Fault Rock Permeability Research Articles

A new approach to investigate the effect of burial depth and clay content on fault permeabilities applied at the Njord Field

Fault permeability prediction typically relies on empirical relationships between permeability and clay content or burial depth. Calibration of such methods relies on either core data or subsurface observations of fluid pressure and hydrocarbon contact offsets across faults. Published core data suggest that no relationships exist between host rock clay content and fault permeability for phyllosilicate-framework fault rocks, whereas published subsurface calibration data suggest otherwise. We here present a new method for calibration of fault rock permeabilities to subsurface pressure data. This approach is an analogue from electrical engineering to compute fault permeabilities across all major faults in a study area and optimise depth and clay content dependence of fault permeabilities. We tested this method at the Jurassic section of the Norwegian Njord Field area, where faults span the depth range of 2.7- 4.5 km and the lowest clay content in individual faults varies between 8.9 to 25.7%. The flow-restricting faults at Njord are phyllosilicate-framework fault rocks. Our modelling shows that fault rock permeability decreases with burial depth, whereas the clay content has nearly no impact. Sensitivity analyses show that these results are robust. Therefore, SGR-based algorithms for fault seal prediction cannot be expected to give good fault permeability predictions for seismic-scale faults at Njord. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Fault and top seals 2022 collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/fault-and-top-seals-2022 Supplementary material: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6824325

Fault Rock Property Prediction on Jurassic Clastics of the Barents Sea, Norway

Summary We analyzed the fault rocks of a compartmentalized field in the Barents Sea, in an area with several tectonic elements, which formed at different tectonic events. Standard fault seal analysis (FSA) was conducted to predict the shale content of the fault rock (shale gouge ratio, SGR). A static cellular model based on well data, seismic data, and geological concepts served as input. The fault rock calibration workflow required various data acquired by different methods. We analyzed the Middle Triassic to Upper Jurassic clastic deposits to reconstruct the tectonic history. Apatite fission track (AFT) and (U-Th)/He thermochronology were used to determine the maximum burial depths and exhumation history. The results of high-resolution shale ductility analysis, a compaction trend study, kinematic analysis, and structural modeling (section balancing) served as additional input constraints for fault rock calibration. The interpretation of the results helped to reconstruct the following tectonic evolution. The orthogonal faults developed shortly after deposition, during Late Triassic to Early Jurassic times at relatively shallow depth, below 1000 m. Ongoing subsidence created accommodation space for Upper Jurassic to Cenozoic deposits with a maximum burial depth of 2000 m for the Middle Jurassic rocks. Exhumation of the area started around 10 Ma and continued through to Quaternary times. The predicted across-fault-flow values for fault rock permeability show a wide range when using poorly constrained input for fault rock calibration: 9.9E−15 to 9.9E−13 m² for SGR values around 0.08 at reservoir/reservoir juxtaposition. Fault rock calibration using elaborated results reduced the uncertainty of fault rock permeability estimates, and ultimately, for transmissibility multipliers (TMs). The reason for the sensitivity of the fault rock calibration is a combination of following factors: highly permeable reservoir sandstone, shallow depth of initial faulting, maximum burial depth and low shale content at the upper, main reservoir level. The study shows that an accurate reconstruction of the geohistory provides essential parameters for fault rock calibration and fault rock permeability prediction. The range of values can widely scatter if boundary conditions are not acknowledged. Well-constrained fault rock calibration reduces the uncertainty on possible flow scenarios, increases the reliability on production forecasts and helps determine the most efficient drainage strategy.

Key controls on the hydraulic properties of fault rocks in carbonates

A significant knowledge gap exists when analysing and predicting the hydraulic behaviour of faults within carbonate reservoirs. To improve this, a large database of carbonate fault rock properties has been collected from 42 exposed faults, from seven countries. Faults analysed cut a range of lithofacies, tectonic histories, burial depths and displacements. Porosity and permeability measurements from c. 400 samples have been made, with the goal of identifying key controls on the flow properties of fault rocks in carbonates. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors have been examined, such as host lithofacies, juxtaposition, host porosity and permeability, tectonic regime, displacement, and maximum burial depth, as well as the depth at the time of faulting. The results indicate which factors may have had the most significant influence on fault rock permeability, improving our ability to predict the sealing or baffle behaviour of faults in carbonate reservoirs. Intrinsic factors, such as host porosity, permeability and texture, appear to play the most important role in fault rock development. Extrinsic factors, such as displacement and kinematics, have shown lesser or, in some instances, a negligible control on fault rock development. This conclusion is, however, subject to two research limitations: lack of sufficient data from similar lithofacies at different displacements, and a low number of samples from thrust regimes. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Fault and top seals collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/fault-and-top-seals-2019

Permeability of carbonate fault rocks: a case study from Malta

The inherent heterogeneity of carbonate rocks suggests that carbonate-hosted fault zones are also likely to be heterogeneous. Coupled with a lack of host–fault petrophysical relationships, this makes the hydraulic behaviour of carbonate-hosted fault zones difficult to predict. Here we investigate the link between host rock and fault rock porosity, permeability and texture, by presenting data from series of host rock, damage zone and fault rock samples from normally faulted, shallowly buried limestones from Malta. Core plug X-ray tomography indicates that texturally heterogeneous host rocks lead to greater variability in the porosity and permeability of fault rocks. Fault rocks derived from moderate- to high-porosity (>20%) formations experience permeability reductions of up to six orders of magnitude relative to the host; >30% of these fault rocks could act as baffles or barriers to fluid flow over production timescales. Fault rocks derived from lower-porosity (<20%) algal packstones have permeabilities that are lower than their hosts by up to three orders of magnitude, which is unlikely to impact fluid flow on production timescales. The variability of fault rock permeability is controlled by a number of factors, including the initial host rock texture and porosity, the magnitude of strain localization, and the extent of post-deformation diagenetic alteration. Fault displacement has no obvious control over fault rock permeability. The results enable better predictions of fault rock permeability in similar lithotypes and tectonic regimes. This may enable predictions of across-fault fluid flow potential when combined with data on fault zone architecture.

Permeability of fault rocks in siliciclastic reservoirs: Recent advances

It is common practice to create geologically realistic production simulation models of fault compartmentalized reservoirs. Data on fault rock properties are required, to calculate transmissibility multipliers that are incorporated into these models, to take into account the impact of fault rocks on fluid flow. Industry has generated large databases of fault rock permeability, which are commonly used for this purpose. Much of the permeability data were collected using two inappropriate laboratory practices with measurements being made at low confining pressure with distilled water as the permeant. New fault rock permeability measurements have been made at high confining pressures using formation compatible brines as the permeant. Fault permeability decreases by an average of five fold as net confining pressure is increased from that used in previous measurements (i.e. ∼70 psi) to that approaching in situ conditions (i.e. 5000 psi). On the other hand, permeability increases by around the same amount if reservoir brine is used as the permeant instead of distilled water. So overall, these two inappropriate laboratory practices used in previous studies cancel each other out meaning that legacy fault rock property data may still have value for modelling cross-fault flow in petroleum reservoirs.A poor correlation exists between clay content and fault rock permeability, which is easily explained by the application of a simple clay-sand mixing model. This emphasises the need to gather fault permeability data directly from the reservoir of interest. The cost of such studies could be significantly reduced by screening core samples using a CT scanner so that only samples that are likely to impact fluid flow are analyzed in detail. The stress dependence of fault permeability identified in this study is likely to be primarily caused by damage generated during or following coring. So it is probably not necessary to take into account the impact of stress on fault permeability in simulation models unless the faults of interest are likely to reach failure and reactivate.

Modeling of the pressure propagation due to CO2 injection and the effect of fault permeability in a case study of the Vedsted structure, Northern Denmark

Assessing the pressure buildup in CO2 storage sites and especially the vertical propagation is vital for evaluation of site behavior and security. Vedsted structure in the Northern part of Jylland in Denmark consists of 290m thick Gassum Formation at 2100m depth forming the primary reservoir and is sealed by the 530m thick Fjerritslev Formation which is mainly shale lithology with very low permeability. Overlying the caprock is a number of formations forming secondary reservoirs and seals including a 420m thick Chalk Group which is overlain by 20–50m Quaternary deposits. Seismic profiling of the structure shows the presence of northwest-southeast trending faults of which some originate in the upper layer of the Gassum reservoir and some reach the base Chalk Group layer. Two faults in the upper Gassum reservoir have been interpreted to be connected to the base Chalk Group. In order to evaluate potential risks associated with vertical pressure transmission via the faults through the caprock, a number of simulation cases have been run with various fault permeabilities spanning orders of magnitude to represent both the worst and best case scenarios. Fault rock permeability data were obtained from a literature study and range from 1000mD (maximum value reported from sedimentary rock environment) for the worst case scenario down to 0.001mD (sealing faults in sedimentary rock environment) for the best case scenario. The results show that after injecting 60 million tons (Mt) of CO2 at a rate of 1.5Mt/year for 40 years, overpressure is developed in the reservoir and about 5bar is transmitted to the base Chalk Group for the 1000mD fault permeability (open fault) case, while for the 0.001mD (sealing fault) case the pressure buildup is confined within the primary caprock. The results also show that, approximately 0.3–5.0bar overpressure can be transmitted to the base Chalk Group when the fault permeability is above 1.0mD.

Influence of fault rock foliation on fault zone permeability: The case of deeply buried arkosic sandstones (Grès d'Annot, southeastern France)

We describe the structure, microstructure, and petrophysical properties of fault rocks from two normal fault zones formed in low-porosity turbiditic arkosic sandstones, in deep diagenesis conditions similar to those of deeply buried reservoirs. These fault rocks are characterized by a foliated fabric and quartz-calcite sealed veins, which formation resulted from the combination of the (1) pressure solution of quartz, (2) intense fracturing sealed by quartz and calcite cements, and (3) neoformation of synkinematic white micas derived from the alteration of feldspars and chlorite. Fluid inclusion microthermometry in quartz and calcite cements demonstrates fault activity at temperatures of 195C to 268C. Permeability measurements on plugs oriented parallel with the principal axes of the finite strain ellipsoid show that the Y axis (parallel with the foliation and veins) is the direction of highest permeability in the foliated sandstone (10–2 md for Y against 10–3 md for X, Z, and the protolith, measured at a confining pressure of 20 bars). Microstructural observations document the localization of the preferential fluid path between the phyllosilicate particles forming the foliation. Hence, the direction of highest permeability in these fault rocks would be parallel with the fault and subhorizontal, that is, perpendicular to the slickenlines representing the local slip direction on the fault surface. We suggest that a similar relationship between kinematic markers and fault rock permeability anisotropy may be found in other fault zone types (reverse or strike-slip) affecting feldspar-rich lithologies in deep diagenesis conditions.

Fault seal prediction of seismic-scale normal faults in porous sandstone: A case study from the eastern Gulf of Suez rift, Egypt

A study of normal faults in the Nubian Sandstone Sequence, from the eastern Gulf of Suez rift, has been conducted to investigate the relationship between the microstructure and petrophysical properties of cataclasites developed along seismic-scale faults (slip-surface cataclasites) and smaller displacement faults (deformation bands) found in their damage zones. The results help to quantify the uncertainty associated with predicting the fluid flow behaviour of seismic-scale faults by analysing small faults recovered from core, a common procedure in the petroleum industry. The microstructure of the cataclasites was analysed as well as their single-phase permeability and threshold pressure. Faulting occurred at a maximum burial depth of ∼1.2 km. The permeability of deformation band and slip-surface cataclasites varies over ∼1.5 orders of magnitude for a given fault. Our results suggest that the lowest measured deformation band permeabilities provide a good estimate for the arithmetic-mean permeability of the major slip-surface cataclasites. This is because the cataclastic permeability reduction is mostly established early in the deformation history. Stress at the time of faulting rather than final strain appears to be the critical factor determining fault rock permeability. For viable predictions it is important that the slip-surface cataclasites and deformation bands originate from the same host. On the other hand, a higher uncertainty is associated with threshold pressure predictions, as the arithmetic-mean slip-surface cataclasite threshold pressure exceeds the highest measured deformation band threshold pressure by at least a factor of 4.

Combined effects of structural, stratigraphic and well controls on production variability in faulted shallow-marine reservoirs

Several key parameters that describe a prograding shallow-marine reservoir are investigated for their relative importance on hydrocarbon production variability. Sedimentological parameters are aggradation angle, progradation direction relative to the waterflood, continuity of cemented surfaces and shoreline curvature. Structural parameters are the fault pattern, the density (throw) of the faults and the fault-rock permeability. The last component investigated is the effect of well placements. Having three distinct levels for all sedimentological and structural parameters in addition to a non-faulted case gives a dataset of 2268 reservoir models. Four different sets of well locations produce 9072 production datasets. The variability of the production data is decomposed into its explanatory factors in order to see the relative importance of the chosen parameters. The production data include the total production, the discounted production and the recovery factor. The sedimentological parameters dominate both the production and the discounted production variability, especially the aggradation angle and progradation direction, whereas the fault pattern is equally significant for the recovery factor. Continuity of sedimentological barriers were found to contribute less than expected to the production variability for these reservoir models, and the well placements also showed a low effect.

A study of the structural controls on oil recovery from shallow-marine reservoirs

The differences in oil production are examined for a simulated waterflood of faulted and unfaulted versions of synthetic shallow-marine reservoir models with a range of structural and sedimentological characteristics. Fault juxtaposition can reduce the economic value of the reservoirs by up to 30%, with the greatest losses observed in models with lower sedimentological aggradation angles and faults striking parallel to waterflood direction. Fault rock has a greater effect than fault juxtaposition on lowering the economic value of the reservoir models in the compartmentalized cases only – and only when the fault rock permeability model is based on the least permeable published laboratory data. Moderately sealing faults can increase the economic value of reservoirs except when the main flow direction is parallel to the faults. These results arise from the dependence of economic value on both sweep efficiency and production rate. Simple predictors of fault juxtaposition and fault-rock heterogeneity have been established and combined with two-dimensional considerations from streamline theory in an attempt to capture quantitatively the change in economic reservoir value arising from faults. Despite limitations associated with the three-dimensional role of juxtaposition, the results are encouraging and represent a step towards establishing a rapid transportable predictor of the effects of faults on production.

Sensitivity of fluid flow to fault core architecture and petrophysical properties of fault rocks in siliciclastic reservoirs: a synthetic fault model study

Fluid flow simulation models of faulted reservoirs normally include faults as grid offset in combination with 2D transmissibility multipliers. This approach tends to oversimplify the way effects caused by the actual 3D architecture of fault zones are handled. By representing faults as 3D rock volumes in reservoir models, presently overlooked structural features may be included and potentially yield a more realistic description of structural heterogeneities. This paper investigates how a volumetric fault zone description, will affect fluid flow in simulation models. An experimental 3D model grid including a single normal fault, defined as a volumetric grid, was constructed. Subsequently, the fault grid was populated with two conceptual fault deformation products – sand lenses and fault rock – using an object-based stochastic facies modelling technique. In order to evaluate the effect of varying petrophysical properties, fault rock permeability and sand lens permeability were varied deterministically between 0.01 mD and 1 mD and 50 mD and 500 mD, respectively. The impact of fault core architecture was investigated by deterministically varying sand lens fraction and sand lens connectivity. This yielded 24 model configurations, executed in 20 stochastic realizations each. Fluid flow simulation was performed on 480 model realizations. Simulation results show that the most important parameters influencing fluid flow across the fault were fault rock matrix permeability, and whether or not the sand lenses were connected to the undeformed host rock. Sand lens permeability and sand lens fraction turned out to be less important for fluid flow than fault rock matrix permeability and sand lens connectivity.

Definition of a fault permeability predictor from outcrop studies of a faulted turbidite sequence, Taranaki, New Zealand

Abstract Post-depositional normal faults within the turbidite sequence of the Late Miocene Mount Messenger Formation of the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand are characterized by granulation and cataclasis of sands and by the smearing of clay beds. Clay smears maintain continuity for high ratios of fault throw to clay source bed thickness ( c . 8), but are highly variable in thickness, and gaps occur at any point between the clay source bed cut-offs at higher ratios. Although cataclastic fault rock permeabilities may be appreciably lower ( c . two orders of magnitude) than host rock sandstone permeabilities, the occurrence of continuous clay smears, combined with low clay permeabilities (10s to 100s nD) means that the primary control on fault rock permeability is clay smear continuity. A new permeability predictor, the Probabilistic Shale Smear Factor (PSSF), is developed which incorporates the main characteristics of clay smearing from the Taranaki Basin. The PSSF method calculates fault permeabilities from a simple model of multiple clay smears within fault zones, predicting a more heterogeneous and realistic fault rock structure than other approaches (e.g. Shale Gouge Ratio, SGR). Nevertheless, its averaging effects at higher ratios of fault throw to bed thickness provide a rationale for the application of other fault rock mixing models, e.g. SGR, at appropriate scales.

Correction to “Diagenesis of deformation band faults: Record and mechanical consequences of vadose zone flow and transport in the Bandelier Tuff, Los Alamos, New Mexico”

[1] Deformation band faults in nonwelded ignimbrites of the Bandelier Tuff record unsaturated fluid flow and transport. More than two thirds of the faults studied display diagenetic minerals virtually absent from adjacent protolith. Stable isotope analyses indicate that smectite enrichment and calcite cementation result from low-temperature meteoric fluid-fault interaction. Fault zone microstructures, rare earth element signatures, and mineralogy indicate that smectite was introduced to deformation band fault zones by a combination of translocation from the surface and in situ alteration of fault gouge. Rod-shaped calcite microcrystallites and the close association of calcite with plant roots suggest a combination of pedogenic, biologically mediated, and physicochemical precipitation. Enrichment in smectite and calcite modified major oxide and trace element contents of deformation bands with respect to protolith. Collectively, these observations indicate that these faults have served as, and may still be, zones of preferential vadose zone fluid flow and transport. These processes alter fault rock permeability; affect the transport of solutes via processes such as dissolution, precipitation, and adsorption, and they change the mechanical properties of the fault zone. Smectite and calcite enrichment results in localization of deformation, effectively halting the further development of deformation bands. Vadose zone alteration therefore is one way to produce a clay-rich fault core at early stages in a fault's history, resulting in fault zone weakening and localization of slip. Progressive burial of growth faults can subsequently bring fault cores into the seismogenic zone.

Diagenesis of deformation band faults: Record and mechanical consequences of vadose zone flow and transport in the Bandelier Tuff, Los Alamos, New Mexico

Deformation band faults in nonwelded ignimbrites of the Bandelier Tuff record unsaturated fluid flow and transport. More than two thirds of the faults studied display diagenetic minerals virtually absent from adjacent protolith. Stable isotope analyses indicate that smectite enrichment and calcite cementation result from low‐temperature meteoric fluid‐fault interaction. Fault zone microstructures, rare earth element signatures, and mineralogy indicate that smectite was introduced to deformation band fault zones by a combination of translocation from the surface and in situ alteration of fault gouge. Rod‐shaped calcite microcrystallites and the close association of calcite with plant roots suggest a combination of pedogenic, biologically mediated, and physicochemical precipitation. Enrichment in smectite and calcite modified major oxide and trace element contents of deformation bands with respect to protolith. Collectively, these observations indicate that these faults have served as, and may still be, zones of preferential vadose zone fluid flow and transport. These processes alter fault rock permeability; affect the transport of solutes via processes such as dissolution, precipitation, and adsorption, and they change the mechanical properties of the fault zone. Smectite and calcite enrichment results in localization of deformation, effectively halting the further development of deformation bands. Vadose zone alteration therefore is one way to produce a clay‐rich fault core at early stages in a fault's history, resulting in fault zone weakening and localization of slip. Progressive burial of growth faults can subsequently bring fault cores into the seismogenic zone.

Properties of fault damage zones in siliclastic rocks: a modelling approach

Abstract Major faults are surrounded by damage zones of minor faults that, in siliclastic rocks, can form barriers to flow in their own right. Reservoir flow simulation — now a routine part of reservoir management — requires equivalent hydraulic parameters on the scale of the whole fault, while reservoir geological models, from which flow simulator grids are generated, require information on the 3D characteristics of fault populations. Here, a stochastic model of fault damage zone architecture is generated and used to explore the impact of damage zone architecture on extrapolation from 1D (fault throw) and 2D (fault length) to 3D fault population characteristics. Sampling of the simulated damage zone models shows that clustering of faults causes deviations from simple laws relating particularly 1D samples to 3D population power-law exponents, with differences between expected and observed values of up to 0.25. The stochastic model is used to generate input for a 2D discrete fracture flow model for the case where minor (isotropic) fault permeability is four orders of magnitude lower than that of the host rock and, thus, forms partial barriers to flow. The flow model is used to explore the impact of fault damage zones on bulk fault permeability. The damage zone is shown to be around 50% efficient, i.e. a simple estimate of bulk permeability can be made using the harmonic average of fault rock and host-rock permeability weighted by thickness in 1D traverses (e.g. core, well logs), where only half the observed thickness of fault rock in the fault damage zone is assumed. Considering the contributions of the damage zone and the major slip zone, the fault damage zone is likely to make a significant contribution to the bulk permeability of the fault as a whole when the permeability of minor faults in the damage zone is similar to, or at most, one order of magnitude greater than that of the slip zone fault rocks.

The petrophysical properties of deformation bands in relation to their microstructure

Deformation bands are significant discontinuities in reservoir sandstones providing baffles to the migration of fluids and acting as seals for hydrocarbon accumulations. Their contribution to these processes is dependent upon a range of inter-related factors including lateral continuity, relative displacement, reservoir geohistories and rock microstructure. Deformation bands have millimetre-scale displacements, which are smaller than the seismic resolution, and hence the study of their microstructure from reservoir cores is a necessary tool in the prediction of their fault seal potential. The latter is only achieved if detailed petrophysical measurements of fault microstructure are carried out using techniques, which are suitable for measurement of very low permeability fault rock at the relevant scale. Conventional techniques of fault rock porosity and permeability determination invite host rock bias in measurement and inevitably underestimate the potential of these structures as fluid barriers. Pressure decay probe permeametry used in this study has the advantage of measuring small volumes of rock at finer spatial resolutions and detailed permeability distributions around common types of deformation bands are obtained. Together with supporting data provided by conventional core analysis techniques, these measurements show that the greatest differences in petrophysical properties relative to host rock occur in those bands, which have experienced cataclasis. These results provide valuable input into reservoir simulation models and help reduce much of the uncertainty regarding the role of different types of deformation bands in fault seal.