Will it or won't it flow!! - A Novel Approach to Understand and Characterize the Fractures for Fluid Conductivity in Basement Reservoirs

Abstract

Abstract Madanam field in Cauvery basin in the east coast of India, has fractured gneissic basement. As exploration focus moved to unconventional reservoirs, the gneissic basement of Madanam was seen as a potential reservoir. However, ambiguity existed about the fluid flow through the basement. For example, in Madanam field, one well (well A) flowed whereas another well (well B) located 8.5 km away had minor flow from the basement reservoir that lasted 2 days. The main purpose of this study was to find possible reasons for this anomalous behavior. This study was conducted by integrating sonic and image measurements with a geomechanics workflow to identify critically stressed open fractures. Further, this work aims to provide a fit-for-purpose solution to optimize and prioritize testing zone selection in near real time.