Stratigraphic Dip Analysis – A Novel Application for Detailed Geological Modeling of Point Bars,and Predicting Bitumen Grade,McMurray Formation,Muskeg River Mine,Northeast Alberta |
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| Authors: | Milovan Fustic |
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| Institution: | (1) Albian Sands Energy Inc., Fort McMurray, AB, Canada;(2) Present address: NEXEN Inc., Calgary, AB, Canada;(3) Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy and Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4 |
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| Abstract: | At the Muskeg River Mine, bitumen is hosted in the clastic sediments of the lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation. Within the
mine area, the McMurray Formation is divided informally into mappable units representing fluvial, continental floodplain,
open estuarine, estuarine channel complex (ECC), and marine environments. Fluvial, open estuarine, and ECC deposits host more
than 90% of the mineable bitumen reserves. Bitumen grade is more consistent within the fluvial and open estuarine units (12–15 mass%),
whereas ECC sediments are characterized by significant lateral and vertical grade variability (0–15 mass%). In the ECC deposits,
bitumen grade is controlled by significant reservoir heterogeneity. Facies assemblages including point-bar deposits (PB),
abandoned channel-fills (AC), and tidal flat deposits (TF), create complex internal geometries, architectures and associated
reservoir properties. Traditional facies mapping and correlation has proven to be difficult even in closely spaced wells for
the ECC deposits of the McMurray Formation; thus, an alternative technique using concepts of Stratigraphic Dip Analysis (SDA)
was developed to assess bitumen grade for the deposits at the Muskeg River Mine. This approach involves three main steps:
(l) juxtaposing azimuth maps (rose diagrams) over horizon slice facies maps for selected stratigraphic intervals to identify
major channel trends (paleo-current directions); (2) comparison of dips, with corresponding sedimentary structures allows
for a better prediction and geometries of point bars and abandoned channel-fills; and (3) comparison of dip trends with dominant
lithology of facies assemblages and available bitumen grades provides a base for accurate delineation of architectural elements.
A detailed case study is presented and shows that this approach provides a base for accurate delineation of architectural
elements and confirms that bitumen grade decreases laterally with inferred maturity of point bar successions. |
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| Keywords: | Oil sands dip analysis dipmeter inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS) point bar reservoir architecture |
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