NFR04 Mechanical Stratigraphy of Large-Scale Fractured Zones in Platform Carbonates (Maiella Mountains, Apennines, Italy)

S. Torrieri* (Shell Italia E&P S.p.A.), C. Volery (Shell Global Solutions International), L. Bazalgette (Petroleum Development Oman LLC) & C.E.G. Strauss (Shell Italia E & P S.p.A.)

SUMMARY
Understanding the main mechanisms controlling fault and fracture impedance across different lithologies is an important factor to estimate the flow properties and recovery of geo-fluids in frac-tured reservoirs. A multidisciplinary study of the Cretaceous carbonate platform of the Maiella Moun-tains allowed concluding on the occurrence and impeding mechanism of two main mechanical boundaries for large-scale fractured zones. Additionally, a workflow for applying the outcrop findings to the subsurface has been described and illustrated. The two identified mechanical boundary types are related to porous, well-sorted bioclastic packstone/ grainstone units and dolomitized layers respectively. The first type occurs within the Upper Cretaceous succession in an open platform environment, whereas the second type was found within the Lower Cretaceous deposits of a more restricted environment. Depending on its sequence strati-graphic position at/above flooding surfaces, the packstone/grainstone related mechanical boundary occurs at the base of 50-80m thick cycles. A method to record both mechanical boundary types in the subsurface with a fracture impedance of 100% through the analysis of borehole image and other well logs is described. Subsequent upscaling of the generated fracture impedance logs, the interpolation of upscaled logs and the conversion of relative fracture impedance into vertical transmissibility multipli-er arrays is finally described.

Second EAGE Workshop on Naturally Fractured Reservoirs 8-11 December 2013 Muscat, Oman

Introduction The present study focuses on the geometry, distribution and vertical propagation of large scale fracture systems through various reservoir facies within the well-exposed Cretaceous carbonate platform of the Maiella Mountains (Southern Apennines, Italy). This work builds on previous studies to provide additional insights into the relationship between the stratigraphic organization of the Apulian platform carbonate series and the variability of large scale fractured zones (fracture corridors, fault damage zones). Using the Maiella as analogue, it intends to provide modeling constraints for Apulian fractured carbonate reservoirs with respect to fracture geometry (length, spacing, width) and vertical transmissibility. The main scope of this study can be summarized as follows: i. ii. iii. iv. characterization of large scale fracture systems (mega-events) in terms of distribution, orientation, length, spacing and vertical persistence, identification of mechanical boundaries applied to those large scale fractured zones (fault damage zones, fracture corridors and highly persistent single fractures), within the Cretaceous carbonate platform of the Maiella Mountains, understanding of the mechanisms of fracture impedance across the identified mechanical boundaries, derivation of rules and constraints to implement mechanical boundaries and associated vertical fracture impedance as well as large scale fracture geometry into subsurface megaevent models.

Methodology The workflow adopted within the present study (Fig. 1) can be subdivided into the following main steps: i. aerial photograph interpretation, ii. outcrop analysis, iii. laboratory analysis, iv. data processing, integration and interpretation, v. generation of modeling constraints for sub-surface mega-events. The aerial photograph interpretation aimed at i. the identification of mechanical boundaries impeding large scale fracture zones, ii. the creation of a database of fracture normal spacing and length, iii. the identification and selection of potential field study areas to be scouted by initial field surveys. Through the outcrop analysis it has been possible to i. analyze the fracture distribution, their normal spacing and impedance across different mechanical units through scan lines (in the field outcrops, where possible, and on photo mosaic, if not accessible), ii. acquire the Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) data with a Schmidt-hammer device, iii. perform the Spectral Gamma-Ray analysis by a portable gamma logger iv. sample for petrophysical and sedimentological analysis in the lab (clay content evaluation, generation and description of thin section, porosity evaluation through He-analysis).

Second EAGE Workshop on Naturally Fractured Reservoirs 8-11 December 2013 Muscat, Oman

Figure 1 Workflow used in the present study. (a) Aerial photograph interpretation. Statistics of fracture orientation, normal spacing and length have been derived. (b) Outcrop analysis. Fracture were analyzed along scan lines, the Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) and the clay content were measured and samples for laboratory analysis were taken. (c) These latter, together with the UCS and SGR values, have been displayed on composite logs to illustrate the controls on mechanical interfaces. (d) Major Mechanical Bounding Units (MBUs) have been subsequently interpreted within the entire Cretaceous carbonate platform section in order to understand their spatial occurrence in a sequence stratigraphic context. (e) Rules obtained from the surface analogue study have been applied to the subsurface well data to pick the main MBUs. (f) Finally, the derived MBU-logs have been upscale, interpolated and restricted to the fracture corridor cells of a simulation grid array.

Second EAGE Workshop on Naturally Fractured Reservoirs 8-11 December 2013 Muscat, Oman

The data processing, integration and interpretation consisted of i. a cross-analysis of fracture data from field scan lines (vertical extent, normal spacing) together with sedimentological/petrophysical results from outcrops, thin-sections, lab measurements (porosity, clay content) and values of UCS and GR. ii. the creation of 3D-sector models combining data from aerial photograph interpretation and fracture statistics obtained from outcrop scan lines and/or interpreted photo-mosaics. From these steps, conclusions could be drawn about fracture impedance controls across different lithological formations. These conclusions led to the definition of rules for the occurrence of mechanical boundaries in large-scale fractured zones, intended to be comparable to the subsurface well data. Subsequently, the observed types of mechanical boundaries were integrated into a regional depositional and cyclo-stratigraphic context to constrain the thickness and lateral extent of mechanical units in a subsurface model. Finally, an attempt has been made to identify the mechanical boundaries as obtained from the studied outcrops within an integrated dataset of subsurface wire line logs, core and borehole image data. Because of some essential differences in rock properties between surface and subsurface well data, mainly related to differences in burial compaction and cementation, outcrop derived rules needed to be modified to be consistently applicable. The identification of mechanical boundaries required the use of good quality borehole images, preferably from vertical or slanted wells. Interpreted subsurface MBU-logs were subsequently upscaled into a simulation grid in order to control the vertical connectivity of the grid cells affected by fracture corridors and fault damage zones. Conclusions Through this multi-disciplinary study on the Cretaceous platform carbonate succession exposed within the Maiella Mountains, a number of geometrical constraints for subsurface DFN-models could be generated such as length and spacing of large scale fractured zones (mega-events) and their vertical persistence (mechanical stratigraphy). The aerial photograph interpretation yielded the following key results: i. A lineament orientation corresponding to four main fracturing sets could be identified with a N-S set parallel to the anticlinal axis, an orthogonal WNW-ESE / ENE-WSW set and a transverse E-W set. ii. Lineament scale classification resulted in distinguishing three orders of mega-events. First order mega-events, related to large scale faults and corridors, range in normal spacing between 150 and 200 meters and in length between 750 and 1250 meters. The second order, smaller scale mega-events show spacing from 45 to 60 meters and a length ranging between 250 and 500 meters. Finally, the small-scale corridors are densely spaced at 5 to 20 meters. The WNW-Apenninic trending large scale lineaments are the longest (avg. 1250 m), followed by the E-W (avg. 1000 m) and the NE-anti-Apenninic trend (avg. 750 m). iii. No clear basin-or formation-scale mechanical boundary has been detected in the studied area, although further boundaries at such scale should be expected at major stratigraphic and lithological breaks in the subsurface (i.e. major unconformities, shale intercalations, dolomitized bodies). The outcrop analysis, through the combination of structural, sedimentological, petrophysical and lab analyses, resulted in a hierarchical mechanical layering scheme for fracture corridors (FC), highly persistent fractures (HPF) and fault damage zones (FDZ) within the Cretaceous carbonate deposits. The main conclusions regarding mechanical stratigraphy are: i. Upper Cretaceous: First order mechanical boundaries, with total fracture impedance, are related to highly fractured (small- to micro-scale), porous and well-sorted bioclastic packstones to grainstones. Second order mechanical boundaries, with 66-75% of fracture
Second EAGE Workshop on Naturally Fractured Reservoirs 8-11 December 2013 Muscat, Oman

ii.

impedance, are linked to massive rudist/gastropod floatstone units. In a common sequence stratigraphy context (Di Cuia et al., 2004), the floatstone beds usually overlay the well-sorted bioclastic packstones/grainstones units at pronounced flooding surfaces. Lower Cretaceous: First order mechanical boundaries are related to dolostone layers within fine-grained limestone succession, corresponding to a sea level drop across a sequence boundary.

In both cases, the impedance mechanism is related to the interparticular/intercrystalline porosity of the grainstone/dolostone layers. The preferred explanation indicates that, as the stress increases, pores act as multiple stress concentrators triggering the initiation of micro-cracks which conferred a protobreccia-configuration to the layer. While mega-events propagate easily within the surrounding (tight) litho-facies, their propagation stops at the boundaries with the porous beds since their microfracturation tends to accommodate deformation at small scale, essentially by the reactivation of the early small scale fractures and possibly by their intensification. Even though petrophysical differences (mainly related to the different burial history) exist between the outcrops of Maiella and the reservoir, the described impedance mechanism suggests that the rules derived from outcrops can be extrapolated to the subsurface. Hence, the two types of first order mechanical boundaries could have been recognized in the wells by adopting a specific range of criteria and using various well logs such as BHI, Porosity, Lithological log and Spectral Gamma-Ray. The resulting MBU-logs have been upscaled into a cellular model with vertical resolution corresponding to mechanical layer thickness from the field. Property interpolation was done following depositional environment constraints to generate relative fracture impedance arrays. The latter have been finally converted into vertical transmissibility multiplier arrays to be used for cellular fracture model simulation grids. The wider applicability of the results described above can be summarized as following: i. Mechanical stratigraphy is an essential constraint in fractured field development (e.g. controls WOGD / GOGD efficiency and waterflood zonal conformance) and is poorly constrained by subsurface datasets. Field analogues provide the only true measurement of fracture impedance in stratigraphy. ii. This study provides a workflow of how such a field example can be implemented in a subsurface model. iii. By placing the mechanical stratigraphy in a sequence strat context the method has predictive capability beyond the outcrop analogue under consideration. References Di Cuia, R., Gout, C., Bazalgette, L., Masse, P. [2004] Are fractures, in a carbonate sequence, faciescontrolled? The Maiella Mountain (Southern Italy), a key for complex reservoir modeling. EAGE 66th Conference & Exhibition, Paris, France, 7-10 June 2004.

Second EAGE Workshop on Naturally Fractured Reservoirs 8-11 December 2013 Muscat, Oman