RESUMO
When modelling onshore sedimentary basins, modellers generally assume that semi-permeable layers (aquitards) greatly restrict vertical flow between aquifers. Aquitards are therefore considered as confining media and vertical flow is assumed to take place mainly within localised permeable faults, if any. In the offshore context, however, interpretation of seismic data frequently provides evidence of fluid flow between sedimentary layers via structurally disrupted formations (pervasive fractures) recognised as zones of reduced seismic amplitude and generically called "chimneys". Here we show that chimneys are also present onshore, and that they crosscut confining layers. In the Anglo-Paris Basin, seismic data suggest 1 to 2 km wide zones of disrupted seismic signal spatially correlated to a hitherto unexplained major temperature anomaly of 20 °C. When included in geothermal models using a five-order increase in permeabilities with respect to confining layers, we find that fluid flows vertically through aquifers and confining layers, thereby explaining this major temperature anomaly. Despite the importance of their hydrodynamic and thermal impacts, chimneys - less obvious than faults - have been overlooked as fluid flow paths in many onshore sedimentary basins exploited for their resources. This indicates a clear need for better understanding of pervasive flow paths, especially as the resources and properties of basins (i.e. conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons, geothermal potential, CO2 storage, nuclear waste repository, drinking water, etc.) are increasingly being harnessed.
RESUMO
In order to characterize the so-called coupled processes occurring in compacted clay rocks, the coupling coefficients must be identified. For this purpose, an original device which allows such measurement for undisturbed (natural) samples in their in situ conditions was developed. The present experimental device minimizes the fluid leaks improving the accuracy of the coupling parameter determination. Three chemical osmotic tests were performed on a cylindrical sample of Callovo-Oxfordian argilite. Room temperature variations during the chemical osmosis experiments required the implementation of temperature effects in the numerical model used for the interpretations. These variations offered the opportunity of an alternative method to estimate the compressibility of the fluid in the circuit connected to a measurement chamber located in the center of the sample. An osmotic efficiency of almost 0.2 for a concentration of 0.094 mol L(-1) is obtained for the Callovo-Oxfordian argilite. This value would explain only some part (approximately 0.10-0.15 MPa) of the overpressures (0.5-0.6 MPa) relative to the surrounding reservoirs measured in this formation. Others processes, such as thermo-osmosis, hydrodynamic boundary condition changes due to climate variations or creep behavior of the shale, could explain the remainder of the overpressures.
