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Petrophysical and Acoustic Properties of Mechanically Compacted Shales - Evaluating Two Barents Sea Top Seal Sequences
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 78th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2016, May 2016, Volume 2016, p.1 - 5
Abstract
This study investigates petrophysical and acoustic properties of two experimentally compacted reconstituted seal sequences (Late Triassic Snadd and Early Cretaceous Kolmule Formations) from two localities (Goliat field and Saline discovery) in the SW Barents Sea. Four samples were chosen from cuttings of two exploration wells 7122/7-3 (Goliat) and 7220/10-1 (Salina) drilled in the study area. The washed and freeze dried cutting samples were characterized for grain size analysis, geochemical (organic content) and mineralogical compositions. A total of eight compaction tests (four dry and four brine-saturated) were performed in the laboratory to apply a maximum vertical effective stress of 50 MPa. The maximum compaction observed in Snadd shale aggregates collected from the Goliat well (4.5% porosity). In order to study compaction history and seal integrity, the experimental results were compared with well log data. It is clear from comparison that the mechanical compaction of reconstituted shale and mudstone samples can be capable of describing natural processes, providing valuable insights on the state of mechanical/chemical compaction, and helping the seal integrity assessments. The results of this study will have applications in rock physics, basin modelling and top seal integrity.