About This Item

Share This Item

The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

AAPG Bulletin

Abstract

AAPG Bulletin, V. 108, No. 1 (January 2024), P. 1-13.

Copyright ©2024. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1306/05302322081

Hydrodynamic effects on low-dip stratigraphic traps

S. A. Stewart1

1Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Existing descriptions and mapping techniques of hydrodynamic effects on subsurface fluid contacts are generally restricted to relatively thick, continuous reservoirs. These concepts do not readily apply to stratigraphic traps in thin reservoirs that pinch out laterally in some directions yet are normally pressured. Spatial variation in reservoir pinch-out trends, geological depth structure, and hydrodynamic head gives rise to many scenarios of hydrodynamically modified stratigraphic traps. Further complexity arises where stratigraphic traps are developed in unstructured or low relief areas, where a slight tilt angle of a fluid contact can translate into a significant deviation from structural conformance in map view. Hydraulic gradient azimuth relative to structural dip azimuth is a key factor. Where these are parallel, hydraulic gradients have little effect on stratigraphic trapping potential. The closer the hydraulic gradient azimuth is to the structural strike direction, the greater the potential impact of fluid contact tilt in that stratigraphic trap. These results are not predicted by the usual method of revealing hydrodynamic traps via hydraulic head transformations of structural maps. Instead, a modified workflow for hydrodynamic stratigraphic traps combines structure, porosity, and hydraulic gradient maps.

Pay-Per-View Purchase Options

The article is available through a document delivery service. Explain these Purchase Options.

Watermarked PDF Document: $14
Open PDF Document: $24

AAPG Member?

Please login with your Member username and password.

Members of AAPG receive access to the full AAPG Bulletin Archives as part of their membership. For more information, contact the AAPG Membership Department at [email protected].