Field Example of Application of Dynamic Fault Seal Analysis Technology and Well Test Matching to Condition Full Field Reservoir Models

Quantification of cross-fault flow and fault transmissibility multipliers is important for the development decisions, since the nature of hydrocarbon and water flow across faults will influence well counts, well placement, and ultimate recovery. The Corrib gas field discovered in 1996 lies 70 km offshore west of Ireland in 360 meter water depth. It is a faulted 4-way dip closure (Figure 1). Within the Sherwood Sandstone, extensional faulting with cataclastic fault rocks is the dominant expression of deformation. Two dominant fault families are present; one set dipping to the east and the other to the west. These faults mainly strike in NE-SW direction. Second generation ESE-WSW striking faults developed at a later stage of deformation probably as a result of sudden change in curvature and stress/strain states at the northern and southern flanks of the structure. This paper discusses workflows to determine Corrib field fault properties, and well test matching workflows to determine reservoir properties and condition dynamic models. The integration of results from fault seal analysis and well test matching deliver significant business impact and demonstrate the value of Shell’s in-house fault seal dynamic modeling capabilities.