A Quantitative Study of Fault Zone Sealing

Abstract: A fault is not simply a plane, but a zone consisting of a series of broken planes or lower faults. The greater the scale of faults, the wider and more complex the fault zone is. Fault‐sealing properties are influenced by the fault zone itself, whose fault displacement, depth, net‐to‐gross‐ratio of mudstone, fault plane angle, and fault mechanical properties play important controlling roles. The sealing of hydrocarbon by the fault zone depends on whether the fault zone can form a continuous sealing zone and if the pore throats connecting those fault zones are small enough. The concept of fault zone‐sealing potential is proposed here, and a quantitative formula is established by using a great amount of practical statistical data as well as the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, which is a comprehensive characterization parameter to judge whether or not fault zones could seal oil hydrocarbon. The greater the value of the fault zone‐sealing potential, the better sealed the fault is. For example, with increasing depth, the sealing degree of the Xin 68 Fault in the Dongxin 1 oilfield changes greatly, reflecting the complexity of fault‐sealing properties.