Geostatistical seismic inversion and 3D modelling of metric flow units,porosity and permeability in Brazilian presalt reservoir

Flow units(FU)rock typing is a common technique for characterizing reservoir flow behavior,producing reliable porosity and permeability estimation even in complex geological settings.However,the lateral extrapolation of FU away from the well into the whole reservoir grid is commonly a difficult task and using the seismic data as constraints is rarely a subject of study.This paper proposes a workflow to generate numerous possible 3D volumes of flow units,porosity and permeability below the seismic resolution limit,respecting the available seismic data at larger scales.The methodology is used in the Mero Field,a Brazilian presalt carbonate reservoir located in the Santos Basin,who presents a complex and heterogenic geological setting with different sedimentological processes and diagenetic history.We generated metric flow units using the conventional core analysis and transposed to the well log data.Then,given a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm,the seismic data and the well log statistics,we simulated acoustic impedance,decametric flow units(DFU),metric flow units(MFU),porosity and permeability volumes in the metric scale.The aim is to estimate a minimum amount of MFU able to calculate realistic scenarios porosity and permeability scenarios,without losing the seismic lateral control.In other words,every porosity and permeability volume simulated produces a synthetic seismic that match the real seismic of the area,even in the metric scale.The achieved 3D results represent a high-resolution fluid flow reservoir modelling considering the lateral control of the seismic during the process and can be directly incorporated in the dynamic characterization workflow.

Reservoir heterogeneity analysis using multi-directional textural attributes from deep learning-based enhanced acoustic impedance inversion:A study from Poseidon,NW shelf Australia

Reservoir heterogeneities play a crucial role in governing reservoir performance and management.Traditionally,detailed and inter-well heterogeneity analyses are commonly performed by mapping seismic facies change in the seismic data,which is a time-intensive task.Many researchers have utilized a robust Grey-level co-occurrence matrix(GLCM)-based texture attributes to map reservoir heterogeneity.However,these attributes take seismic data as input and might not be sensitive to lateral lithology variation.To incorporate the lithology information,we have developed an innovative impedance-based texture approach using GLCM workflow by integrating 3D acoustic impedance volume(a rock propertybased attribute)obtained from a deep convolution network-based impedance inversion.Our proposed workflow is anticipated to be more sensitive toward mapping lateral changes than the conventional amplitude-based texture approach,wherein seismic data is used as input.To evaluate the improvement,we applied the proposed workflow to the full-stack 3D seismic data from the Poseidon field,NW-shelf,Australia.This study demonstrates that a better demarcation of reservoir gas sands with improved lateral continuity is achievable with the presented approach compared to the conventional approach.In addition,we assess the implication of multi-stage faulting on facies distribution for effective reservoir characterization.This study also suggests a well-bounded potential reservoir facies distribution along the parallel fault lines.Thus,the proposed approach provides an efficient strategy by integrating the impedance information with texture attributes to improve the inference on reservoir heterogeneity,which can serve as a promising tool for identifying potential reservoir zones for both production benefits and fluid storage.

Improved reservoir characterization by means of supervised machine learning and model-based seismic impedance inversion in the Penobscot field,Scotian Basin

The present research work attempted to delineate and characterize the reservoir facies from the Dawson Canyon Formation in the Penobscot field,Scotian Basin.An integrated study of instantaneous frequency,P-impedance,volume of clay and neutron-porosity attributes,and structural framework was done to unravel the Late Cretaceous depositional system and reservoir facies distribution patterns within the study area.Fault strikes were found in the EW and NEE-SWW directions indicating the dominant course of tectonic activities during the Late Cretaceous period in the region.P-impedance was estimated using model-based seismic inversion.Petrophysical properties such as the neutron porosity(NPHI)and volume of clay(VCL)were estimated using the multilayer perceptron neural network with high accuracy.Comparatively,a combination of low instantaneous frequency(15-30 Hz),moderate to high impedance(7000-9500 gm/cc*m/s),low neutron porosity(27%-40%)and low volume of clay(40%-60%),suggests fair-to-good sandstone development in the Dawson Canyon Formation.After calibration with the welllog data,it is found that further lowering in these attribute responses signifies the clean sandstone facies possibly containing hydrocarbons.The present study suggests that the shale lithofacies dominates the Late Cretaceous deposition(Dawson Canyon Formation)in the Penobscot field,Scotian Basin.Major faults and overlying shale facies provide structural and stratigraphic seals and act as a suitable hydrocarbon entrapment mechanism in the Dawson Canyon Formation's reservoirs.The present research advocates the integrated analysis of multi-attributes estimated using different methods to minimize the risk involved in hydrocarbon exploration.

Application of fluid modulus inversion to complex lithology reservoirs in deep-water areas

It has been a challenge to distinguish between seismic anomalies caused by complex lithology and hydrocarbon reservoirs using conventional fluid identification techniques,leading to difficulties in accurately predicting hydrocarbon-bearing properties and determining oil-water contacts in reservoirs.In this study,we built a petrophysical model tailored to the deep-water area of the Baiyun Sag in the eastern South China Sea based on seismic data and explored the feasibility of the tri-parameter direct inversion method in the fluid identification of complex lithology reservoirs,offering a more precise alternative to conventional techniques.Our research found that the fluid modulus can successfully eliminate seismic amplitude anomalies caused by lithological variations.Furthermore,the seismic databased direct inversion for fluid modulus can remove the cumulative errors caused by indirect inversion and the influence of porosity.We discovered that traditional methods using seismic amplitude anomalies were ineffective in detecting fluids,determining gas-water contacts,or delineating high-quality reservoirs.However,the fluid factor Kf,derived from solid-liquid decoupling,proved to be sensitive to the identification of hydrocarbon-bearing properties,distinguishing between high-quality and poor-quality gas zones.Our findings confirm the value of the fluid modulus in fluid identification and demonstrate that the tri-parameter direct inversion method can significantly enhance hydrocarbon exploration in deep-water areas,reducing associated risks.

Multi-scale data joint inversion of minerals and porosity in altered igneous reservoirs—A case study in the South China Sea

There are abundant igneous gas reservoirs in the South China Sea with significant value of research,and lithology classification,mineral analysis and porosity inversion are important links in reservoir evaluation.However,affected by the diverse lithology,complicated mineral and widespread alteration,conventional logging lithology classification and mineral inversion become considerably difficult.At the same time,owing to the limitation of the wireline log response equation,the quantity and accuracy of minerals can hardly meet the exploration requirements of igneous formations.To overcome those issues,this study takes the South China Sea as an example,and combines multi-scale data such as micro rock slices,petrophysical experiments,wireline log and element cutting log to establish a set of joint inversion methods for minerals and porosity of altered igneous rocks.Specifically,we define the lithology and mineral characteristics through core slices and mineral data,and establish an igneous multi-mineral volumetric model.Then we determine element cutting log correction method based on core element data,and combine wireline log and corrected element cutting log to perform the lithology classification and joint inversion of minerals and porosity.However,it is always difficult to determine the elemental eigenvalues of different minerals in inversion.This paper uses multiple linear regression methods to solve this problem.Finally,an integrated inversion technique for altered igneous formations was developed.The results show that the corrected element cutting log are in good agreement with the core element data,and the mineral and porosity results obtained from the joint inversion based on the wireline log and corrected element cutting log are also in good agreement with the core data from X-ray diffraction.The results demonstrate that the inversion technique is applicable and this study provides a new direction for the mineral inversion research of altered igneous formations.

Reservoir parameter inversion based on weighted statistics

Variation of reservoir physical properties can cause changes in its elastic parameters. However, this is not a simple linear relation. Furthermore, the lack of observations, data overlap, noise interference, and idealized models increases the uncertainties of the inversion result. Thus, we propose an inversion method that is different from traditional statistical rock physics modeling. First, we use deterministic and stochastic rock physics models considering the uncertainties of elastic parameters obtained by prestack seismic inversion and introduce weighting coefficients to establish a weighted statistical relation between reservoir and elastic parameters. Second, based on the weighted statistical relation, we use Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations to generate the random joint distribution space of reservoir and elastic parameters that serves as a sample solution space of an objective function. Finally, we propose a fast solution criterion to maximize the posterior probability density and obtain reservoir parameters. The method has high efficiency and application potential.

The constructing of pore structure factor in carbonate rocks and the inversion of reservoir parameters

With a more complex pore structure system compared with clastic rocks, carbonate rocks have not yet been well described by existing conventional rock physical models concerning the pore structure vagary as well as the influence on elastic rock properties. We start with a discussion and an analysis about carbonate rock pore structure utilizing rock slices. Then, given appropriate assumptions, we introduce a new approach to modeling carbonate rocks and construct a pore structure algorithm to identify pore structure mutation with a basis on the Gassmann equation and the Eshelby-Walsh ellipsoid inclusion crack theory. Finally, we compute a single well＇s porosity using this new approach with full wave log data and make a comparison with the predicted result of traditional method and simultaneously invert for reservoir parameters. The study results reveal that the rock pore structure can significantly influence the rocks＇ elastic properties and the predicted porosity error of the new modeling approach is merely 0.74%. Therefore, the approach we introduce can effectively decrease the predicted error of reservoir parameters.

Reservoir history matching and inversion using an iterative ensemble Kalman filter with covariance localization

Reservoir inversion by production history matching is an important way to decrease the uncertainty of the reservoir description. Ensemble Kalman filter （EnKF） is a new data assimilation method. There are two problems have to be solved for the standard EnKF. One is the inconsistency between the updated model and the updated dynamical variables for nonlinear problems, another is the filter divergence caused by the small ensemble size. We improved the EnKF to overcome these two problems. We use the half iterative EnKF （HIEnKF） for reservoir inversion by doing history matching. During the H1EnKF process, the prediction data are obtained by rerunning the reservoir simulator using the updated model. This can guarantee that the updated dynamical variables are consistent with the updated model. The updated model can nonlinearly affect the prediction data. It is proved that HIEnKF is similar to the first iteration of the EnRML method. Covariance localization is introduced to alleviate filter divergence and spurious correlations caused by the small ensemble size. By defining the shape and size of the correlation area, spurious correlation between the gridblocks far apart is alleviated. More freedom of the model ensemble is preserved. The results of history matching and inverse problem obtained from the HIEnKF with covariance localization are improved. The results show that the model freedom increases with a decrease in the correlation length. Therefore the production data can be matched better. But too small a correlation length can lose some reservoir information and this would cause big errors in the reservoir model estimation.

Pre-stack inversion for caved carbonate reservoir prediction:A case study from Tarim Basin,China

The major storage space types in the carbonate reservoir in the Ordovician in the TZ45 area are secondary dissolution caves.For the prediction of caved carbonate reservoir,post-stack methods are commonly used in the oilfield at present since pre-stack inversion is always limited by poor seismic data quality and insufficient logging data.In this paper,based on amplitude preserved seismic data processing and rock-physics analysis,pre-stack inversion is employed to predict the caved carbonate reservoir in TZ45 area by seriously controlling the quality of inversion procedures.These procedures mainly include angle-gather conversion,partial stack,wavelet estimation,low-frequency model building and inversion residual analysis.The amplitude-preserved data processing method can achieve high quality data based on the principle that they are very consistent with the synthetics.Besides,the foundation of pre-stack inversion and reservoir prediction criterion can be established by the connection between reservoir property and seismic reflection through rock-physics analysis.Finally,the inversion result is consistent with drilling wells in most cases.It is concluded that integrated with amplitude-preserved processing and rock-physics,pre-stack inversion can be effectively applied in the caved carbonate reservoir prediction.

Pre-stack seismic density inversion in marine shale reservoirs in the southern Jiaoshiba area, Sichuan Basin, China

For a typical marine shale reservoir in the Jiaoshiba area, Sichuan Basin of China, P-impedance is sensitive for identifying lithology but not suitable for indicating good shale reservoirs. In comparison, density is an important quantity, which is sensitive for identifying the organic-rich mud shale from non-organic-rich mud shale. Due to the poor data quality and incidence angle range, density cannot be easily inverted by directly solving the ill-posed pre-stack seismic inversion in this area. Meanwhile, the traditional density regularizations implemented by directly using the more robust P-impedance inversion tend to be inaccurate for recovering density for this shale reservoir. In this paper, we combine the P-impedance and the minus uranium to construct the pseudo-P-impedance（PIp） at well locations. The PIp is observed to be sensitive for identifying organic-rich mud shale and has a good correlation with density in this area. We employ the PIp–density relation into the pre-stack inversion framework to estimate density. Three types of regularization are tested on both numerical and field data： These are no regularization, traditional regularization and the proposed approach. It is observed that the proposed method is better for recovering the density of organic-rich mud shale in the Jiaoshiba area.

An improved data space inversion method to predict reservoir state fields via observed production data

A data-space inversion(DSI)method has been recently proposed and successfully applied to the history matching and production prediction of reservoirs.Based on Bayesian theory,DSI can directly and effectively obtain good posterior flow predictions without inversion of geological parameters of reservoir model.This paper presents an improved DSI method to fast predict reservoir state fields(e.g.saturation and pressure profiles)via observed production data.Firstly,a large number of production curves and state data are generated by reservoir model simulation to expand the data space of original DSI.Then,efficient history matching only on the observed production data is carried out via the original DSI to obtain related parameters which reflects the weight of the real reservoir model relative to prior reservoir models.Finally,those parameters are used to predict the oil saturation and pressure profiles of the real reservoir model by combining large amounts of state data of prior reservoir models.Two examples including conventional heterogeneous and unconventional fractured reservoir are implemented to test the performances of predicting saturation and pressure profiles of this improved DSI method.Besides,this method is also tested in a real field and the obtained results show the high computational efficiency and high accuracy of the practical application of this method.

Response characteristics of array lateral logs and their primary inversion in reservoirs with fracture-induced anisotropy

In order to identify fractured reservoirs and determine their fracture parameters with a high definition array laterolog,we built a fracture-induced anisotropic formation model with a parallel fracture group.The three-dimensional finite element method is used to simulate the responses of the array laterolog,and then the primary inversion method is utilized.Numerical simulation shows that when the fracture spacing is small,the array laterolog response of the fracture group is the same as that of a formation with macroscopic electrical anisotropy.The apparent resistivity of the array laterolog is approximately inversely proportional to fracture porosity.The anisotropy depends on the fracture porosity in the fractured formation,which accordingly results in response variation of the array laterolog.The higher the fracture dip,the larger the apparent resistivity.When the fracture dip is low the difference between the deep and shallow apparent resistivities is small,and when the dip is high the difference turns out to be positive.The fracture parameters were inverted using the Marquardt non-linear least squares method.The results,both fracture porosity and dip show a good match with parameters in the actual formation model.This will promote the application of the array laterolog in evaluating fractured reservoirs.

Petrophysical parameters inversion for heavy oil reservoir based on a laboratory-calibrated frequency-variant rock-physics model

Heavy oil has high density and viscosity, and exhibits viscoelasticity. Gassmann's theory is not suitable for materials saturated with viscoelastic fluids. Directly applying such model leads to unreliable results for seismic inversion of heavy oil reservoir. To describe the viscoelastic behavior of heavy oil, we modeled the elastic properties of heavy oil with varying viscosity and frequency using the Cole-Cole-Maxwell (CCM) model. Then, we used a CCoherent Potential Approximation (CPA) instead of the Gassmann equations to account for the fluid effect, by extending the single-phase fluid condition to two-phase fluid (heavy oil and water) condition, so that partial saturation of heavy oil can be considered. This rock physics model establishes the relationship between the elastic modulus of reservoir rock and viscosity, frequency and saturation. The viscosity of the heavy oil and the elastic moduli and porosity of typical reservoir rock samples were measured in laboratory, which were used for calibration of the rock physics model. The well-calibrated frequency-variant CPA model was applied to the prediction of the P- and S-wave velocities in the seismic frequency range (1–100 Hz) and the inversion of petrophysical parameters for a heavy oil reservoir. The pre-stack inversion results of elastic parameters are improved compared with those results using the CPA model in the sonic logging frequency (∼10 kHz), or conventional rock physics model such as the Xu-Payne model. In addition, the inversion of the porosity of the reservoir was conducted with the simulated annealing method, and the result fits reasonably well with the logging curve and depicts the location of the heavy oil reservoir on the time slice. The application of the laboratory-calibrated CPA model provides better results with the velocity dispersion correction, suggesting the important role of accurate frequency dependent rock physics models in the seismic prediction of heavy oil reservoirs.

Fluid identification and effective fracture prediction based on frequency-dependent AVOAz inversion for fractured reservoirs

Fluid and effective fracture identification in reservoirs is a crucial part of reservoir prediction.The frequency-dependent AVO inversion algorithms have proven to be effective for identifying fluid through its dispersion property.However,the conventional frequency-dependent AVO inversion algorithms based on Smith&Gidlow and Aki&Richards approximations do not consider the acquisition azimuth of seismic data and neglect the effect of seismic anisotropic dispersion in the actual medium.The aligned fractures in the subsurface medium induce anisotropy.The seismic anisotropy should be considered while accounting for the seismic dispersion properties through fluid-saturated fractured reservoirs.Anisotropy in such reservoirs is frequency-related due to wave-induced fluid-flow(WIFF)between interconnected fractures and pores.It can be used to identify fluid and effective fractures(fluid-saturated)by using azimuthal seismic data via anisotropic dispersion properties.In this paper,based on Rüger’s equation,we derived an analytical expression in the frequency domain for the frequencydependent AVOAz inversion in terms of fracture orientation,dispersion gradient of isotropic background rock,anisotropic dispersion gradient,and the dispersion at a normal incident angle.The frequency-dependent AVOAz equation utilizes azimuthal seismic data and considers the effect of both isotropic and anisotropic dispersion.Reassigned Gabor Transform(RGT)is used to achieve highresolution frequency division data.We then propose the frequency-dependent AVOAz inversion method to identify fluid and characterize effective fractures in fractured porous reservoirs.Through application to high-qualified seismic data of dolomite and carbonate reservoirs,the results show that the method is useful for identifying fluid and effective fractures in fluid-saturated fractured rocks.

Prestack inversion identification of organic reef gas reservoirs of Permian Changxing Formation in Damaoping area, Sichuan Basin, SW China

Organic reef reservoirs in the platform margin of Kaijiang-Liangping trough in Damaoping area, Sichuan Basin are thin in single layer, fast in lateral variation, and have small P-impedance difference from the surrounding rock, it is difficult to identify and predict the reservoirs and fluid properties by conventional post-stack inversion. Through correlation analysis of core test data and logging P-S wave velocity, this work proposed a formula to calculate the shear wave velocity in different porosity ranges, and solved the issue that some wells in the study area have no S-wave data. AVO forward analysis reveals that formation porosity is the main factor affecting the variation of AVO type, the change of water saturation cannot affect the AVO type, but it has an effect on the change range of AVO. Through cross-plotting analysis of elastic parameters, it is found that fluid factor is a parameter sensitive to gas-bearing property of organic reef reservoir in the study area. By comparing results of post-stack impedance inversion, post-stack high frequency attenuation property, pre-stack simultaneous inversion and AVO anomaly analysis of angle gathers, it is found that the gas-bearing prediction of organic reef reservoirs by using fluid factor derived from simultaneous pre-stack inversion had the highest coincidence rate with actual drilling data. At last, according to the characteristics of fluid factor distribution, the favorable gas-bearing area of the organic reef reservoir in Changxing Formation was predicted, and the organic reef trap at the top of Changxing Formation in Block A of Damaoping area was sorted out as the next exploration target.

Seismic AVAZ inversion for orthorhombic shale reservoirs in the Longmaxi area, Sichuan

Seismic AVAZ inversion method based on an orthorhombic model can be used to invert anisotropy parameters of the Longmaxi shale gas reservoir in the Sichuan Basin..As traditional seismic inversion workfl ow does not suffi ciently consider the infl uence of fracture orientation,we predict fracture orientation using the method based on the Fourier series to correct pre-stacked azimuth gathers to guarantee the accuracy of input data,and then conduct seismic AVAZ inversion based on the VTI constraints and Bayesian framework to predict anisotropy parameters of the shale gas reservoir in the study area.We further analyze the rock physical relation between anisotropy parameters and fracture compliance and mineral content for quantitative interpretation of seismic inversion results.Research results reveal that the inverted anisotropy parameters are related to P-and S-wave respectively,and thus can be used to distinguish the effect of fracture and fl uids by the joint interpretation.Meanwhile high values of anisotropy parameters correspond to high values of fracture compliance,so the anisotropy parameters can refl ect the development of fractures in reservoir.There is two sets of data from different sources,including the content of brittle mineral quartz obtained from well data and the anisotropy parameters inverted from seismic data,also show the positive correlation.This further indicates high content of brittle mineral makes fractures developing in shale reservoir and enhances seismic anisotropy of the shale reservoir.The inversion results demonstrate the characterization of fractures and brittleness for the Longmaxi shale gas reservoir in the Sichuan Basin.

Simultaneous Inversion of Earthquake Relocation and Velocity Structure in the Shanxi-reservoir,Wenzhou

Using the data of P-wave network and Zhejiang and travel time recorded at the Shanxi-reservoir seismological Fujian local networks, we implemented a simultaneous inversion of earthquake relocation and velocity structure and determined the new locations of earthquakes in the Shanxi-reservoir. The results show that： （1） the overall epicenter distribution is NW directed, and the Shanxi reservoir induced seismicity has a close relationship to the Shuangxi-Jiaoxiyang fault; （2） the focal depth of the Shanxi reservoir induced seismicity is 5.4km in average, less than the average focal depth in the South China earthquake zone; （3） the focal depth is shallower on the reservoir shore and deeper in the reservoir inundation area. At the beginning of the reservoir induced seismicity, the focal depth increased gradually. This may be due to the gradual penetration of water into a larger depth that induced deeper earthquakes; and （4） there is a low P-wave velocity anomaly in the study area, located at the intersection of multiple faults in the reservoir inundation area. The Shanxi reservoir induced seismicity mostly occurred in this lowvelocity anomaly zone. This may be related to water penetration.

Acoustic parameters inversion and sediment properties in the Yellow River reservoir

The physical properties of silt in river reservoirs are important to river dynamics. Unfortunately, traditional techniques yield insufficient data. Based on porous media acoustic theory, we invert the acoustic parameters for the top river-bottom sediments. An explicit form of the acoustic reflection coefficient at the water-sediment interface is derived based on Biot＇s theory. The choice of parameters in the Blot model is discussed and the relation between acoustic and geological parameters is studied, including that between the reflection coefficient and porosity and the attenuation coefficient and permeability. The attenuation coefficient of the sound wave in the sediments is obtained by analyzing the shift of the signal frequency. The acoustic reflection coefficient at the water-sediment interface is extracted from the sonar signal. Thus, an inversion method of the physical parameters of the river- bottom surface sediments is proposed. The results of an experiment at the Sanmenxia reservoir suggest that the estimated grain size is close to the actual data. This demonstrates the ability of the proposed method to determine the physical parameters of sediments and estimate the grain size.

Application of Reservoir Seismic Inversion to the Damintun Sag in the Liaohe Oilfield

According to the special geologic conditions of the Damintun （大民屯） sag in the Liaohe （辽河） basin, with a complex structure and rapid lateral change of thin interbeds, the technique of logging-constraint seismic inversion based on prestack high-resolution seismic data was used in the description of oil-gas reservoirs. Reservoir seismic inversion can effectively identify underground complex geologic structures and seismic anomalous reflection volumes and quantitatively predict the distribution of sandstones in space and their variant law in combination with lithologic interpretation. This work studies the wave impedance inversion of high-resolution prestack seismic data, and logging multi-attribute data inversion, and applies these methods to the Damintun sag. As a result, the vertical resolution of reservoir prediction is raised, ability of identifying thin-interbed sand bodies is enhanced, reliability of reservoir prediction is improved, and favorable lithologic traps of this area are further confirmed. These effects are of significance in the exploration of hidden hydrocarbons in this oilfield.

Detailed reservoir inversion addressing geological problems in reservoir development

In the Ken 71 development block, fluvial facies of the Neogene Guantao Formation and delta facies of the Paleogene Dongying Formation are the main pay beds. It is a multiple oil and water system which is complicated by faults. Characteristics of the block include a dense well network, thin reservoirs, complicated horizontal relationships, and small velocity difference between reservoir and non-reservoir. Therefore, it is difficult to conduct detailed reservoir description for subsequent development project adjustment. We demonstrate a stochastic seismic inversion which aims at detailed reservoir description. It is a technology which utilizes multiple wells, seismic data, and geological calibration and integrates with 3D structural interpretation results to build a 3D multi-fault detailed and constrained geological model. On this basis, we adopted stochastic seismic inversion to conduct a multi-stratum parameters inversion such as impedance and lithology. As a result, thin interbedded strata in the block were well resolved and the results demonstrated the importance of detailed reservoir inversion for oilfield development.