A renewed look at calcite cement in marine-deltaic sandstones: the Brent Reservoir, Heather Field, Northern North Sea, UK

Worden, RH ORCID: 0000-0002-4686-9428, Morrall, Glen T, Kelly, Sean, Mc Ardle, Peter and Barshep, Dinfa V (2019) A renewed look at calcite cement in marine-deltaic sandstones: the Brent Reservoir, Heather Field, Northern North Sea, UK. In: Application of Analytical Techniques to Petroleum Systems. Geological Society,London.

There is a more recent version of this item available.

	Text Worden-Morrall GS Spec Publ.v3 24-1-2019 with figures.docx - Author Accepted Manuscript Download (3MB)
	Text Worden et al GeolSocSpecPubl Heathe calcite GSLSPECPUB18-043PROOF1.pdf - Submitted version Download (1MB)

Abstract

Wireline and seismic acoustic impedance imaging show that the marine part of the clastic Brent Group reservoir in the Heather Field, Northern North Sea, contains much calcite cement in the flank parts of the structure. The non-marine Ness Formation and crest parts of the structure contain negligible calcite cement. This localised calcite cement has led to relatively poor reservoir performance since first oil in 1978 although a new suite of wells has boosted production with plans to keep the field active until 2030. Understanding the origin and distribution of calcite cement would help the development of more realistic reservoir models and boost production rates through optimum well location. We have thus used a suite of techniques, including standard point counting, SEM-EDS mineralogy, BSE microscopy, fluid inclusion thermometry and stable isotope analysis, to develop new and improved models of calcite distribution. Calcite seems to have attributes of both early and late diagenetic cement. 30 to 40% intergranular volume in calcite cemented beds seems to support pre-compactional growth but high temperature fluid inclusions and the presence of primary oil inclusions suggests late growth. Much calcite may have developed early but it seems to have recrystallized, and possibly undergone redistribution, at close to maximum burial or had a late growth event. Calcite cement probably originated as marine-derived micrite, bioclasts or early marine cement but adopted the isotopic characteristics of high temperature growth as it recrystallized. Quartz grains have corroded outlines in calcite-cemented areas with one sample, with 79 % calcite cement, displaying signs of nearly total replacement of quartz grains by calcite. The flank localisation of calcite remains to be explained although it could be due to primary depositional factors, early diagenetic loss of calcite from crestal regions or late diagenetic loss of calcite from crestal regions. Controversially, the growth of calcite seems to be associated with quartz dissolution although the geochemical and petrophysical cause of this remains obscure. Diagenetic loss of quartz from sandstones cannot easily be explained by conventional modelling approaches and yet seems to be an important phenomenon in Heather sandstones.

Item Type:	Book Section
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	21 Mar 2019 10:05
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 00:56
DOI:	10.1144/SP484-2018-43
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3034560