Thermal analysis of the southern Powder River Basin, Wyoming

Journal ArticleTemperature and geologic data from over 3000 oil and gas wells within a 180 km x 30 km area that transect across the southern Powder River Basin in Wyoming, U.S.A., were used to determine the present thermal regime of the basin. Three-dimensional temperature fields within the transect, based on corrected bottom-hole temperatures (BHTs) and other geologic information, were assessed using: (1) A laterally constant temperature gradient model in conjunction with an L1 norm inversion method, and (2) a laterally variable temperature gradient model in conjunction with a stochastic inversion technique. The mean geothermal gradient in the transect is 29°C/km, but important lateral variations in the geothermal gradient exist. The average heat flow for the southern Powder River Basin is 52 mW/m 2 with systematic variations between 40 mW/m 2 and 60 mW/m2 along the transect. Extremely high local heat flow (values up to 225 mW/m2) in the vicinity of the Teapot Dome and the Salt Creek Anticline and low heat flow of 25 mW/m 2 occurring locally near the northeast end of the transect are likely caused by groundwater movement

Regional-scale permeability by heat flow calibration in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming

Journal ArticleAbstract. Forward modeling of coupled fluid and heat flow in the Powder River basin, Wyoming, is used to explain anomalously high heat flow values observed in the southern portion of the basin. Effective basin-scale permeabilities of selected Powder River basin aquifers and aquitards were calibrated by matching surface heat flow measurements to simulation results. Fractures associated with a large anticline in the southwestern part of the basin were found to play a major role in the basin's thermal regime. While the model results are non-unique, they demonstrate that regional structural features play an important role in a basin's overall energy budget and fluid flow regime. With the results of the basin-scale model it is possible to evaluate regional-scale flow and transport processe

Simulation of sedimentary rock deformation: lab-scale model calibration and parameterization

Journal ArticleUnderstanding the mechanical behavior of rock is critical for researchers and decision-makers in fields from petroleum recovery to hazardous waste disposal. Traditional continuum-based numerical models are hampered by inadequate constitutive relationships governing fracture initiation and growth. To overcome limits associated with continuum models we employed a discrete model based on the fundamental laws of contact physics to calibrate triaxial tests. Results from simulations of triaxial compression tests on a suite of sedimentary rocks indicate that the basic physics of rock behavior are clearly captured. Evidence for this conclusion lie in the fact that one set of model parameters describes rock behavior at many confining pressures. The use of both inelastic and elastic parameters for comparison yields insight concerning the uniqueness of these models. These tests will facilitate development and calibration of larger scale discrete element models, which may be applied to a wide range of geological problems

CO2 sequestration in deep aquifers

Journal ArticleDisposal and long-term sequestration of anthropogenic "greenhouse gases" such as CO2 is a proposed approach to reducing global warming. Deep, regional-scale aquifers in sedimentary basins are possible sites for sequestration, given their ubiquitous nature. We used a mathematical sedimentary basin model, including multiphase flow of CO2, groundwater, and brine, to evaluate residence times in possible aquifer storage sites and migration patterns and rates away from such sites in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. We also used the model to simulate CO2 flow through fractures, to evaluate partitioning between fracture and rock matrix. These simulations provide insight regarding the ultimate propensity of permeability reductions versus permeability increases in the fracture zone associated with carbonate reactions. Regional-scale hydrologic properties, including the presence of fracture zones, were calibrated using surface heat flow data. Our initial results suggest that, in general, long-term (~1000 years or more) sequestration in deep aquifers is possible, if subsurface structure and permeability are well characterized. However, additional risks are involved. In addition to CO2 escape from sequestration aquifers into other aquifers or to the land surface, another environmental threat posed by subsurface sequestration is contamination by brines. We evaluated the potential for such unintended aquifer contamination by displacement of brines out of adjacent sealing layers such as marine shales. Results suggest that sustained injection of CO2 may incur wide-scale brine displacement out of adjacent sealing layers, depending on the injection history, initial brine composition, and hydrologic properties of both aquifers and seals

Overpressures in the Uinta Basin, Utah: analysis using a three-dimensional basin evolution model

Journal ArticleAbstract. High pore fluid pressures, approaching lithostatic, are observed in the deepest sections of the Uinta basin,Utah. Geologic observations and previous modeling studies suggest that the most likely cause of observed overpressure is hydrocarbon generation. We studied Uinta overpressure by developing and applying a three-dimensional, numerical model of the evolution of the basin. The model was developed from a public domain computer code, with addition of a new mesh generator that builds the basin through time, coupling the structural thermal, and hydrodynamic evolution. Also included in the model are in situ hydrocarbon generation and multiphase migration. The modeling study affirmed oil generation as an overpressure mechanism but also elucidated the relative roles of multiphase fluid interaction, oil density and viscosity and sedimentary compaction. An important result is that overpressures by oil generation create conditions for rock fracturing, and associated fracture permeability may regulate or control the propensity to maintain overpressures

Direct simulation of fluid-solid mechanics in porous media using the discrete element and lattice-Boltzmann methods

Journal ArticleA detailed understanding of the coupling between fluid and solid mechanics is important for understanding many processes in Earth sciences. Numerical models are a popular means for exploring these processes, but most models do not adequately handle all aspects of this coupling. This paper presents the application of a micromechanically based fluid-solid coupling scheme, lattice-Boltzmann discrete element method (LBDEM), for porous media simulation. The LBDEM approach couples the lattice-Boltzmann method for fluid mechanics and a discrete element method for solid mechanics. At the heart of this coupling is a previously developed boundary condition that has never been applied to coupled fluid-solid mechanics in porous media. Quantitative comparisons of model results to a one-dimensional analytical solution for fluid flow in a slightly deformable medium indicate a good match to the predicted continuum-scale fluid diffusion-like profile. Coupling of the numerical formulation is demonstrated through simulation of porous medium consolidation with the model capturing poroelastic behavior, such as the coupling between applied stress and fluid pressure rise. Finally, the LBDEM model is used to simulate the genesis and propagation of natural hydraulic fractures. The model provides insight into the relationship between fluid flow and propagation of fractures in strongly coupled systems. The LBDEM model captures the dominant dynamics of fluid-solid micromechanics of hydraulic fracturing and classes of problems that involve strongly coupled fluid-solid behavior

Thermal analysis of the southern Powder River Basin, Wyoming

Journal ArticleTemperature and geologic data from over 3000 oil and gas wells within a 180 km x 30 km area that transect across the southern Powder River Basin in Wyoming, U.S.A., were used to determine the present thermal regime of the basin. Three-dimensional temperature fields within the transect, based on corrected bottom-hole temperatures (BHTs) and other geologic information, were assessed using: (1) A laterally constant temperature gradient model in conjunction with an L1 norm inversion method, and (2) a laterally variable temperature gradient model in conjunction with a stochastic inversion technique

Uncertainty quantification for CO2 sequestration and enhanced oil recovery

This study develops a statistical method to perform uncertainty quantification for understanding CO2 storage potential within an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) environment at the Farnsworth Unit of the Anadarko Basin in northern Texas. A set of geostatistical-based Monte Carlo simulations of CO2-oil-water flow and reactive transport in the Morrow formation are conducted for global sensitivity and statistical analysis of the major uncertainty metrics: net CO2 injection, cumulative oil production, cumulative gas (CH4) production, and net water injection. A global sensitivity and response surface analysis indicates that reservoir permeability, porosity, and thickness are the major intrinsic reservoir parameters that control net CO2 injection/storage and oil/gas recovery rates. The well spacing and the initial water saturation also have large impact on the oil/gas recovery rates. Further, this study has revealed key insights into the potential behavior and the operational parameters of CO2 sequestration at CO2-EOR sites, including the impact of reservoir characterization uncertainty; understanding this uncertainty is critical in terms of economic decision making and the cost-effectiveness of CO2 storage through EOR.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, in press, Energy Procedia, 201