Stress distribution around kerogen particles as a measure of the initiation of bitumen-filled microfractures in organic-rich source rocks
Akbar N. Wicaksono,
Israa S. Abu-Mahfouz,
Erdem Idiz,
Joe Cartwright,
J. Carlos Santamarina,
Volker C. Vahrenkamp
Affiliations
Akbar N. Wicaksono
Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955 Saudi Arabia
Israa S. Abu-Mahfouz
Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955 Saudi Arabia; Department of Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding author.
Erdem Idiz
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
Joe Cartwright
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
J. Carlos Santamarina
Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955 Saudi Arabia
Volker C. Vahrenkamp
Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955 Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT: In this article, we present a method used to model the initiation of bitumen-filled microfractures in immature, organic-rich source rocks. The first part presents the method used to calculate the stress distribution around the kerogen particles. The second part explains the method used to calculate the pressure change as a function of the transformation ratio and the resulting overpressure. • The effective principal stresses acting on the kerogen boundary were calculated. • Kerogen geometries were determined using the measured aspect ratio of the kerogen traces obtained from the petrography observation. • To estimate overpressure, the increase in pressure due to the transformation of kerogen to bitumen was calculated.
