactions, among others. Our modeling suggests over 500 and 250 psi increases in pore pressure and Coulomb stress, respectively, in the deep disposal zone in the last decade, which were 5 to 10 times greater than those accumulated over the past four decades in the two shallower disposal zones. Vertically, shallower injections impacted mostly shallower zones, whereas the deep injection produced changes across depths and dominated especially in the deep zone and the upper segment of the basement. Towards the mid-segment of the basement, changes due to shallow and deep injections were comparable, with the latter 2 to 5 times higher. Laterally, in-zone changes were dominated by pore pressure diffusion in the near field and poroelastic stressing in the far field in shallower zones but were dominated by pore pressure diffusion everywhere in the deep zone, owing to their different hydraulic diffusivities. Faults acted as pore pressure and Coulomb stress sinks for disposal zones and sources for non-disposal zones, and fault-zone permeability structure had a minor impact. Finally, seismological modeling suggests that seismicity in the area was most likely driven by the deep injection.