Difference of in situ stress regime dependent on Structural position and geomechanical characteristics, Case study- Gachsaran and Asmari formations, SW Iran

Estimation of in-situ stress tensor in sedimentary basins using information obtained from exploration and development oil and gas wells during the drilling and logging process may be used for estimation of in-situ stress tensor in sedimentary basins. The in-situ stress magnitude and orientation and the resulting stress regime around the studied wells have been several application in secondary recovery programs from hydrocarbon reservoirs as well as wellbore stability analysis. In this paper, the magnitude of in-situ stress is estimated by using abovementioned data in some oil wells located in the south west of Iran. Increasing the oil production by hydraulic fracturing design and sand control in the multi-layer reservoirs such as the Marun giant oil field with loose sand horizons and also improving drilling performance in the Gachsaran formation requires knowledge about the prevailing stress conditions. This research, tries to analyze the stress regime of the Asmari and Gachsaran Formations around the selected wells in the Marun and Lali fields using constructed Mechanical Earth Models (MEM) and their differences are discussed. The calculated stress magnitudes in studied wells indicate a significant drop in magnitude of horizontal stresses from the Gachsaran to Asmari reservoirs in the Marun oil field. The magnitudes of the three principal stresses resulted that SHmax is the maximum principal stress and the Shmin is the minimum principal stress, thus a strike-slip stress regime (SHmax>Sv>Shmin) dominates in the Gachsaran sequence and the Asmari formation of the Lali oil field. however, in the Gachsaran formation of Marun giant oil field, stress regime is reverse-strike slip but normal stress regime is dominated in it's Asmari reservoir. The In-situ stress condition indicates that the structural condition and the depth difference of these structures plays an important role in the tectonic stress regime changes.