Fracture Modeling Petrel 2010

Fracture Modeling
Intro

Theorethical
Background

Modeling Fracture
Parameters

Building Fracture
Model

Import/Display

QC and use Fracture

Attribute Data

Initial Data
Analysis

Upscaling

Fracture model with

Multiple Fracture Drivers

Simulation

Building a Fracture network model

Overview

Petrel Methodology (DFN + IFM)

Create a Fracture network model
Use Intensity upscaled logs
Use Zones and Regions
Create Stochastic and Deterministic Fracture sets

Visualize and QC the fracture model

Create/update Fracture attributes
Aperture
Permeability

Building a Fracture network model

Petrel methodology
Petrel combines two approaches to standard fracture modeling by the
use of a Hybrid model:
Discrete Fracture Network (DFN): The large/important fractures are
modeled explicitly as discrete patches
Implicit Fracture Model (IFM): The residual part of the distribution
(smaller fractures) is statistically represented as grid properties

Building a Fracture network model

Overview

Fracture sets
Create a Fracture model using single input
Or using several fracture sets.
Deterministic / Stochastic model
Uses a direct input or models the fractures
stochastically based on input statistcs
Stochastic Fracture modeling
Model fractures sets for the whole 3D
grid, per Region or within Zones.
A fracture model requires 3 basic inputs:
1. Fracture Distribution
2. Fracture Geometry
3. Fracture Orientation

Building a Fracture network model

What are Fracture sets?
Fracture sets
Can typically be fractures analyzed from image
logs, separated by genetic events, orientation or
other factors.

Fracture set 1 Fault related

Fracture set 2 Stratabound

Fracture Network Combined 3 Fracture Sets

Fracture set 3 Unconstrained vertical

Modified from Mattner (2003)

Building a Fracture network model

Deterministic Model
Deterministic Fracture model:
Can typically be single faults that act as fluid highways, or
possible barriers if sealed by intense smearing
Input data types:

Fault Patches from Ant tracking

Fault surfaces/polygons/points

Existing Fractures (import .FAB files)

Building a Fracture network model

Stochastic Model
Stochastic Fracture model:
Can typically be fractures where location, size and
orientation is not directly known, but can be inferred from
statistics.
Extent
Defines Fracture network or Set representing:

Zones

Regions

Entire 3D Grid

Apply Property Filter

Building a Fracture network model

Fracture distribution
Fracture Intensity
Most important fracture
parameter. Related to
fracture spacing (Sf).

Scale independence
P11/Sf Dependant on orientation,
Independant of fracture size

2D Areal view - P22

1D Vertical view P11

Sf

Sf

Sf

Sfe
Modified from Dershowitz & Herda (1992)

P22 Fracture length/plane area

Random line
Measurement line (e.g.borehole)

Same Fracture spacing

Same Fracture intensity

Fracture centres x 2
Fracture length x 1/2
P11 Fracture centre/length
Sf Fracture spacing
Sfe Expected fracture spacing

Building a Fracture network model

Stochastic model 1. Fracture distribution
Density distribution types

Property

Surface

Constant value

Define density distribution

Frac / Volume (P30)

Frac Length / Volume (P31)

Frac Area / Volume (P32)

Equivalent
to Petrel

1?, 7?, 10?

Frac Area / Volume (P32)

Scale independant; most used
in 3D fracture modeling

Building a Fracture network model

Fracture geometry

Stratabound
Restricted size scale with regular spacing.
Joints (constant normal distribution).
Non-stratabound
Wide size range (power law), spatially
clustered and vertically persistent.

SCALE / SHAPE

Joints - modeled in a Zone

Faults - modeled in entire Grid

STD.DEV

MEAN

STD.DEV

Building a Fracture network model

Stochastic model 2. Fracture geometry
Shape
Defines how the simplified fracture plane
should look like (number of sides)

Elongation ratio can be set larger for

stratabound fractures

Not Modeled

Fracture length
Use constant or property as parameter for
distribution of fracture length in the model

20

1000

Note: you should truncate to limit

the number of modeled fractures

Building a Fracture network model

Stochastic model 2. Fracture geometry
Max length of implicit fractures
Defines the threshold where any fractures below the value are modeled as Implicit
properties (IFM), and all values above are modeled as Discrete fractures (DFN).

Max length cutoff

Building a Fracture network model

Fracture orientation
Orientation of fracture dip angle/azimuth
Directions for normal to fracture planes are scattered
around a mean dip and azimuth based on a
given concentration.
Common parameters:

Mean dip from initial fracture analysis

Mean dip azimuth direction of fracture plane

dip (not strike!)

Concentration (Kappa factor) angular

Standard deviation

Focussed distribution
High Kappa factor
Medium focussing
Here: for near vertical fractures
Scattered/uncertain distribution
Low Kappa factor; here for
near horizontal fractures

Building a Fracture network model

Stochastic model 3. Fracture orientation
Regional Trends
Defined orientation of the modeled
fracture dip/orientation will be
relative to a 3D Grid / Surface.

Method
Petrel uses 3 different models to
describe the distribution of angles:
Fisher, Kent and Bingham.

Concentration = 10
No trend

Regional trend

Concentration = 80

Building a Fracture network model

Result (DFN)
Fracture model output (discrete planes)
A separate Discrete fractures folder will be created showing
fractures as flat planes.

Building a Fracture network model

Result (IFM)
Fracture model output (continuous properties)
A separate Implicit fractures folder will be created showing
fractures as attribute properties.

Note: The Fracture sets

filter also works for the
Implicit fractures

QC Fracture Model
Statistics
QC Discrete fractures in Histogram/Stereonet tab
Inspect output distributions with input parameteres. Use interactive filters
(pink selection) in both tabs for all attributes. New attributes can be generated
and filtered on as well. Filtered property name is marked in red.
Filtered fracture property

Interactive
filter
selection

Stereonet filter options

Gray region will be

filtering the poles
to the fracture planes

Update Fracture Attributes

Fracture attributes
Aperture
Aperture (a) is a highly uncertain parameter, but can be measured from image logs at the
well scale. Alternatively, as a first run, a constant value can be assigned, e.g. per
fracture set. Aperture may also be determined mechanically; related to fracture
size/length.
Aperture (FVA)
Hydraulic aperture (FVAH)

Aperture (a) Spacing (Sf)

Update Fracture Attributes

Fracture attributes
Flow/Permeability
Flow can generally be related the Cubic Law if no other measures are available.
Permeability is assumed to increase exponentially with interconnection of fractures
/ sets. It can also be calibrated to production data / flow measurements / well tests.
Sheet model
Match
sticks
model

Sugar
cube
model

Calculated Fracture Permeability (Kf)

As a simple approach we assume a Sheet model
(parallel sets of fractures with equal spacing).
We relate individual Fracture Permeability
(Kf) to the Square of Aperture (Flow to Cube
of aperture)

Modified from Reiss (1980)

Isolated fractures

Modified from Mattner (2003)

Isolated fracture zones/corridors

Interconnected fractures

Update Fracture Attributes

Discrete fracture attributes Calculator
Units & Functions
Discrete fractures are created with fracture attributes; some are already set like
Dip and Azimuth; some can be calculated/updated like Aperture and Permeability.

Aperture (ft) = Length (ft) * Normal (Mean, Std.dev)(ft)

Perm (mD) = 1/12 * Aperture 2 (ft) * C

Derived from Surface area (ft2) of Fracture plane

Fracture length = sqrt (area*elongation ratio)

Be aware of Units when using the Calculator!

Derived from Length (ft);
must be converted to m

Conversion factor:
1 mD = 10-15 m2

Update Fracture Attributes

Discrete fracture attributes Calculator
Calculator & Spreadsheet
Calculate or update existing attributes.
Calculations are updated in the Attribute spreadsheet.

Attributes used in Upscaling

Pre-calculated values (not updateable)

Process-calculated values (updateable)

QC Fracture Attributes
Statistics
Histogram Statistics
QC the calculated attributes Aperture and Permeability. Check if the distribution,
mean and dimension are as expected.

EXERCISES
Module 7

P.216 - 250