Late Charge problems in the K5 area

Bernard Geiss
TEP Nederland,
5th June 2008
TNO/EBN Workshop Utrecht

1 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Agenda

Regional context
K5-13 results and Post Mortem
Structural Setting K4-K5 area
Conclusions

2 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Stratigraphic Column and HC Play in core area

K5-2

SW

NE
Top Chalk
Base Chalk
Top Salt
Top Rotliegendes
Hercynian Unconformity
Top Westphalian A

DT
C2
C2

Chalk
Chalk

D1

D1
D2
D4

Salt

Salt
R
R
HU
HU
TWA

5 km
3 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Exploration wells and success rate

K2

100%

K3

50%

K5

12

12

100%

K6

11

11

100%

K3-2

K5-12

K5-13

K6-1

K5-2
K6-6
K5-1

K4-8

K6-8
K6-10
K5-8

K5-3

K5-6

K6-5

K5-11
K5-F2

K6-11

K6-7

K5-9
K6-3

K6-9
K5-7
K5-4

K5-5

K6-4

10 km
4 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

K6-2

Regional seismic line

E16-1

E17-2

E17-1

K2-1 K2-2

K5-13

K5-11

NE

SW

Miocene Unconf.
Top Chalk

1-

Base Chalk
TWT

Top Salt

Top Rotliegendes
HU
Top Westph. B
Top Westph. A
3-

WUT

E16/17

GDT

GDT

K2

K5-13

Westphalian B Coal Measures

K5b
K5-11

5 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Random tie line K5b

NW
K1-5

Top Chalk
Base Chalk
Top Salt
Top Rotliegendes
HU
Top Westphalian A

K5-12

K5-13

Top Salt

R
HU
Top West A

Fairly similar context with K5-12

6 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

ESE

Well correlation flattened at MFS2

K5-13

K5-12

Pressure tests

RSWC
-3834 mss
-3841 mss
39m

Seq. 3
-3856 mss

10 m

12.3 m

Seq. 2
Seq. 1

Sand box concept confirmed

7 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Additional sands not predicted

Seismic Interpretation: K5b Top Westphalian B Depth Structure

Outline of erosion at HU

K5-12

HU

C
B

Westphalian A

8 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

K5-13

Regional Depositional environment sketch - confirmed

K5-9

K4-9

K4-12

L7-2

West. Upper C

K5-12
L4-2

Stephanian
West.D

K1-5

K6-10

West. Lower C
West. B

K5-13

West. A

Sand deposits on Westphalian B subcrop

L1.7

E-18

F16-3

Fluvial to aeolian depositional processes:

Back stepping of LS system (F16-3)
The main NE-SW wrench trend possibly
constrains fluvial sediment supply

N
K4-K5 : Aeolian dominated,
Sand box concept
Strong impact of HU geometry
9 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

K6 Block located within the main fluvial belt

axe with an impact on the reservoir
properties

K5-13: What did go wrong?

Top Rotliegend Depth Structure Map

K5-13

NW

SE
K5-13

Base Chalk

Juxtaposition?

Top Salt
Zechstein Carbonates

Reservoir

Top Rotliegend

Hercynian Unconformity
Intra Westph. B coalbed
2.5 km
Low saturations of gas in fluid inclusions
10 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

The dilemma to explain the failure of K5-13

Leakage ?

More sands drilled. Sand juxtaposition

across faults still unlikely but possible

Gas found in fluid inclusion but only low

saturations

If such a juxtaposition is present then

the spill point is below the well. However
no attic gas found.
Leakage through faults very unlikely as
the surrounding formations are
supposed to be highly sealing: Silverpit
shales laterally and vertically, Zechstein
evaporites as ultimate vertical seal.

Evaporites

Shales
Reservoir

11 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Lack of HC Charge ?

Never observed in K4-K5 area

Presence of N45 oriented faults,

separating kitchen area from K5-13 panel

Gas in fluid inclusions where has it

gone?
Westphalian SR within the K5-13 horst
block not mature enough to expell
sufficient amounts of gas

What is so peculiar about these

N45 oriented faults?

Fault pattern K4/K5 area on NW-SE gradient map

K5-13

Gradient at Top Rotliegendes

12 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

K4-K5 Structural Pattern at Top Rotliegendes

Black = Normal faults
Red = Inverted faults
White = Transfer Faults

N40

Close-up area
Top Rotliegendes Depth Structure and Dip
13 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

N150

K4-K5 Close-Up Structural Pattern at Top Rotliegendes

Black = Normal faults
Red = Inverted faults
White = Transfer Faults

K4-A3
K4-7

K4-A4
K5-A2

K5-10

K5-A1

Xline 1875
K5-4
K5-A4

N40

K8-12

Top Rotliegendes Depth Structure and Dip

14 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

N150

Subtle Transfer faults on Xline 1875

K5-A2

NW

K5-A1

K5-A4

K5-4

SE

Top Salt
K5-A2
K5-A1
K5-4

Top Rotliegend

K5-A4

Hercynian Unconformity
K8-12

Near Top Westphalian B

Reservoir
juxtapositioning

200 m
2.5 km (1:4)

15 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Faults with hardly any throw within

the Rotliegendes

K5A Pressure History on Well correlation

K5-A2

K5-A1 (ex. K5-3)

Transfer Fault

K5-A4

K5-4

Transfer Fault
K5-A2
K5-A1
K5-4

Seq. 6

K5-A4

Seq. 6
Seq. 3-4

Seq. 3-4

HU
BHP Lower Slochteren Reservoir Sequences 3-4

1988
409 bar
409 bar
1994 Production start-up K5-A1 & A2
1999
236 bar
198 bar
2006
126 bar
96 bar
16 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Not yet drilled

Not yet drilled
401 bar
221 bar

409 bar
409 bar

Small scale: Graben alike structures along transfer faults

More throw

The observed vertical throws are

little but may be underestimated as
they are often resembling conjugate
fault systems.
When evaluating juxtaposition and
SGR, we are constantly hurdling
against the lack of vertical resolution.
Therefore deterministic evaluations
are uncertain.
Further uncertainties are the
horizontal throw and fault
cementation

17 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Large scale: Separation of K5-13 from kitchen by

Kitchen Areas

K5-13

Producing Areas (sketched) and

no expulsion from SR expected

Kitchen Areas

~ 10 km
18 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

NW-SE Striking Normal and Inverted Faults

NE
SW

K5-12

Top Chalk
Base Chalk
Top Salt
Top Rotliegendes
HU
Top Westphalian B
Top Westphalian A

500 m

2.5 km

Strong throws on the NW-SE (N120-150) faults
no reservoir juxtaposition

Decoupling between Pre- and Post salt. Salt cored buckle folds above Rotliegend Highs
19 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Late Cretaceous to Tertiary Inversion

Base
ChalkDepth
DepthMap
Map
Top Chalk
Top Rotliegendes
Depth
Map

Late Cretaceous
Tertiary inversion
axis around N45
20 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Present day maximum horizontal stress oriented N135

The N135 direction of the

present day maximum stress
is also confirmed by borehole
induced fracturing.
The N45 transfer faults are
therefore very likely to be
closed

Total data
21 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Leveille et al. 1997

Sealing N40 trending faults
SGR predicts clay smear is not sealing
Leveille argues for cementation, on the basis of
cemented fractures from cores

22 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Conclusions
Confirmation of the geological model for sand deposits above
Westphalian B subcrop (Sand box concept)
Fluid inclusions can not conclude on the reason of the failure
Migration from northern kitchen may be deflected by closed
N45 faults
These transfer faults have hardly any vertical throw but may
form significant barriers to fluid flow. This is not fully
understood today
Beware of certainties even in a mature area

23 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

3D View of K5b area

The N45 faults appear as distinct corridors on
this view. They are not just a thin lineament but
a graben system probably composed of
helicoidal en echelon faults.

K5-13

24 - Late charge problems in the K5 area

Throw variation along fault

25 - Late charge problems in the K5 area