Oil well performance analysis delivers greater value when the calculations, simulations, modeling, and monitoring of production metrics can be evaluated in an environment that facilitates the sharing of all relevant information and collaborative analysis by engineering teams. Today, visualization and analysis software solutions are giving reservoir engineers greater ability to more efficiently develop forecast estimates…
One of the critical factors in successful integrated reservoir management is an operator’s ability to utilize data acquired throughout the life of a reservoir to determine the best development and production strategies to maximize recovery. Integrating various sources and formats of reservoir data seamlessly is often a big hurdle in efficient and effective reservoir management.…
An accurate understanding of reservoir conditions and activities benefits every member of the reservoir management team throughout the entire lifecycle of a reservoir. That’s an obvious statement to make, but the reality is that achieving that level of understanding to proactively monitor a reservoir requires the ability to integrate, visualize, and analyze a wide range…
The water/oil ratio (WOR) is one of the more important metrics in calculating the economic value of a producing well. Reservoir engineers calculate water cut to update reserve and ultimate oil recovery estimates and refine the decline curve over the life of a well. With a WOR trending toward 100%, production engineers, reservoir engineers, and…
Microseismic monitoring is helping reservoir engineers plan and execute more effective stimulations to maximize recovery. Over the past two decades, innovations in surface array and downhole geophone technologies—combined with algorithms that filter “noise” from sources such as pumping and surface operations—have improved the accuracy of locating and characterizing microseismic events. As a result, reservoir engineers…
The initial development phase of conventional oil and gas plays often delivers less than 50% of recoverable hydrocarbons. The majority of today’s oil and gas production comes from mature wells. Current oil prices do not encourage the exploration and development of new fields. These factors motivate operators to look for economic means to extend the…
To maximize production from low-permeability reservoirs, well planners strive to locate wells without creating well interference that reduces pressure or production. It’s often a balancing act, but with modern well planning software providing a detailed, 3D model of reservoir geology and other subsurface features, well planners can determine well paths that minimize well interference. However,…
Effective well and reservoir management depends upon timely access and analysis of relevant data associated with hydrocarbon assets. Volumes of diverse data are acquired throughout the life of a reservoir, from preliminary seismic analysis to daily production data indicating well performance. Taken individually, these data provide incomplete, but nonetheless valuable, insight regarding reservoir characteristics—geologic formations,…
Multilateral well drilling technologies have evolved significantly since being pioneered in the Bashkiria fields in Russia in 1953. Today, the diversity of drill string and bottom hole assembly designs combined with the ever-increasing volumes of subsurface data allow operators to more accurately understand geological conditions, identify risks, and plan and drill multilateral wells to maximize…
Reservoir engineers have the benefit of ever-greater volumes and varieties of reservoir data available to drive development and operational decisions. Yet, utilizing these data sources to provide a more detailed and accurate model of subsurface conditions remains one of the biggest industry challenges. Fortunately, a software solution, CoViz 4D from Dynamic Graphics, Inc., is helping…