Institut Francais Du Pe'trole

Renaud Divies

William Sassi

A Method for modeling, from an initial undeformed state, the evolution of a rock basin in the course of time taking into account a) the sliding along major tectonic discontinuities with internal deformation of sediments and at the same time b) mechanical compaction due to burial of sediments by tectonic deformation or sedimentation. After first subdividing the geological objects in the basin into a number of layers or banks by limits (stratigraphic discontinuities defining banks, faults defining imbricate structures, etc.) whose geometric positions are known, the banks are defining by grids. The tectonic deformation of each modeled layer is determined separately taking its thickness and length into account as far as possible, and the grids are modified to take into account the compaction associated with the degree to which the grid elements are buried. All the intermediate geometries of the evolution process are obtained incrementally. The model thus constructed gives information on the variation in permeability, expulsion of fluid by compaction, and heat transfers on the scale of the basin by circulation of fluids. The method has an application to finding underground hydrocarbon reservoirs.

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Neuilly, France

Renaud Divies