Fracture And In Situ Stress Characterization Of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs

Fracture and In-situ Stress Characterization of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs

Geologic Analysis of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Geologists, engineers, and petrophysicists concerned with hydrocarbon production from naturally fractured reservoirs will find this book a valuable tool for obtaining pertinent rock data to evaluate reserves and optimize well location and performance. Nelson emphasizes geological, petrophysical, and rock mechanics to complement other studies of the subject that use well logging and classical engineering approaches. This well organized, updated edition contains a wealth of field and laboratory data, case histories, and practical advice. - A great how-to-guide for anyone working with fractured or highly anisotropic reservoirs - Provides real-life illustrations through case histories and field and laboratory data

Seismic Fracture Characterization

During the last three decades, seismic anisotropy has evolved from a purely academic research topic into applications in the mainstream of applied geophysics. Today, nobody doubts that the earth is anisotropic and most (if not all) hydrocarbon reservoirs are anisotropic. Since shale accounts for 70% of sedimentary basins and fractures exist in all reservoirs, seismic anisotropy may be even more extensive than we think. Taking anisotropy into account in seismic processing has improved the quality of seismic images, even though it makes seismic processing more challenging since additional parameters are needed. At the same time, fracture characterization using the concept of seismic anisotropy has added value in reservoir characterization, reservoir management, and has increased recovery and optimized well locations. This book and the associated course provide an introduction to the fundamental concepts of seismic fracture characterization by introducing seismic anisotropy, equivalent-medium representation theories of fractured rock and methodologies for extracting fracture parameters from seismic data. We focus on practical applications using extensive field data examples. - Includes cast studies demonstrating the applicability, workflow and limitations of this technology - Contains physical laboratory 3D experiments where fracture distributions are known, a Middle East fractured carbonate reservoir and a fractured tight gas reservoir. - Builds discrete fracture network models incorporating all data. These models should not only be geologically consistent but also geophysically and geomechanically consistent, so that the models can be used to forecast the behaviour and performance of fractured reservoirs.