Steven L. Bachtel¹, J.F. (Rick) Sarg²

(1) ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Houston, TX
(2) ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Houston, TX

ABSTRACT: Integrated Seismic Analysis of Carbonate Reservoirs 2001: A Look Back, A Leap Forward

Seismic analysis of carbonate strata has most recently concentrated on the generation of more accurate and robust stratigraphic frameworks using sequence stratigraphic methods. Seismic stratigraphy has provided the means to study large-scale carbonate platform architecture and reservoir distribution. Development of seismic stratigraphy also influenced an entire generation of outcrop studies that have described geometric and facies relationships at and below the seismic scale. Sequence stratigraphic studies of platforms have shown that carbonate systems are dynamic and react rapidly to global changes in sea level and local structural subsidence. The sequence framework provides constraints for geologic modeling in exploration and production settings. Integration of well logs, petrophysics, outcrop facies dimensions, and geostatistics are used to internally populate these geometrically constrained models.

Future breakthroughs in seismic analysis of carbonate strata will focus on methods to populate geologic and flow simulation models with seismic-derived rock property data. Volume interpretation techniques using seismic attributes, coherency/discontinuity, impedance, and image attributes will assist in the prediction of pore systems in carbonate reservoirs. Calibration of seismic attributes with reservoir rock properties will provide a more quantitative approach to geologic and flow simulation modeling in carbonate reservoirs. 3D visualization of seismic may also provide intangible insights into carbonate systems by providing constraints for diagenetic and 3D numerical modeling, and better predictions of fractures in carbonate reservoirs.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90906©2001 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado