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Subsurface Environments: Instructor: Nawarat Intarapanich Course: Basic Petroleum Geology

The document discusses subsurface environments, including: 1) Subsurface water can be free or irreducible, and its chemistry varies with concentration of dissolved solids and depth, providing information about migration pathways. 2) Subsurface temperature increases with depth according to the geothermal gradient, and can be measured to detect abnormal pressures. 3) Subsurface pressure is composed of overburden, lithostatic, and fluid pressures, with fluid pressure further divided into hydrostatic and hydrodynamic components. Proper mud weight design is needed to balance pressures.

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243 views22 pages

Subsurface Environments: Instructor: Nawarat Intarapanich Course: Basic Petroleum Geology

The document discusses subsurface environments, including: 1) Subsurface water can be free or irreducible, and its chemistry varies with concentration of dissolved solids and depth, providing information about migration pathways. 2) Subsurface temperature increases with depth according to the geothermal gradient, and can be measured to detect abnormal pressures. 3) Subsurface pressure is composed of overburden, lithostatic, and fluid pressures, with fluid pressure further divided into hydrostatic and hydrodynamic components. Proper mud weight design is needed to balance pressures.

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SUBSURFACE

ENVIRONMENTS
Instructor: Nawarat Intarapanich
Course : Basic Petroleum Geology
Talk Outlines
 Subsurface Water
 Subsurface Temperature
 Subsurface Pressure
 Subsurface Fluid Dynamics
Subsurface Water
 Free Water
 Free to move in or out
of pores in response
to pressure
differential.
 Interstitial or
Irreducible water
 Bonded to mineral
grains
 Can’t be removed
during HC production
Subsurface Water
 Chemistry of
Subsurface waters
 Eh & pH
Subsurface Water
 Chemistry of
Subsurface waters
ppm
mg / liter   Concentration
 Salinity;total of
density dissolved solids
 Sea Water has
approximately 35,000
ppm.
 Connate water salinity
in sand generally
increase with depth
Subsurface Water
 Chemistry of Subsurface waters
 Contain varying
 Composition
concentrations of
inorganic salts, traces
of organic compounds
including hydrocarbon

 Regional mapping of its


composition can lead
to locating the
migration pathways
and new HC fields
Subsurface Temperature
 BHT = Bottom Hole
Temperature
 True stabilized
temperature from
Horner Plot (Fertl
& Wichmann (1977)
t
t  t 
T=number of hours since circulation & logging
Delta t = hours of mud circulation at that depth
Geothermal Gradient
 Plot corrected BHT’s
versus Depth at
various depth
 Range from 1.8 to
5.5 degree C/100m
 Global Average 2.6
degree C/100m

Y  a x   b
You can find temperature at any depth
Geothermal Gradient & Heat flow
Heat flow = Geothermal Gradient x thermal conductivity of the rock
Local Thermal Variations
 Controlling factors
1. Nonplanar geometry
of sediments
2. Movement of Fluids
3. Regional variations
of Heat Flow
Regional Thermal Variations
 Controlled by  Affect petroleum
tectonics generation
Subsurface Pressure
 Measurement while
drilling
 Drilling (d) exponent logR / 60N 
plot by Jordan & dexponent 
log12W / 106 D 
Shirley, 1966) R = rate of penetration (ft/hr)
 Aim to detect N = rotary speed (rpm)
W= weight on bit (lb)
abnormal pressure D = diameter of borehole (inches)
 Practical in drilling
D exponent Plot
Some overpressure indicators
Basic Principles
 Force per unit area
acting on a surface
Terzakhi’s Law
(kg/cm2 or psi) s=p+o
 Overburden s =Overburden Pressure
p = Lithostatic Pressure

pressure
o = Fluid Pressure

 Lithostaticpressure
 Fluid pressure
 Hydrostatic
 hydrodynamic
Fluid Pressure
In oil industry fluid pressure is  In fact, there are 2
generally calculated as types of fluid
follows:
pressure
 Hydrostatic
P = 0.052 x wt x D
 Hydrodynamic

P = Hydrostatic Pressure (psi)


wt = mud weight (lb/gal)
D = Depth (feet)
2 types of fluid pressure
 Hydrostatic pressure is  Hydrodynamic
imposed by a column of pressure gradient
fluid at rest caused by fluid flow
Fresh water or density =  Potentiometric or
1, the hydrostatic
gradient is 0.433 psi/ft
piezometric level is
 Brine water
calculated as
(55,000ppm), the follows:
hydrostatic gradient is Elevation to potentiometric level 
P
 D  E 
0.45 psi/ft W
P= bottom hole pressure (psi)
 Temperature dependent W= weight of fluid (psi/ft)
D= Depth (ft)
E= Elevation of kelly bushing above sea level (ft)
Hydrodynamic pressure
Hydrodynamic pressure
Hydrostatic Pressure
If a 10,000ft hole contains Assume a formation at 10,000ft has
drilling fluid with a weight of a known hydrostatic pressure of
11.5 ppg (pound/gallon), the 6292 psi. The mud weight
needed to drill this formation
hydrostatic pressure at the
“balanced” (hydrostatic pressure
bottom hole is equal to formation pressure) is
calculated as follows:

P=0.052 x MW x D MW= P/(0.052 x D)


P=0.052 x 11.5 x MW= 6292/(0.052 x
10,000 10,000)
P=5,980 psi MW = 12.1 ppg.
Killing weight of mud
Assume a well has taken a kick at 10,000 ft
while drilling with 11.5 ppg mud. The well
shut-in and the drill pipe pressure reads 312
psi. The excess in ppg mud weight equivalent
is calculated as follows:
MW = 312/(0.052 x 10,000) = 0.6 ppg
To kill the well you need MW = 11.5 + 0.6 ppg
=12.1 ppg or greater to overcome that kick.
Further study
 Find more detail in the reference texts
 You will see more in Petroleum Engineering
Class next 2-3 weeks!

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