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Explaining long-range fluid pressure transients caused by oilfield wastewater disposal using the hydrogeologic principle of superposition

Explications des pressions de fluides transitoires à longue portée engendrées par le stockage d’eaux usées de champs pétrolifères à l’aide du principe de superposition hydrogéologique

Explicación de los transitorios de presión de fluidos a largo alcance causados por la eliminación de aguas residuales de yacimientos petrolíferos utilizando el principio hidrogeológico de superposición

利用水文地质叠加原理解释油田废水处理引起的远距离流体压力变化

Explicando as pressões transientes de fluidos de longo alcance causados pela disposição de águas residuais de campos de petróleos utilizando o princípio hidrogeológico da superposição

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Abstract

Injection-induced earthquakes are now a regular occurrence across the midcontinent United States. This phenomenon is primarily caused by oilfield wastewater disposal into deep geologic formations, which induces fluid pressure transients that decrease effective stress and trigger earthquakes on critically stressed faults. It is now generally accepted that the cumulative effects of multiple injection wells may result in fluid pressure transients migrating 20–40 km from well clusters. However, one recent study found that oilfield wastewater volume and earthquake occurrence are spatially cross-correlated at length-scales exceeding 100 km across Oklahoma. Moreover, researchers recently reported observations of increasing fluid pressure in wells located ~90 km north of the regionally expansive oilfield wastewater disposal operations at the Oklahoma-Kansas border. Thus, injection-induced fluid pressure transients may travel much longer distances than previously considered possible. This study utilizes numerical simulation to demonstrate how the hydrogeologic principle of superposition reasonably explains the occurrence of long-range pressure transients during oilfield wastewater disposal. The principle of superposition states that the cumulative effects of multiple pumping wells are additive and results from this study show that just nine high-rate injection wells drives a 10-kPa pressure front to radial distances exceeding 70 km after 10 years, regardless of basement permeability. These results yield compelling evidence that superposition is a plausible mechanistic process to explain long-range pressure accumulation and earthquake-triggering in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Résumé

Les tremblements de terres induits par l’injection sont aujourd’hui fréquents sur l’ensemble du centre du continent des Etats-Unis d’Amérique. Ce phénomène est. principalement causé par le stockage d’eaux usées issues de champs pétrolifères dans les formations géologiques profondes, ce qui induit des transferts de pressions transitoires qui diminuent les contraintes effectives et déclenchent des séismes au niveau de failles sous d’important contrainte. Il est. aujourd’hui généralement accepté que les effets cumulés de multiple puits d’injection peuvent avoir pour résultat des transferts de pression de fluides qui migrent à 20-40 km de distance par rapport aux grappes de puits. Cependant, une étude récente a montré que les volumes d’eaux usées de champs pétrolifères et l’occurrence des séismes sont corrélées spatialement sur des distances qui dépassent 100 km en Oklahoma. En outre, les chercheurs ont récemment rapporté des observations d’augmentation de la pression des fluides dans les puits situés à ~90 km au nord des vastes opérations de stockage d’eaux usées d’un champ pétrolifère à la frontière entre l’Oklahoma et le Kansas. De plus, les transitoires de pression induits par l’injection de fluides pourraient voyager bien plus loin que ce qui était considéré possible auparavant. Cette étude utilise des simulations numériques pour démontrer comment le principe de superposition en hydrogéologie explique raisonnablement l’occurrence de transfert de pression à longue distance pendant le stockage d’eaux usées de champs pétrolifères. Le principe de superposition stipule que les effets cumulatifs des puits de pompage multiples s’additionnent et les résultats de cette étude montrent que seulement neuf puits d’injection à haut débit entrainent un front de pression de 10-kPa à des distances radiales qui excèdent 70 km après 10 ans, quel que soit la perméabilité du sous-sol. Les résultats fournissent des preuves convaincantes que la superposition est. un processus mécaniste plausible pour expliquer l’accumulation de pression de longue portée et le déclenchement des tremblements de terre en Oklahoma et au Kansas.

Resumen

Los terremotos inducidos por inyección tienen ahora una ocurrencia regular en todo el medio continente de los Estados Unidos. Este fenómeno es causado principalmente por el vertido de aguas residuales de yacimientos petrolíferos en formaciones geológicas profundas, lo que induce transitorios de presión de fluidos que disminuyen la tensión efectiva y desencadenan terremotos en fallas sometidas a esfuerzos críticos. En la actualidad se acepta generalmente que los efectos acumulativos de múltiples pozos de inyección pueden dar lugar a transitorios de presión de fluidos que migran de 20 a 40 km de los grupos de pozos. Sin embargo, un estudio reciente encontró que el volumen de aguas residuales de los campos petroleros y la ocurrencia de terremotos están espacialmente correlacionados a escalas de más de 100 km a lo largo de Oklahoma. Además, los investigadores reportaron recientemente observaciones de un aumento en la presión de fluidos en pozos localizados ~90 km al norte de las operaciones de disposición de aguas residuales de los campos petroleros en la frontera entre Oklahoma y Kansas. Por lo tanto, los transitorios de presión del fluido inducidos por la inyección pueden transitar distancias mucho más largas de lo que antes se consideraba posible. Este estudio utiliza la simulación numérica para demostrar cómo el principio hidrogeológico de la superposición explica razonablemente la ocurrencia de transitorios de presión de largo alcance durante la eliminación de aguas residuales de yacimientos petrolíferos. El principio de superposición establece que los efectos acumulativos de los pozos de bombeo múltiples son aditivos y los resultados de este estudio muestran que sólo nueve pozos de inyección de alta caudal conducen un frente de presión de 10-kPa a distancias radiales superiores a 70 km después de 10 años, independientemente de la permeabilidad del basamento. Estos resultados arrojan evidencia convincente de que la superposición es un proceso mecanicista plausible para explicar la acumulación de presión de largo alcance y la activación de terremotos en Oklahoma y Kansas.

摘要

注入诱发地震现在在美国大陆中部经常发生。这种现象主要是由于油田废水进入深部地质体而引起的, 从而引起流体压力变化, 它降低了有效应力并在临界应力断层上引发了地震。目前人们普遍认为, 多次注入井的累积效应可能导致自井群中迁移20–40 km的流体压力变化。但是, 最新一项研究发现, 在超过100 km的距离范围, 俄克拉荷马州油田废水量和地震出现相互关联。此外, 研究者最近汇报, 在俄克拉荷马州-堪萨斯州边界的区域性扩展油田废水处理作业的向北约90公里处的井中, 仍观测到流体压力不断升高。因此, 注入引起的流体压力变化可能比以前认为的距离更长。这项研究利用数值模拟来说明水文地质叠加原理如何合理地解释油田废水处理过程中远距离压力的变化。叠加原理表明, 多个抽油井的累积效应是累加的, 并且这项研究的结果表明, 不管地下渗透率如何, 仅9个高速率注水井在10年后就将10kPa的压力锋扩散的径向距离超过70 km 。这些结果提供了令人信服的证据, 表明叠加是解释俄克拉荷马州和堪萨斯州的长期压力累积和地震触发的合理的机理过程。

Resumo

Terremotos induzidos por injeção são atualmente ocorrências regulares no centro dos Estados Unidos. Esse fenômeno é causado, primariamente, pela disposição das águas residuais dos campos de petróleo em formações geológicas profundas, que induzem pressões transientes de fluidos que diminuem o estresse efetivo e desencadeiam terremotos em falhas com estresse crítico. É geralmente aceito que os efeitos acumulativos de múltiplos poços de injeção podem resultar em pressões transientes de fluídos migrando de 20–40 km do agrupamento de poços. Entretanto, um estudo recente encontrou que o volume de águas residuais de campos de petróleo e a ocorrência de terremotos são correlacionados espacialmente em escalas superiores a 100 km ao longo de Oklahoma. Além disso, pesquisadores recentemente reportaram observações de crescimento na pressão de fluido nos poços localizados ~90 km ao norte da expansão regional das operações de disposição das águas residuais dos campos de petróleo na fronteira Oklahoma-Kansas. Assim, pressões transientes de fluidos induzidas por injeção podem transitar distâncias maiores que considerado possível previamente. Esse estudo utiliza simulação numérica para demonstrar como o princípio hidrogeológico da superposição explica razoavelmente a ocorrência de pressões transientes de longo alcance durante a disposição de águas residuais de campos de petróleo. O princípio da superposição declara que os efeitos acumulativos de múltiplos poços de bombeamento são aditivos e os resultados desses estudos demonstram que apenas nove poços com alta taxa de injeção conduzem a uma pressão de 10-kPa em frente a distâncias radiais superiores à 70 km após 10 anos, independentemente da permeabilidade basal. Esses resultados produzem evidências convincentes que a superposição é um processo mecânico plausível para explicar a acumulação de pressão de longo alcance e o gatilho de terremotos em Oklahoma e Kansas.

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Acknowledgements

The author extends sincerest gratitude to Dr. Martin C. Chapman for insightful discussions about injection-induced seismicity. Computational resources were provided by Advanced Research Computing at Virginia Tech. The author also thanks Dr. Stuart Gilfillan and one anonymous reviewer for their thoughtful reviews of this manuscript. This study is based upon work supported by the US Geological Survey under Grant No. G19AP00011. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Geological Survey. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the US Geological Survey. The author declares no conflict of interest.

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Pollyea, R.M. Explaining long-range fluid pressure transients caused by oilfield wastewater disposal using the hydrogeologic principle of superposition. Hydrogeol J 28, 795–803 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-019-02067-z

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