Print this pageEstimation of Petrophysical Parameters and Stratigraphy of
Thin Reservoir Sand from 
Seismic
Lithologic Modeling
Marc De Buyl, Tom Guidish
Reservoir description away from well control can be improved by supplementing
wire-line log and core data by petrophysical parameters estimated with seismic
lithologic modeling techniques.
Two independent reservoir models were constructed for an oil-bearing
channel-sand reservoir in the Taber-Turin area, Alberta, Canada. The first
reservoir description was based solely on log and core data from six producing
and two dry wells drilled within a portion of the field on which a 3-D seismic
survey was acquired. The second reservoir model was supplemented by
petrophysical parameters derived from Seismic Lithologic Modeling (SLIM) of the
3-D seismic reflection data.
A detailed model of the stratigraphically complex reservoir was constructed
using the results of a forward lithologic parameter estimation process that
produces a thin-layer solution from the band-limited, noise-contaminated seismic
data.
Based on the model results, and after calibration with log and core data,
maps of reservoir thickness, porosity, and permeability are produced. Crossplots
of seismically inferred parameters versus core-calibrated log interpretations
exhibit a limited scatter in the data which, in turn, testifies to the accuracy
of the seismic reservoir characterization. The improved accuracy in predicting
reservoir variation attained by incorporating seismic control is also
demonstrated by comparing the projections from the two separate models with the
actual values observed at two new well locations that were not included in the
modeling.
The increased detail and confidence in reservoir description provided by the
information obtained from Seismic Lithologic Modeling of 3-D survey data
can
dramatically reduce risk (cost) in field development programs, improve results
of model simulation and, in turn, enhance reservoir management.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91038©1987 AAPG Annual Convention, Los Angeles, California, June 7-10, 1987.