Ternary fault permeability diagram: An innovative way to estimate fault zones hydraulics

Understanding the impact of fault zones on reservoir trap properties is a major challenge for variety geological resources applications. Fault in cohesive rocks are complex structures, composed 3 components: rock matrix, damage zone fractures and core rock. Despite diversity methods to estimate permeability/drain properties, up date none them integrate simultaneously all three components, nor their evolution with time. In this paper, we present ternary plot that characterizes permeability as well drainage properties. The aims at characterizing between vertices (matrix, permeability) defining drain among 4 possible hydraulic systems: (I) good horizontal vertical, fault-perpendicular -parallel; (II) moderate parallel fluid pathway; (III) fault-core (IV) fractures. method valid or 2 components zones. application Castellas field case study (SE France) shows simplicity efficiency studying underground cropping out active and/or fossil, simple polyphase faults reservoirs complete limited data.