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Characteristics and application of present in situ stress field of a strike-slip fault: a 3D finite-element simulation study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2022

Teng Zhao ,
Jibiao Zhang ,
Wenlong Ding ,
Rui Zhao ,
Ahmed E Radwan Open the ORCID record for Ahmed E Radwan [Opens in a new window]  and
Xinghua Wang
Teng Zhao
Affiliation:
School of Energy Resource, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing, 100083, China
Jibiao Zhang
Affiliation:
Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing, 100083, China
Wenlong Ding*
Affiliation:
School of Energy Resource, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Rui Zhao
Affiliation:
Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing, 100083, China
Ahmed E Radwan*
Affiliation:
Institute of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3a, 30-387, Cracow, Poland
Xinghua Wang
Affiliation:
Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing, 100083, China
*
Authors for correspondence: Wenlong Ding, Ahmed E. Radwan Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Authors for correspondence: Wenlong Ding, Ahmed E. Radwan Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
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Abstract

Previous hydrocarbon explorations in the middle of the Tarim Basin indicate that strike-slip faults play an important role in the development of Ordovician carbonate reservoirs and hydrocarbon accumulation. The SB5 fault in the Tarim Basin was the target of this investigation. An evaluation of the stress in situ was carried out and provided boundary conditions to build a 3D geomechanical model. The distribution and application of present in situ stress in the strike-slip fault were studied. The results show good agreement between the absolute measured stress in situ and the modelled stresses, revealing a different stress regime along the strike-slip fault. The uplift segment belongs to a strike-slip stress state, and other areas belong to a normal fault stress state. The strike-slip fault has a significant influence on the present in situ stress distribution. The direction of the maximum horizontal stress deflects near the fault and tends to be parallel to the fault strike. This work introduces a comprehensive evaluation of the present in situ stress of the fractured carbonate reservoirs controlled by the strike-slip fault system. The present in situ stress direction can clarify the propagation direction of hydraulic fracturing and serve to evaluate the effectiveness of natural fractures.

Keywords

strike-slip faultfinite-element simulationpresent in situ stressfractureTarim Basin
Type
FAULTS, FRACTURES AND STRESS
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 159 , Issue 11-12: THEMATIC ISSUE: Faults and fractures in rocks: mechanics, occurrence, dating, stress history and fluid flow , November 2022 , pp. 2361 - 2378
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

*

Teng Zhao and Jibiao Zhang contributed equally to this work, and they are co-first authors.

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