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Palaeo-Overpressure in the Barents Sea and its influence on trap breaching

Stephen OConnor*, Sam Green, Richard Swarbrick*, Paul Green**, Alexander Edwards*, Jakob Heller * and Mark Diaz***
*

Ikon GeoPressure, Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3UZ, England (s.a.oconnor@geopressure.co.uk).

** GeoTrack International, Adelaide, Australia *** IHS, Tetbury, UK

Since the first well was drilled in the Barents Sea in 1980, discoveries have been made proving that a viable petroleum system exists. Subsequently, one producing field (Snohvit) and oil accumulations such as Goliat (to start production in 2013), Nucula and Obesum further demonstrate the potential of the region as an emerging petroleum province. Recently, discoveries have occurred in the Bjrnyrenna Basin (7220/8-1) and further north on the Bjarmeland Platform (7225/3-1). However, the system is still not fully understood since there are dry holes, some with shows, and from our experience there is a strong possibility of seal breach (or hydraulic top-seal failure) in the past. These results are a consequence of the complicated geological and pressure history of the Barents Sea that includes several periods of exhumation and erosion, causing re-distribution of hydrocarbons within the basin. Overpressure is a key control for understanding fluid movement within a basin and can therefore be utilised to predict the likely location of hydrocarbons. Where overpressures are high, as observed in some areas of the basin such as the Ringvassy-Loppa Fault Complex, traps are at risk due to tensile or shear failure, causing leakage of hydrocarbons to shallower levels at the present time. Where overpressures are anomalously low, lateral drainage of pressures and fluids is suggested, setting up the possibility of hydrodynamic flow and nonstructural controls on hydrocarbons and up-dip migration of hydrocarbons. From our regional analysis of pressures in the Barents Sea from 82 exploration and appraisal wells, the majority of current reservoir pressures are close to hydrostatic. However, as the basin has under-gone multiple phases of exhumation and re-burial, there is a high possibility that palaeo-reservoir pressures were higher, and therefore resulted in breaching of top-seals and migration of fluids. In addition, as pressures can only be measured directly in porous rocks such as sands and/or carbonates, many existing basin models calibrate their results using current pressure test data; however, as these data are often affected by lateral drainage/natural depletion recently in the geological timescale, calibrating basin models to

current reservoir pressures is incorrect. Instead, calibration should be to the encasing shale pressures that reflect true burial-related overpressure, a function of the palaeo-burial history. This paper will review the distribution of overpressures in the Barents and establish zones of high and low overpressure. We then use a combination of Apatite Fission Track, Vitrinite Reflectance and Thermal Reconstruction data, in addition to an understanding of pressure dissipation rates and evolution of shale pressures to comment on the relationship between pressure history and seal breach of gas-prone reservoirs and their implications for undrilled prospects. We summarise the exhumation history and include discussion of top of overpressure, hydrostatic and overburden gradients, fracture pressure, perfectly sealed reservoirs, gas- vs. water-filled reservoirs), pressure profiles caused by disequilibrium compaction or other secondary mechanisms such as gas generation and pressure dissipation rates.

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