Difference between revisions of "Saturations required for hydrocarbon flow"

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  | part    = Predicting the occurrence of oil and gas traps
 
  | part    = Predicting the occurrence of oil and gas traps
 
  | chapter = Evaluating top and fault seal
 
  | chapter = Evaluating top and fault seal
  | frompg  = 10-1
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  | frompg  = 10-85
  | topg    = 10-94
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  | topg    = 10-85
 
  | author  = Grant M. Skerlec
 
  | author  = Grant M. Skerlec
 
  | link    = http://archives.datapages.com/data/specpubs/beaumont/ch10/ch10.htm
 
  | link    = http://archives.datapages.com/data/specpubs/beaumont/ch10/ch10.htm
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==Traditional definitions==
 
==Traditional definitions==
  
Hydrocarbons flow through a water-wet seal when there is a continuous, interconnected pathway of hydrocarbon-filled pore space. Flow through a seal occurs with saturations of 4.5–17% of the rock pore volume, averaging 10%.<ref name=ch10r67>Schowalter, T., T., 1979, [http://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/1977-79/data/pg/0063/0005/0700/0723.htm Mechanics of secondary hydrocarbon migration and entrapment]: AAPG Bulletin, vol. 63, no. 5, p. 723–760.</ref> This is one reason displacement pressure is defined at 10% saturation.
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Hydrocarbons flow through a water-wet seal when there is a continuous, interconnected pathway of hydrocarbon-filled pore space. Flow through a seal occurs with saturations of 4.5–17% of the rock pore volume, averaging 10%.<ref name=ch10r67>Schowalter, T., T., 1979, [http://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/1977-79/data/pg/0063/0005/0700/0723.htm Mechanics of secondary hydrocarbon migration and entrapment]: AAPG Bulletin, vol. 63, no. 5, p. 723–760.</ref> This is one reason [[displacement pressure]] is defined at 10% saturation.
  
 
==Possible modifications==
 
==Possible modifications==
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==See also==
 
==See also==
 
* [[Seal capacity: pitfalls and limitations of estimation]]
 
* [[Seal capacity: pitfalls and limitations of estimation]]
* [[Displacement pressure of a seal: difficulty of characterizion]]
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* [[Displacement pressure of a seal: difficulty of characterization]]
 
* [[Displacement pressure: does the theory predict reality?]]
 
* [[Displacement pressure: does the theory predict reality?]]
 
* [[Seal capacity of breached and hydrocarbon-wet seals]]
 
* [[Seal capacity of breached and hydrocarbon-wet seals]]
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[[Category:Predicting the occurrence of oil and gas traps]]  
 
[[Category:Predicting the occurrence of oil and gas traps]]  
 
[[Category:Evaluating top and fault seal]]
 
[[Category:Evaluating top and fault seal]]
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[[Category:Treatise Handbook 3]]

Latest revision as of 13:57, 1 April 2022

Exploring for Oil and Gas Traps
Series Treatise in Petroleum Geology
Part Predicting the occurrence of oil and gas traps
Chapter Evaluating top and fault seal
Author Grant M. Skerlec
Link Web page
Store AAPG Store

Traditional definitions

Hydrocarbons flow through a water-wet seal when there is a continuous, interconnected pathway of hydrocarbon-filled pore space. Flow through a seal occurs with saturations of 4.5–17% of the rock pore volume, averaging 10%.[1] This is one reason displacement pressure is defined at 10% saturation.

Possible modifications

Other experiments, including lower porosity rocks, indicate much higher oil saturations of 25–91% may be required.[2] The current assumption that seal capacity is based upon the displacement pressure at only 10% saturation could be very misleading. The value could be two or more orders of magnitude greater than that predicted at 10% saturation.

See also

References

  1. Schowalter, T., T., 1979, Mechanics of secondary hydrocarbon migration and entrapment: AAPG Bulletin, vol. 63, no. 5, p. 723–760.
  2. England, W., A., Mackenzie, A., S., Mann, D., M., Quickley, T., M., 1987, The movement and entrapment of petroleum fluids in the subsurface: Journal of the Geological Society, London, vol. 144, no. 2, p. 327–347.

External links

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