Capillary Pressure of Pressure Solution Seam-based Faults in Carbonates


Rock Fracture KNOWLEDGEBASE

Agosta (2006) and Agosta et al. (2007) presented capillary pressure results from mercury injection analysis of two uncemented fault rock samples from fault cores of a normal fault in platform carbonates, Fucino Basin, Central Italy.

The breakthrough pressure is taken as the mercury-air capillary pressure that corresponds to 10% of cumulative intruded mercury. This pressure is 349 MPa (50 Psi) for one sample and 25.5 MPa (3.7 Psi) for the other (Figure 1). The seal potentials are 77 and 5.7 m for gas and 140 and 10.4 m for oil.

Figure 1. Capillary pressure versus cumulative percent intrusion for samples of uncemented fault rock, UFR1 and UFR2. From Agosta (2006).

Reference:

Agosta, F., 2006. Deformation mechanisms, architecture, and petrophysical properties of large normal faults in platform carbonates and their role in the release of CO2 from earth’s interior in Central Italy . PhD Thesis, Stanford University.

Agosta, F., Parasad, M., Aydin, A., 2007. Physical properties of carbonate fault rocks, Fucino basin, central Italy: implications for fault seal in platform carbonates. Geofluids 7: 19-32.