TY  - JOUR
A1  - Cacace, Mauro
A1  - Blöcher, Guido
A1  - Watanabe, Norihiro
A1  - Möck, Inga
A1  - Börsing, Nele
A1  - Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena
A1  - Kolditz, Olaf
A1  - Hünges, Ernst
T1  - Modelling of fractured carbonate reservoirs - outline of a novel technique via a case study from the Molasse Basin, southern Bavaria, Germany
JF  - Environmental earth sciences
N2  - Fluid flow in low-permeable carbonate rocks depends on the density of fractures, their interconnectivity and on the formation of fault damage zones. The present-day stress field influences the aperture hence the transmissivity of fractures whereas paleostress fields are responsible for the formation of faults and fractures. In low-permeable reservoir rocks, fault zones belong to the major targets. Before drilling, an estimate for reservoir productivity of wells drilled into the damage zone of faults is therefore required. Due to limitations in available data, a characterization of such reservoirs usually relies on the use of numerical techniques. The requirements of these mathematical models encompass a full integration of the actual fault geometry, comprising the dimension of the fault damage zone and of the fault core, and the individual population with properties of fault zones in the hanging and foot wall and the host rock. The paper presents both the technical approach to develop such a model and the property definition of heterogeneous fault zones and host rock with respect to the current stress field. The case study describes a deep geothermal reservoir in the western central Molasse Basin in southern Bavaria, Germany. Results from numerical simulations indicate that the well productivity can be enhanced along compressional fault zones if the interconnectivity of fractures is lateral caused by crossing synthetic and antithetic fractures. The model allows a deeper understanding of production tests and reservoir properties of faulted rocks.
KW  - Fractured carbonate geothermal reservoirs
KW  - Fault core and damage zone
KW  - In situ stress field
KW  - 3D mesh generator
KW  - OpenGeosys
KW  - Well productivity
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2402-3
SN  - 1866-6280
SN  - 1866-6299
VL  - 70
IS  - 8
SP  - 3585
EP  - 3602
PB  - Springer
CY  - New York
ER  -