1. Petroleum Geology Class 745
Heat Flow in Sedimentary Basins
Petroleum Geology Class 745
Spring 2002
Istvan Csato
University of South Carolina
Department of Geological Sciences

2. Heat Flow in Various Tectonic Settings
Welte et al. (1997)

3. Subsidence Rates of Basins
Angevine et al. (1990)

4. rC(dT/dt) = d/dz [kz (dT/dz)] – vzrwCw (dT /dz) + A
Heat Flow Equations
Fourier’s law:
q= kg q – heat fow
k – thermal conductivity
g – thermal gradient
T= To + (q/k)Dz
Heat transport equation:
rC(dT/dt) = d/dz [kz (dT/dz)] – vzrwCw (dT /dz) + A
r - bulk density
C – bulk heat capacity
rw – fluid density
C – fluid heat capacity
vz – fluid velocity
A – radioactive heat generation
per unit volume per unit time

5. Bottom-hole Temperature
Deming (1997)

6. Thermal Conductivity Kpr = km(1-F)kwF k = 1.0 – 4.5 W/mK
Ungerer et al. (1990)
Deming and Chapman (1988)
Kpr = km(1-F)kwF
k = 1.0 – 4.5 W/mK
m – matrix
w – pore fluid

7. Sedimentation Rate and Heat Flow
Deming (1997)

8. Heat Flow and Thrusting
Wygrala et al. (1990)

9. Heat Flow and Salt
Heynisch et al. (1987)

10. Heat Flow and Fluid Flow
Willet and Chapman (1987)

11. Heat Flow and Fluid Flow
Majorovitz et al. (1985)

12. Heat Flow Data Young (<25 Ma) rift basins: 90-120 mW/m2
Foreland basins: mW/m2
Intracratonic basins: mW/m2
Deming (1997)