Application of fluid inclusions to studies of fractured sandstone reservoirs

Fluid inclusion studies of fractured reservoirs enable the determination of the fluid flow history through the rock. Homogenisation temperatures of hydrocarbon and aqueous inclusions in the fracture fill and in the host rock sandstone allows individual fluid flow events to be distinguished, and the relative timing of hydrocarbon migration can be constrained. Combined with petrographic techniques, inclusion studies enable reservoir cements and oil migration to be placed in chronological order. Petrographic studies can determine the timing of fracture development relative to hydrocarbon fluid migration by examining the spatial relationships of the vein fill. Oil inclusion suites often reveal several pulses of oil, which can be compared with oil in the current pore space to determine the evolution of the oil charge through time. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.