METHOD FOR DETERMINING TERRESTRIAL HEAT FLOW IN OIL FIELDS

Geophysics ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 584-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Humberto Da Silva Carvalho ◽  
Victor Vacquier
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Heat Flow ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Oil Fields ◽  
Inexpensive Method ◽  
Average Heat ◽  
Core Samples ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Terrestrial Heat Flow ◽  
The World

A method of determining terrestrial heat flow in oil fields from bottom‐hole temperatures, electric logs, and thermal conductivity of core samples has been tried in six Reco⁁ncavo Basin oil fields in Brazil. The average heat‐flow value so determined for the Reco⁁ncavo Basin is [Formula: see text]. The technique can be used for calculating heat flow in continental areas elsewhere. A more significant outcome of our experiment is that it demonstrates an inexpensive method of obtaining terrestrial heat‐flow values in the sedimentary basins of the world.

scholarly journals Present-day geothermal regime of the Uliastai Depression, Erlian Basin, North China

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 770-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Xu ◽  
Shaopeng Huang ◽  
Jiong Zhang ◽  
Ruyang Yu ◽  
Yinhui Zuo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Heat Flow ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Rheological Characteristic ◽  
Rheological Parameter ◽  
Lithospheric Thickness ◽  
Terrestrial Heat Flow ◽  
Geothermal Regime ◽  
Mantle Heat Flow ◽  
Erlian Basin

In this study, we calculated the present-day terrestrial heat flow of the Uliastai Depression in Erlian Basin by using systematical steady-state temperature data obtained from four deep boreholes and 89 thermal conductivity measurements from 22 boreholes. Then, we calculated the lithospheric thermal structure, thermal lithospheric thickness, and lithospheric thermo-rheological structure by combining crustal structure, thermal conductivity, heat production, and rheological parameter data. Research from the Depression shows that the present-day terrestrial heat flow ( qs) is 86.3 ± 2.3 mW/m2, higher than the average of 60.4 ± 12.3 mW/m2 of the continental area of China. Mantle heat flow ( qm) in the Depression ranges from 33.7 to 39.3 mW/m2, qm/ qs ranges from 40 to 44%, show that the crust plays the dominant position in the terrestrial heat flow. The thermal thickness of the lithosphere is about 74–88 km and characterized by a “strong crust–weak mantle” rheological characteristic. The total lithospheric strength is 1.5 × 1012 N/m under wet mantle conditions. Present-day geothermal regime indicates that the Uliastai Depression has a high thermal background, the activity of the deep-seated lithosphere is relatively intense. This result differs significantly from the earlier understanding that the area belongs to a cold basin. However, a hot basin should be better consistent with the evidences from lithochemistry and geophysical observations. The results also show the melts/fluids in the study area may be related to the subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The study of the geothermal regime in the Uliastai Depression provides new geothermal evidence for the volcanic activity in the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and has significant implications for the geodynamic characteristics.

Inversion of bottom‐hole temperature data: The Pineview field, Utah‐Wyoming thrust belt

Geophysics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Deming ◽  
David S. Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Temperature Field ◽  
Heat Flow ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Conductive Heat ◽  
Bottom Hole

The present day temperature field in a sedimentary basin is a constraint on the maturation of hydro‐carbons; this temperature field may be estimated by inverting corrected bottom‐hole temperature (BHT) data. Thirty‐two BHTs from the Pineview oil field are corrected for drilling disturbances by a Horner plot and inverted for the geothermal gradient in nine formations. Both least‐squares [Formula: see text] norm and uniform [Formula: see text] norm inversions are used; the [Formula: see text] norm is found to be more robust for the Pineview data. The inversion removes random error from the corrected BHT data by partitioning scatter between noise associated with the BHT measurement and correction processes and local variations in the geothermal gradient. Three‐hundred thermal‐conductivity and density measurements on drill cuttings are used, together with formation density logs, to estimate the in situ thermal conductivity of six of the nine formations. The thermal‐conductivity estimates are used in a finite‐element model to evaluate 2-D conductive heat refraction and, for a series of inversions of synthetic data, to assess the influence of systematic and random noise on the inversion results. A temperature‐anomaly map illustrates that a temperature field calculated by a forward application of the inversion results has less error than any single corrected BHT. Mean background heat flow at Pineview is found to be [Formula: see text] (±13 percent), but is locally higher [Formula: see text] due to heat refraction. The BHT inversion (1) is limited by systematic noise or model error, (2) achieves excellent resolution of a temperature field although resolution of individual formation gradients may be poor, and (3) generally cannot detect lateral variations in heat flow unless thermal‐conductivity structure is constrained.

scholarly journals Conductive heat flow pattern of the central-northern Apennines, Italy

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Massimo Verdoya ◽  
Paolo Chiozzi ◽  
Gianluca Gola ◽  
Elie El Jbeily
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Northern Apennines ◽  
Conductive Heat ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Radiogenic Heat ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Groundwater Circulation ◽  
Resistance Approach

We analyzed thermal data from deep oil exploration and geothermal boreholes in the 1000-7000 m depth range to unravel thermal regime beneath the central-northern Apennines chain and the surrounding sedimentary basins. We particularly selected deepest bottom hole temperatures, all recorded within the permeable carbonate Paleogene-Mesozoic formations, which represent the most widespread tectono-stratigraphic unit of the study area. The available temperatures were corrected for the drilling disturbanceand the thermal conductivity was estimated from detailed litho-stratigraphic information and by taking into account the pressure and temperature effect. The thermal resistance approach, including also the radiogenic heat production, was used to infer the terrestrial heat flow and to highlight possible advective perturbation due to groundwater circulation. Only two boreholes close to recharge areas argue for deep groundwater flow in the permeable carbonate unit, whereas most of the obtained heat-flow data may reflect the deep, undisturbed, conductive thermal regime.

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