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Rock Deformation Research Group, The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
A predictive knowledge of fault zone structure and transmissibility can have an enormous impact on the economic viability of exploration targets and generate considerable benefits during reservoir management. Understanding the effects of faults and fractures on fluid flow behaviour and distribution within hydrocarbon provinces has therefore become a priority. To model fluid flow in hydrocarbon reservoirs, it is essential to gain a detailed insight into the evolution, structure and properties of faults and fractures. Generation of realistic flow models also requires calibration with data on the fluid distributions and flow rates from hydrocarbon fields. Most hydrocarbon geologists at one time or another have asked the question ‘What is the behaviour of this fault?’. This question, as emphasized by the contributions to this volume, should more fundamentally be phrased; ‘What is the geometry of this fault zone, what are the nature and petrophysical properties of any fault rocks developed and how are they distributed in the subsurface?’. An additional important question is ‘What impact could the fault zone have on fluid flow through time?’. The properties and evolution of fault zones can be evaluated using the combined results of structural core and down-hole logging, microstructural and physical property characterization, together with analysis of faults from seismic and outcrop studies and well test data. Successful fault analysis depends upon the amalgamation of these data and incorporation into robust numerical flow models.
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