Petex: Reducing Exploration Risk in the Barents Sea
Do the faults connect or cut off the reservoir? MOVE's fault analysis brought clarity to a Barents Sea Jurassic prospect's true potential.
In the Barents Sea, understanding the behaviour of a series of trap-bounding normal faults was critical to evaluating the commercial potential of a Jurassic sandstone prospect.
Exploration success depended on accurately estimating reservoir thickness, compartmentalisation and the likelihood of hydrocarbons moving across faults. However, uncertainty in fault geometry and structural evolution made it difficult to assess these risks confidently.
The team needed a way to understand how the fault system had evolved and what impact it had on trap development and reservoir connectivity.
The PETEX structural geology team applied restoration, fault displacement analysis and fault juxtaposition analysis within MOVE to test the geological interpretation and evaluate how fault evolution influenced reservoir compartmentalisation and prospectivity.
The work helped validate models of reservoir compartmentalisation, improve confidence in reservoir thickness estimates and provide a clearer understanding of how fault evolution influenced prospectivity across the area.
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