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Seismic Reservoir Monitoring Through Visualization

A 3D view of a reservoir with seismic integrated with geologic models, well logs, and a planned wellpath.

A 3D view of a reservoir with seismic integrated with geologic models, well logs, and a planned wellpath. Data courtesy Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center and U.S. Department of Energy.

An ideal design, development, and management plan for hydrocarbon asset development comes from having a better understanding of  all known geological and petrophysical aspects of the subsurface. But given the dynamic nature of the reservoir and its attributes, petroleum professionals can encounter some complexities in the process of in-depth analysis. This gives rise to the uncertainty that affects decision-making on the development and production processes. Seismic reservoir monitoring acts as an effective strategy in minimizing subsurface uncertainties by facilitating the tracking of attribute changes and analyzing the potential effect of this variation in the oil and gas recovery process.
CoViz 4D is an effective platform where engineers and geoscientists can easily collaborate and visualize reservoir characteristics with the help of reservoir simulation models that can ideally mimic the actual subsurface environment. It allows the integration of a wide range of data including time-variant seismic data to help monitor the changes in the reservoir over time. With an in-depth understanding, asset teams can easily evaluate the potential challenges and make informed decisions.

The Seismic Reservoir Monitoring Approach

A seismic reservoir monitoring system, regardless of the maturity of the oilfield, is aimed at the opportunity to capture the dynamic nature of the reservoir through the utilization of temporally spaced 3D seismic surveys. Throughout the lifetime of the asset development project, a large volume of data can be collected and analyzed for an efficient seismic reservoir monitoring system to track the variations in reservoir attributes over time. The ability to access these time-variant data enables tracking of change patterns. This understanding can be crucial in minimizing the uncertainty and ambiguity regarding the subsurface and making an accurate forecast.
CoViz 4D can facilitate the quantitative and qualitative analysis of these large data volumes. The platform can integrate time-variant seismic data, or 4D seismic data, with other multi-disciplinary data including well logs, production data, fluid injection rates, and geological models. The integration of these different data and models assist reservoir engineers, geologists, and geophysicists to get an in-depth understanding with:
  • Evaluation of reservoir properties variation due to production activities
  • Detection of fluid migration changes over time with any potential influence from faults and fractures
  • Detection of micro-seismic events over time to analyze the potential impact on the production process
The insight on the varying reservoir conditions on a temporal level fosters the monitoring process, enabling asset teams to identify obstacles and develop effective strategies.

Resources: Monitoring to Enhance Reservoir Performance

The Benefits of Leveraging a Reservoir Monitoring System
Enhanced Monitoring of Subsurface CO2 Storage by Visualizing Volume Over Time
4D Seismic Monitoring of Reservoir Change Through Visualization
Application of Real-Time Well Monitoring for Optimized Productivity
Microseismic Monitoring: Measuring the Effectiveness of Reservoir Stimulation
Time-Lapse Seismic Reservoir Monitoring: Simple Integration of Visualized Data

Utilizing Visual Analysis as a Monitoring Tool

Integration of multi-disciplinary data, including reservoir simulation, 4D seismic, seismic attribute extractions, structure model, and production data.

Seismic reservoir monitoring requires the ability to analyze in greater depth, all the relevant subsurface attributes that may have the potential to impact the production process in the long run. With CoViz 4D, it is possible to make this analysis with the integration of a large volume of spatial and temporal datasets. It is possible to co-visualize the 3D/4D data and models, which helps an interpreter to recognize any temporal variations in the data.

Visualization, along with 4D animation, provides the opportunity to analyze reservoir conditions over time and assist in refining the reservoir simulation model to best match the actual field condition. Asset teams can utilize this evolved model to make quick interpretations and informed decisions. Through visual iteration of 4D seismic data with other volumetric subsurface data, it is easier for engineers to:
  • Identify changes in pressure, saturation, and fluid volume.
  • Identify missed reservoir compartments as well as locate drained compartments.
  • Optimize well placement to support maximum recovery.
  • Reduce uncertainties in reservoir development and production.

CoViz 4D also provides seismic history matching capabilities which can be helpful in the seismic reservoir monitoring process. With the Sim2Seis module of CoViz 4D, engineers can create a synthetic seismic volume that asset teams can compare with actual seismic responses to facilitate the creation of a time-variant petroelastic model. The model can be used to identify areas that differ from the reservoir simulation and changes in reservoir conditions.

CoViz 4D: Minimize Uncertainty to Maximize Recovery

CoViz 4D also provides seismic history matching capabilities which can be helpful in the seismic reservoir monitoring process.

With the capabilities of CoViz 4D and its Sim2Seis module, it is now feasible to visualize an accurate simulation of the reservoir at its correct geospatial position and reflect its changing dynamics. The software enables multidisciplinary teams to collaborate for the identification of various data relationships and analyze the effect of attribute variation in the overall hydrocarbon production and recovery process. The provision for effective monitoring of reservoir conditions develops a detailed understanding which fosters asset teams’ capability of developing effective mitigation strategies to eliminate the potential risks and obstacles and ensure maximum recovery in a cost-effective manner.

CoViz 4D, a data visualization analytics software from Dynamic Graphics, Inc., gives geologists, geophysicists, and reservoir engineers the ability to easily access and combine all relevant data associated with subsurface environments. Powerful analytic capabilities enable users to explore data relationships, analyze the accuracy of depth conversion of 3D seismic, and visualize seismic well ties and velocity models to facilitate decisions that positively impact profit and reduce operational risk. To learn more about CoViz 4D contact our team.

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