Hydrocarbon Retention and the Case for Vertical Migration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geovani Christopher Kaeng ◽  
Kate Evans ◽  
Florence Bebb ◽  
Rebecca Head

Abstract Complex hydrocarbon charging and distribution in which reservoirs are filled by oil and gas phases with different densities and genetic types inter-fingering within the basin, are common phenomena, and often attributed to vertical migration. This paper discusses the factors that control vertical hydrocarbon migration and presents modelling of the hydrocarbon charging and entrapment history in a tertiary basin in Southeast Asia as a case study. According to the Young-Laplace flow theory of the secondary hydrocarbon migration mechanics, migration occurs in a state of capillary equilibrium in a flow regime dominated by buoyancy and capillary forces. In this study, the invasion percolation simulation algorithm, based on the Young-Laplace flow, was used. During the simulation, three-dimensional (3D) seismic data were used as the high-resolution base grid for migration to capture the effect of both structure and facies heterogeneities on fluid flow. A model of an unfaulted system was presented to make the case. In the study area there is inter-fingering between oil and gas across different formations; most oils are trapped in the deeper formation, oil and gas inter-fingering occurs in the middle formation, and the upper formation contains mostly gas. This arrangement is possible because of the interplay between the expelled fluid buoyancy and relatively weak intra-formational seals within the basin. The modeling results were then calibrated to known accumulations or fluid presence in wells. In a basin dominated by a vertical migration regime, hydrocarbons are prevented from travelling far from the kitchen, thus decreasing prospectivity away from the kitchen. Through a case study, this paper helps to understand the factors that influence hydrocarbon retention and migration that control fluid distribution within a basin. Eventually the study helps geologists to understand prospectivity risking related to hydrocarbon charging, which is one of the main risks in exploration especially in mature basins.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiting Hu ◽  
Shuang Hu ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Xiaofei Fu ◽  
Chongyu Ren ◽  
...  

Concealed faults can be important for understanding the regional structural geology and the subsurface fluid distribution. However, such faults are usually difficult to identify and characterize because of their small size and complex mechanism. To address this issue, we present an integrated approach of three-dimensional seismic data mapping and physical modeling experiments to examine the geometrical and kinematic characteristics of concealed faults and their relationship with the main faults in the Huawa area, east China. Three series of experiments were designed to characterize the differences in the scale of concealed faults and main faults, which also allowed us to examine how the concealed faults grow with the main faults in the area. Through this integrated study, we have demonstrated that: 1) NE-SW-striking concealed faults are below the resolution of the available seismic datasets and not easily recognized in seismic sections and that most of them grew later than the E-W-striking main faults, with some of them having grown at the same time; 2) pre-existing faults, rather than asymmetry of the basin structure, affect the faults that develop during subsequent episodes of extension; 3) E-W-striking pre-existing faults under a NW-SE stress direction of extension are most likely the formation mechanism of concealed faults. This study is of reference value in the interpretation of concealed faults in other regions.


Author(s):  
D. L. Callahan

Modern polishing, precision machining and microindentation techniques allow the processing and mechanical characterization of ceramics at nanometric scales and within entirely plastic deformation regimes. The mechanical response of most ceramics to such highly constrained contact is not predictable from macroscopic properties and the microstructural deformation patterns have proven difficult to characterize by the application of any individual technique. In this study, TEM techniques of contrast analysis and CBED are combined with stereographic analysis to construct a three-dimensional microstructure deformation map of the surface of a perfectly plastic microindentation on macroscopically brittle aluminum nitride.The bright field image in Figure 1 shows a lg Vickers microindentation contained within a single AlN grain far from any boundaries. High densities of dislocations are evident, particularly near facet edges but are not individually resolvable. The prominent bend contours also indicate the severity of plastic deformation. Figure 2 is a selected area diffraction pattern covering the entire indentation area.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sarmistha R. Majumdar

Fracking has helped to usher in an era of energy abundance in the United States. This advanced drilling procedure has helped the nation to attain the status of the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world, but some of its negative externalities, such as human-induced seismicity, can no longer be ignored. The occurrence of earthquakes in communities located at proximity to disposal wells with no prior history of seismicity has shocked residents and have caused damages to properties. It has evoked individuals’ resentment against the practice of injection of fracking’s wastewater under pressure into underground disposal wells. Though the oil and gas companies have denied the existence of a link between such a practice and earthquakes and the local and state governments have delayed their responses to the unforeseen seismic events, the issue has gained in prominence among researchers, affected community residents, and the media. This case study has offered a glimpse into the varied responses of stakeholders to human-induced seismicity in a small city in the state of Texas. It is evident from this case study that although individuals’ complaints and protests from a small community may not be successful in bringing about statewide changes in regulatory policies on disposal of fracking’s wastewater, they can add to the public pressure on the state government to do something to address the problem in a state that supports fracking.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Miriam R. Aczel ◽  
Karen E. Makuch

This case study analyzes the potential impacts of weakening the National Park Service’s (NPS) “9B Regulations” enacted in 1978, which established a federal regulatory framework governing hydrocarbon rights and extraction to protect natural resources within the parks. We focus on potential risks to national parklands resulting from Executive Orders 13771—Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs [1]—and 13783—Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth [2]—and subsequent recent revisions and further deregulation. To establish context, we briefly overview the history of the United States NPS and other relevant federal agencies’ roles and responsibilities in protecting federal lands that have been set aside due to their value as areas of natural beauty or historical or cultural significance [3]. We present a case study of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) situated within the Bakken Shale Formation—a lucrative region of oil and gas deposits—to examine potential impacts if areas of TRNP, particularly areas designated as “wilderness,” are opened to resource extraction, or if the development in other areas of the Bakken near or adjacent to the park’s boundaries expands [4]. We have chosen TRNP because of its biodiversity and rich environmental resources and location in the hydrocarbon-rich Bakken Shale. We discuss where federal agencies’ responsibility for the protection of these lands for future generations and their responsibility for oversight of mineral and petroleum resources development by private contractors have the potential for conflict.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Nur Huzeima Mohd Hussain ◽  
Hugh Byrd ◽  
Nur Azfahani Ahmad

Globalisation combined with resources of oil and gas has led to an industrial society in Malaysia.  For the past 30 years, rapid urban growth has shifted from 73% rural to 73% urban population. However, the peak oil crisis and economic issues are threatening the growth of urbanisation and influencing the trends of population mobility. This paper documents the beginnings of a reverse migration (urban-to-rural) in Malaysia.  The method adopted case study that involves questionnaires with the urban migrants to establish the desires, definite intentions and reasons for future migration. Based on this data, it predicts a trend and rate of reverse migration in Malaysia. 


IEEE Access ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Amir Farmahini Farahani ◽  
Kaveh Khalili-Damghani ◽  
Hosein Didehkhani ◽  
Amir Homayoun Sarfaraz ◽  
Mehdi Hajirezaie

Author(s):  
Leonardo Baglioni ◽  
Federico Fallavollita

AbstractThe present essay investigates the potential of generative representation applied to the study of relief perspective architectures realized in Italy between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In arts, and architecture in particular, relief perspective is a three-dimensional structure able to create the illusion of great depths in small spaces. A method of investigation applied to the case study of the Avila Chapel in Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome (Antonio Gherardi 1678) is proposed. The research methodology can be extended to other cases and is based on the use of a Relief Perspective Camera, which can create both a linear perspective and a relief perspective. Experimenting mechanically and automatically the perspective transformations from the affine space to the illusory space and vice versa has allowed us to see the case study in a different light.


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