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In-situ stress orientation was measured in 17 wells throughout the Scott field in order to predict the orientation of waterflood induced fractures. The Scott field is heavily faulted and significant variations in in-situ stress orientation were found between different fault blocks. The in-situ stress orientations appear to be strongly controlled by the orientation of the local faults and tectonics. The direction of maximum horizontal stress appears rotated 30° to 50° on either side of the NNW-SSE regional compression trend generally found in the North Sea. In most cases, the maximum horizontal stress is parallel to the orientation of nearby normal and wrench faults, as would be predicted by a tectonic model of such faulting. However, the tectonics of the region suggest that the rotation of the regional stress field from fault block to fault block is due to the presence of the faults rather than active faulting. The orientation of the in-situ stress was determined from shear acoustic anisotropy measurements on cores from 5 wells and from wellbore elongation measurements in 13 wells. The two methods show very similar orientations within the same fault block. No statistical variability in stress orientation was noted between different formations or with depth. Shear acoustic anisotropy utilizes the polarization of shear acoustic waves propagating through oriented core samples and has proven to be very reliable in determining stress orientation. The observed wellbore elongations in the field do not appear due to breakouts. The character, magnitude, placement, and orientation of the wellbore elongations strongly support the premise that the measured elongations were due to drilling or coring induced wellbore fractures. Previous experience by the authors and other recently published observations support this conclusion and the reliability of these elongations for the determination of stress orientation.

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