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ABSTRACT:
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Real-Time Reservoir Monitoring and Control |
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Valeri Korneev at Berkeley National Lab has developed a low cost method for real-time seismic monitoring of underground fluid reservoirs based on tube-wave analysis. The method is capable of providing an automated daily update of the changes between wells, informed by data that includes readings from reservoirs at drilling depths. The accurate and expansive monitoring capabilities provided by this next generation technology will enable field operators to detect changes in the reservoirs as oil is pumped out of reservoirs and water is pumped in. Such monitoring will enable users to obtain information about water front propagation in the reservoirs to prevent premature water flooding, reservoir disintegration, and well-blocking.
The Berkeley Lab technology is based on the use of tube-waves that are excited in one well and recorded in others at large offset distances. The effectiveness of the tube-wave monitoring technology was demonstrated in a field test where the tube-wave train showed good correlation with the well-studied, multilayered reservoir structure. Wave propagation between wells occurs at reservoir depths and therefore the expected changes in the amplitude and travel times of the waves are directly affected by property changes in the reservoir.
Traditionally, tube-waves are regarded as a source of high amplitude noise in borehole seismic data. However, their very large amplitudes and propagation distances have proven to be excellent qualities for use in monitoring large reservoirs. Their low dispersion rates also make them easy to stack and identify. The use of body waves for reservoir monitoring is expensive and measurement distances are restricted by higher attenuation, making the method nearly impossible to employ on daily basis. |
