Data visualization and analysis plays a critical role in mature oil field redevelopment. Whether it’s identifying infill drilling candidates, workover candidates or EOR strategies, CoViz 4D enables better understanding and improved decision-making for increasing recoverables while keeping risks and costs to a minimum.
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.
Evaluating Mature Oil Field Conditions
Ultimately, mature oil field redevelopment is an economic decision that is best made with extensive integration and analysis of large multi-disciplinary datasets. Reservoir simulation models updated with the latest production, petrophysical, and geologic data can provide a current estimate of remaining oil and gas.
Integrate and visualize relevant oil field data to better understand complex factors influencing mature oil field conditions. Data used with permission of owner.
Historical production data from individual wells, as well as aggregate reservoir analysis, visualized in the context of the latest seismic interpretation, can point to reasons for production decline. Did a well water-out faster than expected? Was a well produced too fast? Is coning the source of the decline? Did certain regions experience faster decline than others or are all wells underperforming? Accurate answers to these questions often require access to, integration of and analysis of a wide range of data sources. The capability to efficiently achieve this task can be found in DGI’s CoViz 4D.
Data Integration and Visualization: Critical for Mature Oil Field Redevelopment
The ability to integrate, visualize, and analyze all relevant reservoir data—seismic, geophysical, petrophysical, reservoir simulations, well logs, completions, production— that is included within DGI’s CoViz 4D helps reservoir teams collaboratively assess conditions, diagnose problems, identify bypassed oil, and begin to explore and evaluate mature oil field stimulation options by:
- combining historical production data with structural, stratigraphic, and seismic mapping to identify infill well sites with the greatest potential
- evaluating geophysical properties, formation pressures, and in-situ stresses to develop drilling strategies to access untapped zones in depleted, multilayered reservoirs
- reviewing development and production history of nearby fields to learn which strategies and techniques positively impacted mature oil field redevelopment
Reservoir teams gain additional insight when these data are integrated and visualized to depict the oil field development over time (4D). CoViz 4D’s animation can show how production and decline in an oil field evolved as new wells were drilled, or recompleted, and production volumes, (gas, oil, water) varied in response to new wells.
Animating data across time (4D) shows how development and operational decisions have impacted well production. Green = oil, blue = water, orange = injector well.
2D maps and overlays can only depict a few variables. A 3D visualization can better depict a larger number of attributes, variables and volume of data in their correct geospatial subsurface location. A 4D analysis enables temporal visualization of data in their correct geospatial location so individual members of a reservoir team can review reservoir development and performance in a compressed time period to see how past development and operational decisions have affected reservoir production. This temporal analysis can generate insights that may otherwise go unnoticed, and guide reservoir engineers in making mature oil field redevelopment decisions that maximize production and recovery.
Data Visualization and Analysis Drive Mature Oil Field Redevelopment Decisions
With a collaborative, interdisciplinary analysis of a mature oil field facilitated by 3D and 4D visualization, engineers and geoscientists are far better prepared to determine the appropriate EOR strategies and techniques. Utilizing CoViz 4D to review and analyze production history, evaluate property averages and attributes in seismic space and cellular space, or updating reservoir models via a 4D seismic history matching workflow can reveal previously unrecognized reserve recovery opportunities, that may include:
- Temporarily idle a well to increase production from nearby wells.
- Identify a new injection site to enhance the current waterflood strategy and boost production.
- Locate areas where infill drilling presents the best method to enhance recovery.
- Apply previously unused EOR recovery techniques such as gas, iWAG displacement, chemical (polymer, dilute surfactant, or micellar), or thermal injection wells.
- Initiate recompletion or fracture treatments for existing wells or new wells.
Software Is Critical
Software solutions developed for the petroleum industry play a critical role in integrating the diversity of discipline-specific data sources associated with oil field development and production. Once integrated, those data can then be visualized and analyzed to diagnose declining production problems, determine appropriate EOR methods, as well as identify previously unrecognized areas for potential development. DGI’s CoViz 4D data integration and visualization tools significantly enhance a reservoir team’s ability to analyze the complex factors affecting oil field decline and collaboratively develop cost-effective strategies to extend the production life of an oil field.
CoViz 4D, a data visualization analytics software from Dynamic Graphics, Inc., gives reservoir teams the tools to easily integrate relevant data associated with mature oil fields. Powerful visualization capabilities enable teams to explore the complex data relationships that influence oil field development and production and analyze how data changes over time. These capabilities enable reservoir teams to determine the best strategies regarding mature oil field redevelopment. To learn more about CoViz 4D contact our team.
