A three dimensional representation of the fracture network of a CO2 reservoir analogue (Latera Caldera, Central Italy)

Fault zones as well as fractures, whether developed in sediments, sedimentary or crystalline rocks, are structurally heterogeneous. Building models of fractures media it is not a simple task. The high degree of heterogeneity occurring in fractured reservoirs can make difficult to predict the distribution of porosity and permeability in the system. An approach based only on statistical and numerical methods may include a high grade of uncertainty (e.g., Billaux et al., 1989). Data from outcrops representative of reservoir rocks can help reducing uncertainties and increasing confidence in numerical and statistical models. The purpose of this work is to create simulation properties with the power to predict the reservoir behaviour in term of permeability and fluid flow simulation. By modeling the fractures explicitly, one can honour the spatial relationships between properties in adjacent cells. Fracture modeling is a multi-step process involving several disciplines within reservoir characterization and simulation.