The growing need for better definition of flow units and depositional heterogeneities in petroleum reservoirs and aquifers has stimulated a renewed interest in outcrop studies as reservoir analogues in the last two decades. Despite this surge in interest, outcrop studies remain largely two-dimensional; a major limitation to direct application of outcrop knowledge to the three dimensional heterogeneous world of subsurface reservoirs. Behind-outcrop Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) imaging provides high-resolution geophysical data, which when combined with two dimensional architectural outcrop observation, becomes a powerful interpretation tool. Due to the high resolution, non-destructive and non-invasive nature of the GPR signal, as well as its reflection-amplitude sensitivity to shaly lithologies, three-dimensional outcrop studies combining two dimensional architectural element data and behind-outcrop GPR imaging hold significant promise with the potential to revolutionize outcrop studies the way seismic imaging changed basin analysis.
Earlier attempts at GPR imaging on ancient clastic deposits were fraught with difficulties resulting from inappropriate field techniques and subsequent poorly-informed data processing steps. This project documents advances in GPR field methodology, recommends appropriate data collection and processing procedures and validates the value of integrating outcrop-based architectural-element mapping with GPR imaging to obtain three dimensional architectural data from outcrops.
Case studies from a variety of clastic deposits: Whirlpool Formation (Niagara Escarpment), Navajo Sandstone (Moab, Utah), Dunvegan Formation (Pink Mountain, British Columbia), Chinle Formation (Southern Utah) and St. Mary River Formation (Alberta) demonstrate the usefulness of this approach for better interpretation of outcrop scale ancient depositional processes and ultimately as a tool for refining existing facies models, as well as a predictive tool for subsurface reservoir modelling. While this approach is quite promising for detailed three-dimensional outcrop studies, it is not an all-purpose panacea; thick overburden, poor antenna-ground coupling in rough terrains typical of outcrops, low penetration and rapid signal attenuation in mudstone and diagenetic clay- rich deposits often limit the prospects of this novel technique.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/25919 |
| Date | 14 January 2011 |
| Creators | Akinpelu, Oluwatosin |
| Contributors | Miall, Andrew |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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