Triangulating from the cairns…
This study presents results of outcrop characterization and modeling of lithologic heterogeneity within a well-exposed point bar of the Williams Fork Formation in Coal Canyon, Piceance Basin, Colorado. This deposit represents an intermediate-scale depositional element that developed from a single meandering channel within a low net-to-gross ratio fluvial system. Williams Fork outcrops are analogs to petroleum reservoirs in the Piceance Basin and elsewhere. Analysis and modeling of the point bar involved outcrop measurements and ground-based high-resolution light detection and ranging data; thus, the stratigraphic frameworks accurately represent the channel-fill architecture. Two- and three-dimensional (2-D and 3-D) outcrop models and streamline simulations compare scenarios based on different lithologies, shale drapes, observed grain-size trends, petrophysical properties, and modeling methods. For 2-D models, continuous and discontinuous shale drapes on lateral-accretion surfaces result in a 79% increase and 24% decrease in breakthrough time (BTT), respectively, compared to models without shale drapes. The discontinuous shale drapes in the 2-D and 3-D models cause a 30% and 107% decrease, respectively, in sweep efficiency because they focus fluid flow downward to the base of the point bar. For similar reasons, 2-D models based on grain size exhibit 67–267% shorter BTT and 44–57% lower sweep efficiency compared to other model scenarios. Unlike the 2-D models, the continuous shale drapes in the 3-D models cause the fluid front to spread out and contact more of the reservoir, resulting in 42–53% longer BTT and 41–52% higher sweep efficiency compared to the other models. These results provide additional insight into the significance of intermediate-scale heterogeneity of fluvial reservoirs.
Knowledge graph centered on Analysis and modeling of intermediate-scale reserv with 7 nodes and 9 connections. Top connected: Characterization and 3D reservoir modelling of flu, Rex D. Cole, New age constraints on the Late Cretaceous lower W, Matthew J. Pranter, Penny E. Patterson.
Items connected by shared entities, co-authorship, citations, or semantic similarity.