Predicting transmissibilities of carbonate-hosted fault zones
This study aims to better understand the controls on carbonate fault seal in order to predict and model the influence of faults on fluid flow in the subsurface. Analysis of the main controls on fault rock formation and their respective permeabilities from several carbonate-hosted fault zones of varying displacements is used in this study to enhance our ability to predict and calculate the seal behaviour of carbonate faults, including their transmissibility and transmissibility multipliers. This has been done by examining the varying deformation style in different carbonate lithofacies and the resultant microstructures of each carbonate fault rock type and linking this to their measured petrophysical properties. Crucial factors on fault rock development has been discovered as being the juxtaposition of different carbonate lithofacies and fault displacement. These factors have significant control on the variety of deformation mechanisms active in fault rock production, fault rock permeability and hence a fault's hydraulic behaviour. Higher displacement fault zones creating juxtaposition of different carbonate lithofacies have less impact on flow than lower displacement fault zones.