Utilizing Big Data in Upstream Oil and Gas to Refine Completion Technique in Unconventional Reservoirs

Oil rig at dusk being inspected.

Upstream oil and gas production deals with complex analysis of large data volumes related to the exploration and recovery of an asset. opens in a new windowBig data has helped maintain a competitive edge for the industry by proving as a tool for efficient decision-making for the upstream segment through an efficient understanding of the geological, production, and engineering aspects of a project. Integration and visualization of multi-disciplinary data have allowed engineers and geoscientists to reach more subtle conclusions regarding exploration, drilling, and production processes based on the interrelationship between variables. Integration and visualization software has made it easier for companies to analyze an existing plan and optimize the asset development process to derive positive economic results and manage risks in upstream operations.

Analysis of Big Data in Upstream Oil and Gas

Upstream oil and gas deals with a high level of investment risks given the complexity of the completion strategy, especially in unconventional reservoirs where uncertainties can be prevalent. Quantifying these uncertainties is important to refine and optimize the completion techniques. This can be done by leveraging big data in upstream oil and gas for improving the understanding of the petrophysical, lithological, and geological characteristics of an unconventional reservoir.

Companies spend millions of dollars to figure out the right completion technique for a reservoir. With the analysis of a large volume of data, asset teams can analyze multiple variables and build interrelationships to make the right approach in drilling and production.

  • Comparing observed seismic, production, and drilling data to a simulation model can help in identifying uncertainty, residual error, and improve the analysis.
  • With improved analysis of data over time, reservoir and drilling engineers can anticipate potential risks and failures.
  • The minimization of opens in a new windowuncertainty in unconventional reservoirs through data integration, correlation, and 3D mapping helps asset teams to accurately identify the target, improve drilling accuracy, and optimize production to achieve maximum productivity.

Refining Completion Technique with Big Data

Decision-making in opens in a new windowwell-completion strategies requires a broad knowledge of geospatial and temporal attributes which can be analyzed through the visualization and integration of data obtained through seismic surveys, opens in a new windowwell logs, tracer studies, and other data collection techniques. These data are often multi-disciplinary and require intense integration, effective analysis, and unified collaboration to derive an effective conclusion. This is where software platforms like CoViz 4D prove to be advantageous. Reservoir, drilling, and completion engineers, and geophysicists and geologists can interpret a large volume of structured and unstructured data in improving their opens in a new windowreservoir management approach.

Advanced technology provides large-scale optimization of completion techniques by:

  • Providing accurate visualization and complete understanding of nearby, new, and existing wells
  • Visualizing advantages and disadvantages of alternative strategies before implementation
  • Determining optimal injection strategy for a group of wells
  • Visualizing production patterns over a large area
  • Analyzing the rate of production decline

CoViz 4D: Analyzing Big Data in Unconventional Reservoirs

The end goal of a completion strategy is to maximize production. This can only be possible with accurate production design, planning, and execution. Analysis of big data in upstream oil and gas helps in reducing uncertainty and minimizing risk through multivariate analysis of the large volume of spatial and temporal datasets. Analyzing variable interrelationships allows asset teams to identify ideal strategies for completion.

CoViz 4D helps in the analysis by providing comprehensive data integration and visualization, allowing users to:

  • Visualize based on the selected area or basin to get information on wells and their productivity.
  • Detect existing or nearby wells to make the decision on sidetrack well drilling.
  • Identify production patterns as a whole rather than on a well-by-well basis for faster analysis.
  • Plot the decline curve of a well or the entire field over time to understand the rate of production and its cost-effectiveness.

Enhanced understanding with the analysis of a large data volume makes it easier for decision-makers to select an ideal completion approach that provides maximum recovery as well as a return on investment.

CoViz 4D, a data visualization analytics software from Dynamic Graphics, Inc., gives oil and gas professionals the ability to easily access and analyze relevant data associated with HPHT reservoirs. Powerful visualization capabilities enable reservoir teams to explore data relationships, calculate gradients, and more accurately analyze how subsurface conditions influence drilling and completion methods. To learn more about CoViz 4D contact our team.

FURTHER READING

The Importance of Integrated Reservoir Characterization in Geologic Modelling

Water saturation in the reservoir simulation model is co-visualized with 4D seismic for integrated reservoir characterization.Hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs are complex entities. Geoscientists understand that successful recovery requires detailed knowledge of an...

A Statistical Approach to Depth Uncertainty Analysis for Model Integrity

3D Depth Uncertainty Model: Depth uncertainty imported into well paths and displayed as cones of uncertainty indicating positional uncertainty to 1 Standard Deviation.Dealing with the fundamental uncertainty of subsurface environments and their hydrocarbon resources...

Mitigating Well Interference via Microseismic Data Visualization

Visualizing microseismic data and frac events in the context of offset wells, well logs, and geologic and reservoir models in CoViz 4D can reveal possible well interference occurrences and enable better decision making.To maximize production from low-permeability...

How Real-Time Drilling Data Analysis and Visualization Reduce Targeting Risks

Maximizing the recovery of hydrocarbon assets begins with a detailed understanding of geologic and petrophysical characteristics of the reservoir provided by well logs, interpreted seismic data, and reservoir models. With that information in hand, reservoir and...

Understanding Hydraulic Fracturing in Unconventional Reservoirs Through Microseismic Data Visualization

When it comes to hydraulic fracturing in unconventional reservoirs, microseismic data are most useful when integrated with other subsurface datasets in the form of geological or petrophysical data.Hydraulic fracturing is the best way to extract resources from...

4D Seismic Data Visualization: Why the 4th Dimension Is Just As Important As the Other Three

One seismic cube out of a time-lapse series shown with the velocity cube, different geologic models, reservoir simulation grid, production data, and well paths, completions and logs. Putting all this 3D and 4D data into a single environment provides a coherent history...

Seismic Reservoir Monitoring Through Visualization

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.

Quick, Accurate Relief Well Planning Using 3D Visualization Software

The crucial initial phase in the drilling of a relief well is the development of an extensive relief well plan. The planning requires geoscientists, drilling engineers, and well planners to have detailed information on the subsurface geology and its attributes as well...

Accessibility Tools
hide

Share on Social Media