N505 Use of Time-Lapse Seismic Data in Reservoir Surveillance and Management

Course Facts

Course Code:: N505
Duration:: 3 days
Type:: Classroom
CEU:: 2.4 Continuing Education Units
PDH:: 24 Professional Development Hours
Certificate:: Certificate Issued Upon Completion

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Course Outline

Summary

This course will provide an overview of the use of Time Lapse (4D) seismic data in field development. It provides participants with the skills to use 4D seismic data in new well planning, reservoir management and well management. The course covers 4D acquisition, processing and interpretation with an emphasis on the practical application to real field development problems and the value generated from analysis of time-lapse to understand the behaviour of producing reservoirs. It starts from first principles and introduces the participant to the full range of 4D technologies and practices including some of the latest developments such as permanent seismic monitoring, automatic history matching with 4D seismic and the use of artificial intelligence.

The emphasis of the course is on integration of 4D seismic with other subsurface data and the collaboration of subsurface disciplines to work together to make the best use of time-lapse seismic data to solving real problems in field development.

Duration and Training Method

This is a 3-day classroom course using examples, computer exercises, and case studies and discussion. Participants are required to bring along a laptop or Macbook running Microsoft Office.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will learn to:

Understand how the seismic signal changes in time and is influenced by dynamic processes such as changes in pressure, saturation, temperature and compaction
Understand the relationship between reservoir processes and data sampling to determine how often 4D seismic should be acquired to maximise value
Conduct feasibility studies including core analysis for pressure sensitivity and petrophysical studies for analysing the impact of changes in saturation on the seismic signal.
Distinguish the different methods of acquiring 4D seismic data, the different quality of data acquired and when each should be used
Appreciate the issues and limitations involved in processing 4D seismic data and the implications for interpretation and value generation such as the vertical and horizontal resolution.
Understand the range of analysis techniques and workflows available for relating 4D seismic data to reservoir properties.
Integrate 4D seismic data with data from other subsurface disciplines for better management decisions
Build 4D data into full field simulator models, sector models and single well models for evaluating different field management scenarios.
Interpret 4D seismic data in field management scenarios through selected case examples. Understand the influence of baffles and barriers on 4D seismic data. Relate 4D seismic data to pressure, compaction, water saturation and gas saturation. Appreciate the importance of uncertainty quantification.
Engage management through communicating the value of seismic of 4D Seismic in different field management situations including well planning, waterflood management, maximising field recovery and well surveillance.

Course Content

Introduction

Overview and objectives
A brief History of Time-Lapse Seismic with examples
Relating 4D to Business Decisions.

Maximising Reserves Recovery
The three criteria for value.
Cost vs quality vs timing

Forward trends in the industry

Fundamental Principles

Basics of the seismic method

P-waves, shear waves
2D vs 3D vs 4D seismic
Reflections, refractions, ghosts, noise

Seismic Response to production (some maths here)

Seismic response to velocity, density, Poisson’s ratio
Visco-acoustic, visco-elastic, anisotropy and attenuation
Seismic sampling - Frequencies and resolution
4D noise and repeatability
4D sensitivity

Reservoir Behaviour during production and how this impacts seismic data

Pore pressure and compaction
Pore fluids
Temperature

An Introduction to the Reservoir Management & contribution from 4D seismic

Well planning
Water management
Gas management and CO2 monitoring
Well management and surveillance
Tools for managing reservoirs - Static Modelling, Dynamic Modelling, Geomechanics

4D Acquisition

4D Towed Streamer
Repeat Nodes Surveys
Repeat VSP Surveys
Permanent Reservoir Monitoring (Land)
Permanent Reservoir Monitoring (Marine)
Well Based monitoring including 4D VSPs and fibre optic monitoring
Recent Advances: Seabed Sources, semi-permanent nodes, Fibre-optic seabed monitoring
Choosing the right 4D technology: Cost vs quality vs timing

4D Processing

Processing overview and Parallel Processing

Matching the data volumes and matching the people
Towed streamer vs OBS

Seismic Repeatability and the treatment of 4D noise

Ambient noise
Positioning and timing changes
Overburden effects
Tides, currents and temperatures
Recording equipment characteristics
Acquisition issues
Processing sequence and software issues

Amplitude and timeshift preservation
Calibration to a reference horizon
Resampling and interpolation
4D imaging

Migration of 4D data
Full Waveform Inversion
Joint inversions

4D Analysis

The Petro-elastic model
Rock Properties

Porosity and Permeability
Velocities in porous rocks
Compressional waves, shear waves, and moduli
Bulk density and bulk stiffness

Pressure/Stress Sensitivity

Laboratory core pressure measurements
Velocity versus Stress
Pore pressure and confining pressure
Attenuation and Dispersion

Fluid Sensitivity

Pore fluid properties: oil, gas, brine, fluid mixtures
Velocity versus Porosity relationships
Gassmann Modelling and Fluid Substitution
CO2 injection modelling

Presenting and Integrating 4D data

Presentation of time-shift data
Quadrature Plots vs AI inversion (including coloured inversion)
Elastic Impedance, lithology and fluid impedance volumes
4D AVO and AI-GI cross plots
Separating pressure and saturation effects
Seismic to simulator: closing the loop
Managing Multiple Datasets
Deeper integration techniques: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Practical Workflows and working in Asset Teams

Working with Geologists: integrating 4D data in static reservoir models
Working with Reservoir Engineers: Integrating 4D data with Reservoir Models
Working with Well Planning Teams: Using 4D data in well planning
Working with Production Engineers: Integrating 4D data in single well models and the “Seismic PLT”
Working with Geomechanics Experts on stress models
Working with CO2 monitoring: Using 4D seismic to monitor CO2 injection (sequestration)

Managing 4D Studies

Business Case
Feasibility Studies
PRM engineering feasibility studies
Depletion Planning
Surveillance Plans
Business Case: frequency of seismic surveys; Long term seismic planning; Impact on reservoir decisions; Impact on reserves and recovery; Evaluating as part of the depletion plan;

4D Case Histories

Forties (4D, North Sea)
Schiehallion (4D North Sea)
Baobab (4D, Ivory Coast)
Peace River (Seismovie)
Valhall (PRM, North Sea)
Mars (Nodes, Gulf of Mexico)

Who Should Attend and Prerequisites

Who should attend

This course is designed for geoscientists and engineers working in field management. It is suitable for people from all subsurface disciplines including geologists, geophysicists, petrophysicists, reservoir engineers, geomechanics experts and subsurface managers. Different aspects of the course will involve detail in different subsurface specialisms but the emphasis is on integration and collaboration to solve reservoir problems.

Prerequisites and linking courses

There are no prerequisite courses but participants should have a basic understanding of seismic data and be familiar with the concepts of reservoir management and surveillance. Experience working in a subsurface asset team would be an advantage. Courses N085 (Introduction to Seismic Interpretation) and N004 (Rock Physics and Seismic Amplitude Interpretation) cover some useful background.

Dates for this Course

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