Journal ArticleDOI
Quantitative Outcrop Data for Flow Simulation
TLDR
In this paper, an architectural analysis of the Cretaceous frontier formation of central Wyoming has been conducted to evaluate the relative importance of different types of geologic variability on prediction of subsurface fluid flow.Abstract:
An architectural analysis documents variations in bedding geometry and rock properties within a tide-influenced deltaic sandstone exposed in the Cretaceous Frontier Formation of central Wyoming, USA. Digital maps of bedding, lithofacies, and diagenetic cements, as well as vertical logs of grain size, lithofacies, and permeability, describe rock properties that potentially influence fluid flow behavior. These records are used to construct simulation models that assess the relative importance of different types of geologic variability on prediction of subsurface fluid flow. Two 25-meter-thick tide-influenced deltaic sandstone bodies coarsen upward and contain inclined beds that reflect episodic delta-front progradation. Decimeters- to meters-thick beds within bodies alternate between cross-stratified sandstones formed during rapid flows and shales deposited during more quiescent conditions. Down depositional dip, bed-draping shales are more continuous and lithofacies within sandstone beds become finer-grained and increasingly heterolithic. As sandstone beds fine down dip, mean permeability values decrease and coefficients of variation increase, permeability values change from nearly normal distributions to highly right-skewed, and permeability values become more strongly spatially correlated. Nodular cements also affect permeability. All of these variations were modeled using stratigraphic cornerpoint grids that preserve stratal geometry and gridblocks with properties assigned using a combination of rock property maps and statistical models based on rock property logs. Simulations predict effects on fluid flow of geologic heterogeneity at different scales, the influences of process variables, and the effects of different methods of grid construction and rock property assignment. Flow simulations of water flooding through a 22 m thick by 360 m long segment of a deltaic sandstone oil reservoir predict that: (1) rapid flow through coarser-grained deposits at the top of the sandstone body tends to draw water upward; (2) thin shales draping sandstone beds shunt downdip-directed flow downward and updip-directed flow upward; (3) cement nodules cause more tortuous flow patterns but have little effect on recovery efficiency; (4) Methods of predicting intrafacies correlation of permeability have little effect on flow behavior at this scale. A simulation model constructed using a high-resolution Cartesian grid did not resolve the effects of inclined shales, demonstrating the usefulness of stratigraphic cornerpoint grids for modeling flow through complex geologic deposits. Flow simulations of tracer flow through a meter-thick cross-stratified bed within the deltaic sandstone body showed that at this scale shale drapes and models of the intrafacies distribution of permeability have statistically significant effects.read more
Citations
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BookDOI
Fluvial Depositional Systems
TL;DR: The facies and architecture of fluvial systems are discussed in this article, along with allogenic sedimentary controls, sequence stratigraphy, modern depositional systems, and ancient sedimentitional systems.
Journal ArticleDOI
From outcrop to reservoir simulation model: Workflow and procedures
TL;DR: In this article, a complete workflow is documented from outcrop selection through data collection, processing and building of virtual outcrops to geological interpretation and the building of geocellular models using an industry-standard, reservoir-modeling software.
Journal ArticleDOI
Heterogeneity patterns of Quaternary glaciofluvial gravel bodies (SW-Germany): application to hydrogeology
TL;DR: In this paper, outcrop analogues of glaciofluvial gravel-bed deposits are used for a process-based analysis of sedimentary heterogeneities, which in turn are transformed into hydraulic parameters.
Journal ArticleDOI
Reconstructing the architecture and sequence stratigraphy of the preserved fluvial record as a tool for reservoir development: A reality check
TL;DR: A study of the Hawkesbury Sandstone (Triassic, Sydney Basin, Australia), highlighted the difficulty in interpreting the dimensions of large sand bodies from comparisons with a modern analog, even when very large outcrops are available.
Journal ArticleDOI
Three-Dimensional Connectivity of Point-Bar Deposits
Brian J. Willis,Hong Tang +1 more
TL;DR: The geometry of heterogeneities within fluvial channel-belt deposits is predicted using an existing model of flow and sediment transport in river channel-meander bends as mentioned in this paper, showing that the thickest and coarsest-grained sediment accumulations are deposited near a channel-bend apex, and the finer grained sediments accumulate higher on the downstream end of a channel bar.
References
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Response Surface Methodology: Process and Product Optimization Using Designed Experiments
TL;DR: Using a practical approach, this book discusses two-level factorial and fractional factorial designs, several aspects of empirical modeling with regression techniques, focusing on response surface methodology, mixture experiments and robust design techniques.
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Empirical Model-Building and Response Surfaces
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a Second-Order Response Surface Methodology (SRSM) for response surface design, which is based on Maxima and Ridge systems with second-order response surfaces.
Journal ArticleDOI
Empirical Model-Building and Response Surfaces
TL;DR: This work discusses the use of Graduating Functions, design Aspects of Variance, Bias, and Lack of Fit, and Practical Choice of a Response Surface Design in relation to Second--Order Response Surfaces.
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GSLIB: Geostatistical Software Library and User's Guide
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a set of programs that summarize data with histograms and other graphics, calculate measures of spatial continuity, provide smooth least-squares-type maps, and perform stochastic spatial simulation.