| Popis: |
The uncertainties of overpressure estimation are among the major challenges to the development of deep and hot reservoirs in many sedimentary basins especially with regards to drilling safety and well economics. However, because of the anticipated huge economic benefits of HPHT geological environments, stakeholders in the oil and gas industry consistently seek to have a good understanding of subsurface pressure systems in order to promote safe and sustainable investments therein. Accordingly, information is required to improve the regional knowledge of geopressures and for the calibration of functions aimed at optimising pre-drill pore pressure estimates for future wells. The Central North Sea, with its vast number of HPHT wells, pressure data, drilling information and documented operational experiences in exploration, drilling, development and production activities stands in a good stead as a "geopressure laboratory" for the fine-tuning of pore pressure prediction concepts, improvement of current geopressure practices and ultimately guide investment and operational decisions in the unexplored areas of the basin itself and elsewhere as geological realities could permit. For this reason, this study utilised downhole pressure-related data and wireline logs to evaluate the pressure regimes in the Central North Sea. The approach involved the quantification of overpressures using standard pore pressure prediction methods that make use of the density and velocity logs of mudstones. The results show that the estimated pore pressure profiles are consistent with measured pressure data in the Cenozoic formations, which makes it reasonable to assume that disequilibrium compaction is the cause of overpressure in this shallow section of the wells. Going deeper into the wells, within the sub-Chalk section, typical calibration parameters from log data could not be used to achieve reliable estimates of overpressures as was the case in the Cenozoic section. Remarkably, while it is possible to adjust the Eaton exponents in order to match estimates with measured data, a wide range of exponent values of between 4.0 and 7.0 is however required. The implication is that there is no systematic variation of the Eaton exponents with the amount of overpressure or depth of burial of the sub-Chalk strata. |
