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Overpressure Zones in Relation to In Situ Stress for the Krishna-Godavari Basin, Eastern Continental Margin of India: Implications for Hydrocarbon Prospectivity

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Petroleum Geosciences: Indian Contexts

Part of the book series: Springer Geology ((SPRINGERGEOL))

Abstract

An analysis for over pressure zone (OPZ) prevailing in parts of the Krishna-Godavari Basin (KG-B) at the Eastern Continental Margin of India (ECMI) is found promising from the viewpoint of its hydrocarbon potentials. Pressure coefficients estimated from pore pressure studies reveal that there is a rather extensive (lateral) OPZ in the study area than hitherto expected with maximum pressure coefficient of 1.31 or more. The stress magnitudes like vertical stress (Sv), minimum horizontal stress (Sh) and pore pressure gradient (PPG) and fracture pressure gradient (FPG) are predicted from well log data for 15 available wells distributed over an area of 6022 km2 in KG-B. The wells are drilled to depths of 3660 m on-land (#Wells 1–9) and up to 4000 m in offshore (#Wells 10–15). The PPG ranges from 11.85 to 13.10 MPa/km, whereas, the FPG varies from 17.40 to 19.78 MPa/km in sediments penetrated by the wells displaying normal pressured sediment to a significantly higher value of 19.78 MPa/km for the over-pressured sediments. The values of vertical stress gradient (VSG) varies from 14.67 to 23.10 MPa/km, whereas, the values of Sh magnitude varies from 64 to 77 % of the Sv in normally-pressured to over-pressured sediments. VSG, PPG and FPG tend to decrease with corresponding increase in water column for the studied offshore wells. These results are utilized for constructing contour maps for observing the variations in the VSG and in the OPZ-top, also for constructing PPG contour map in 3D along the vertical section connecting all 15 wells extending from onshore to offshore regions. Any significant increase in pore pressure means the decrease of effective horizontal stress in respect of depth. As a result, the safety windows or safe mud-weight windows (the difference between PPG and FPG corresponding to particular depth interval in a well) will also decrease with the increase of PPG and FPG. Analytical approach adopted above is then critically examined to recommend how a priori steps based on petrophysical characters of a formation are closely monitored in time and optimum mud weight maintained during drilling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Geophysics, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, 826004, India

    Rima Chatterjee & Dip Kumar Singha

  2. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Al Habeeb College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, 501503, India

    Suman Paul

  3. Department of Geology and Geophysics, King Saud University, PO BOX 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Manoj Mukhopadhyay

Authors
  1. Rima Chatterjee
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  2. Suman Paul
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  3. Dip Kumar Singha
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  4. Manoj Mukhopadhyay
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Correspondence to Rima Chatterjee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

    Soumyajit Mukherjee

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Chatterjee, R., Paul, S., Singha, D.K., Mukhopadhyay, M. (2015). Overpressure Zones in Relation to In Situ Stress for the Krishna-Godavari Basin, Eastern Continental Margin of India: Implications for Hydrocarbon Prospectivity. In: Mukherjee, S. (eds) Petroleum Geosciences: Indian Contexts. Springer Geology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03119-4_5

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