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Volume 40, Issue 7
  • ISSN: 0263-5046
  • E-ISSN: 1365-2397

Abstract

Abstract

This paper is part one of a two-part series that introduces naturally fractured reservoirs. For the purposes of these papers, natural fractures are discontinuities formed from tectonic activity and other processes, such as diagenesis or cooling, that enhance fluid flow. The paper will cover their common characteristics, how they form, key issues to consider during appraisal and development and ways of mitigating some of the risks. The presence of natural fractures in the sub-surface is important for a number of different subsurface developments – e.g. hydrocarbon reservoirs, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), other gas storage, hydrogeology, geothermal and nuclear waste disposal. This article covers how fractures form and the different types created by different processes, their characteristics and distributions and the key parameters relevant to sub-surface fluid flow e.g. permeability. A follow up technical article will cover fracture network categories and concepts, recovery mechanisms of fluids from naturally fractured reservoirs, modelling techniques and approaches for developing and managing fractured reservoirs to maximise production and minimise risk.

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2024-04-25

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Introduction to Naturally Fractured Reservoirs Part 1 – Fracture Origins, Characteristics and Parameters
First Break 40, 31 (2022); https://doi.org/10.3997/1365-2397.fb2022054
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