AES/TG/13-16 Static Reservoir Model of Crevasse Splays in the Colorado River System, Salar of Uyuni, Bolivia
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AES/TG/13-16 Static Reservoir Model of Crevasse Splays in the Colorado River System, Salar of Uyuni, Bolivia August 19th 2013 Yadir Alexander Torres Carranza Title : Static Reservoir Model of Crevasse Splays in the Colorado River System, Salar of Uyuni, Bolivia Author(s) : Yadir Alexander Torres Carranza Date : August 2013 Professor(s) : Dr. M.E (Rick) Donselaar Dr. Gert Jan Weltje Supervisor(s) : Dr. M.E (Rick) Donselaar Dr. Gert Jan Weltje TA Report number : AES/TG/13-16 Postal Address : Section for Applied Earth Science Department of Geoscience & Engineering Delft University of Technology P.O. Box 5028 The Netherlands Telephone : (31) 15 2781328 (secretary) Telefax : (31) 15 2781189 Copyright ©2013 Section for Applied Earth Science All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, Stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, In any form or by any means, electronic, Mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, Without the prior written permission of the Section for Applied Earth Science Static Reservoir Model of Crevasse Splays in the Colorado River System, Salar of Uyuni, Bolivia Reservoir Modeling Master of Science Thesis For obtaining the degree of Master of Science in Reservoir Geology at Delft University of Technology Yadir Alexander Torres Carranza MSc. August 19th 2013 I Delft University of Technology Copyright ©2013 - Yadir Alexander Torres Carranza MSc. All rights reserved. II Delft University of Technology Department of Applied Earth Science The undersigned hereby certify that they have read and recommended to the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geoscience for acceptance a thesis entitled ‘Static Reservoir Model of Crevasse Splays in the Colorado River System, Salar of Uyuni, Bolivia’ by Yadir Alexander Torres Carranza MSc in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Dated August 19th 2013 Supervisor: Dr. M.E (Rick) Donselaar Supervisor: Dr. Gert Jan Weltje Reader: Dr. M.G.G. De Jong III This is dedicated to the memory of my Grandmother Rosita, wherever you are, I will never forget you… IV Abstract The Altiplano Basin (Bolivia) exhibits one of the best examples of dryland river systems with a low gradient, where it is possible to obtain field data to build 3D high-resolution geological models of different sediment bodies. This study presents the development and understanding of a 3D geological model for crevasse splays deposited in this kind of basin. The data used consists of sediments in-situ and remote sensing data (satellite images). The integration of field and remote sensing data shows that the grain size has a better correlation with the channels location than the RGBD information from the satellites images. Likewise, with the grain size model, it is possible to visualize that porosity is not highly affected by the clay content, and due to the small grains, the initial predicted porosity is around 49 to 56%, which can be reduced to values below 7% because of overburden. According to grain size and porosity, permeability is around 350 to 600 mD, due to grain size distribution at surface conditions. These petrophysical properties are appropriated for gas storage and they can accumulate up to 3 MSCM of gas reserves in one single crevasse splay. As observed in the field, crevasse splays are vertically stacked resulting in a high net to gross ratio, and increasing gas reserves up to 300 MSCM of gas in-situ, making these reservoirs an attractive target for exploration in fluvial systems. V Acknowledgements “Life's as kind as you let it be” Charles Bukowski The completion of this MSc project would not have been possible without the financial support provided by Delft University of Technology and Delft University Fund Foundation (Ufd). Likewise, I would like to thank my supervisors Dr Rick Donselaar and Dr Gert Jan Weltje for their unconditional support, guidance and all the knowledge and experience provided. I would like also to thank Menno Bloemsma and Jiaguang Li, who were an important help during the field data acquisition and the subsequent processing stages. I am deeply grateful for the outstanding family I have, who have been always by my side giving me support and enlighten me during the tough moments. Special thanks to my girlfriend Andrea for being with me all this time helping me and encourage me every single moment with warm words and inspiring actions. Thank my heart for getting into my life at the right time and the right moment. Finally, I would like to express my infinite thanks to my grandmother Rosita, who showed me all the beauty things in life even during her last moments. Thanks ‘Abuelita’ for being always there. VI Abbreviations ALR Additive-log-ratio av Specific internal surface area Bgi Initial gas formation volumetric factor BRV Bulk rock volume CLR Centered-log-ratio cm Centimeters FDP Field Development project GIIP Stock gas in place GPS Global Positioning System GS Grain Size GSD Grain Size Distribution H2O2 Hydrogen Peroxide HCl Hydrochloric acid k Permeability km Kilometers m Meters Ma Million Years mD Millidarcy MSCM Millions of standard cubic meters NTG Net to gross RCM Reservoir cubic meters RGBD Red, Green, Blue, Darkness SCM Standard cubic meters Sg Gas Saturation XN Crossed Nicols Z Depth μm Microns τ Tortuosity φ Porosity VII Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... V Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... VI Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ VII Contents ................................................................................................................................... VIII List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... X List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. XIV 1. Geological Setting .................................................................................................................... 4 1.1. The Altiplano Basin .......................................................................................................... 4 1.1.1. Basin Evolution ........................................................................................................ 6 2. Data Acquisition and Methodology ....................................................................................... 11 2.1. Image Analysis ....................................................................................................... 16 2.2. Laser Analysis......................................................................................................... 18 3. Field Data Interpretation ....................................................................................................... 21 3.1. Structural Model ................................................................................................ 21 3.2. Facies model ...................................................................................................... 22 4. Grain Size Modeling ............................................................................................................... 31 4.1. Grain Size Data Analysis ................................................................................................ 31 4.2. Grain Size Model............................................................................................................ 45 VIII Contents 5. Crevasse Splay Static Model .................................................................................................. 56 6. Results & Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 71 References ................................................................................................................................. 74 Appendixes .................................................................................................................................... 79 IX List of Figures Figure 1. Study Area of the project ‘Modeling of Fluvial Systems in Semi-Arid Endorheic Basin’. ................................................................................................................. 2 Figure 2. Study Area Map. ............................................................................................... 5 Figure 3. Maximum extension of former larger lakes during the Holocene. (Modified from Ericksen 1989) ............................................................................................................ 8 Figure 4. Correlation between Glacial formations and lacustrine deposits in paleo- lakes. (Modified from Servant & Fontes, 1978). ................................................................. 9 Figure 5. Lakes elevation in the Quaternary - Altiplano Basin (Modified from Lavenu, 1991). .......................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 6. Block diagram of the Colorado River (not to scale). Lower coastal plain in grey. Modified from Donselaar, Gonzalo Cuevas, & Moyano, 2012. ............................... 10 Figure 7. Crevasse Splay identification along the Colorado River. Google Earth Pro