The Effect of Compositional Gradient in Field Development

The existence of fluid’s compositional gradient in a reservoir drives convective flow which brings significant impacts to the operations, e.g., in formulation of injected fluid for well stimulation and enhanced oil Recovery (EOR). However, fluid compositional gradient is not always included in modeling reservoir performance due to PVT sampling limitation and simulation constraint. This work aims to show the significance of compositional convection in oil/gas reservoir and provides our experiences in dealing with this issue in Indonesian’s fields. PHE ONWJ as one of the most prolific producers of oil and gas in Indonesia currently operates an offshore block that has been producing for almost 40 years. Operating in a relatively mature well, PHE ONWJ often encounters significant fluid property change namely oil viscosity and specific gravity that changes overtime as depletion process occur. Data from X field, operated by PHE ONWJ, shows that compositional convection impacts workover and tertiary operations, by deviating from simulation results. We present the evidence of compositional convection using mechanistic models. We firstly adopt field data for setting the initial composition stratification. The stratification is identified through DST or fluid sampling. We secondly perform similarity simulation to analyze the effect of compositional gradient towards oil production. Similarity simulation is performed in the simplified domain for providing generalized solution. This solution is then scaled for the real domain. Finally, we show our approach to encounter the problems. Based on the similarity study inspired by the case of X Field, it shows that the compositional stratification affects geochemistry and near-wellbore flow behavior. The compositional convection develops multiple fluid properties at different depth, which create cross flow among layers. It also causes scale deposition in near wellbore which reduces the permeability and alters rock-fluid interactions, such as wettability and relative permeability. The alteration of near-wellbore geochemistry creates severe flow assurance issues in the wellbore. The mixing of multiple fluids from different layers cause paraffin and scale deposition. In some fields, the mixing triggers severe corrosions which could impact on wellbore integrity. The compositional stratification forces us to develop multiple treatments for different layers in single wellbore. Since the fluid’s properties are different for each layer, the compatibility between injected fluid and reservoir fluids varies.

Magnetite layer formation in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa

The great economic significance of layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions like the Bushveld Complex of South Africa results from the existence within them of some layers highly concentrated in valuable elements. Here we address the origins of the Main Magnetite Layer, a globally important resource of Fe-Ti-V-rich magnetite. Previous models of in situ fractional magnetite crystallization require frequent ad hoc adjustments to the boundary conditions. An alternative model of rapid deposition of loose piles of magnetite crystals followed by compositional convection near the top of the pile and infiltration of the pile from beneath by migrating intercumulus melt fits observations without any adjustments. The data admit both explanations, but the latter model, with the fewest unconstrained interventions, is preferable. The choice of models has pivotal ramifications for understanding of the fundamental processes by which crystals accumulate and layers form in layered intrusions.

Textural and Geochemical Evidence for Multiple, Sheet-Like Magma Pulses in the Limeira Intrusion - Paraná Magmatic Province, Brazil

Quantitative petrographic, structural, and textural parameters are integrated with geological, geochemical, and Sr-isotope data to examine the emplacement, growth processes, and the magmatic evolution of the high-Ti tholeiitic Limeira Intrusion, in the Paraná Magmatic Province - Southeastern Brazil. Our data strongly support a multiple-stage evolution, due to the nested emplacement of distinct crystal-bearing magma pulses that probably evolved independently, except at their boundaries. A stage of cooling and crystallization between magma injections originates a stepwise T-t path, leading to variations in the plagioclase residence times and effective growth rates inwards, also occasioning sudden changes in crystal shape and size at the boundaries of each magma pulse. The time delay between pulses allows preserving internal “chilled margins” and the development of near-rigid surfaces at their contacts, increasing the alignment and clustering of crystals during magma replenishment. Isotopic and textural data demonstrate a complex assembly history, in which the appearance of mixed plagioclase populations in between magma pulses coincides with the onset of initial Sr isotope ratio increase, which can be attributed to a locally enhanced cooling-rate, and the extraction of residual melts from the previous crystallizing batches and mixing with the younger pulses. Typical C- and S-shaped MgO (wt.%) compositional profiles within individual pulses indicate that the first pulse probably evolved by in situ fractional crystallization followed by melt migration inward, while the younger ones have contributions from both compaction of the lowermost crystallization front and compositional convection. Mafic globular structures are found at the boundaries of magma pulses and constituting the mafic-rich layers in layered rocks. They are interpreted as evidence for chemical disequilibrium, arguably associated with the trigger of silicate liquid immiscibility. The upwards compositional convection of the silica-rich residual liquid and the accumulation of the Fe-Ti-P-rich crystal-bearing end member in the bottom of the latest magma pulses might represent the most significant mechanism of differentiation in the Limeira Intrusion.

Crystal Size Distributions and Trace Element Compositions of the Fluorapatite from the Bijigou Fe–Ti Oxide-Bearing Layered Intrusion, Central China: Insights for the Expulsion Processes of Interstitial Liquid from Crystal Mush

The Neoproterozoic Bijigou intrusion is one of the largest and well-differentiated Fe–Ti oxide-bearing layered intrusion in Central China, and hosts Fe–Ti oxide ore layers in the middle zone with a total thickness of ∼112 m. In order to examine the role of compaction and compositional convection on the solidification of a layered intrusion associated with the crystallization of large amounts of Fe–Ti oxides, we collected the samples from a drill core profile of the apatite-oxide gabbronorite unit above the main Fe–Ti oxide layer in the middle zone of the Bijigou intrusion and carried out a detailed study on the crystal size distributions (CSDs) and trace element compositions of the fluorapatite in the samples. The apatite-oxide gabbronorite unit is mainly composed of pyroxene and plagioclase with Fe–Ti oxides and fluorapatite interstitial to the silicates, and can be further divided into the lower and upper sections in terms of grain size, rare earth element (REE) concentrations of fluorapatite and stress deformation of minerals. In the lower section, the plagioclase and pyroxene of the rocks are often bent, fluorapatite crystals have grain sizes ranging from ∼0·10 × 0·30 mm to ∼1·00 × 2·50 mm and the average Ce concentration of the fluorapatite of each sample varies from 230 to 387 μg/g. In contrast, the plagioclase and pyroxene of the rocks from the upper section are sparsely bent, fluorapatite crystals range in size from ∼0·05 × 0·05 mm to ∼0·15 × 0·40 mm, and the average Ce concentration of the fluorapatite of each sample varies from 468 to 704 μg/g. Modeling results show that the fraction of trapped liquid (FTL) is ∼7% in the lower section and ∼15% in the upper section, and relatively elevated REE (e.g. Ce) concentrations of the fluorapatite of the upper section are thus likely attributed to the trapped liquid shift (TLS) effect. The TLS effect may have also enhanced the textural coarsening of the fluorapatite of the upper section, which is illustrated by a convex-upward curve for <0·1 mm crystals and a counter-clockwise rotation around a fixed point in the CSDs of the fluorapatite. The CSDs of the fluorapatite of the lower section, however, change from a steep slope for <0·25 mm crystals to a gentle slope for >0·25 mm crystals with a kinked trend akin to mixed crystal populations, which is interpreted as the exchange of interstitial liquid with the main magma body due to compositional convection. The different FTL and fluorapatite CSDs of the lower and upper sections indicate that the interstitial liquid may have been expelled from the crystal mush of the lower section more efficiently than from the upper section, which is likely controlled by both compaction and compositional convection. However, it was the compositional convection that dominated the expulsion of interstitial liquid in the whole apatite-oxide gabbronorite unit, indicating that compositional convection may prevail after the crystallization of large amounts of Fe–Ti oxides from interstitial liquid and weaken the role of compaction.

Dissolution of a sloping solid surface by turbulent compositional convection

We examine the dissolution of a sloping solid surface driven by turbulent compositional convection. The scaling analysis presented by Kerr & McConnochie (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 765, 2015, pp. 211–228) for the dissolution of a vertical wall is extended to the case of a sloping wall. The model has no free parameters and no dependence on height. It predicts that while the interfacial temperature and interfacial composition are independent of the slope, the dissolution velocity is proportional to $\cos ^{2/3}\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$ is the angle of the sloping surface to the vertical. The analysis is tested by comparing it with laboratory measurements of the ablation of a sloping ice wall in contact with salty water. We apply the model to make predictions of the turbulent convective dissolution of a sloping ice shelf in the polar oceans.