The Past, the Present and the Future of Seismic Reservoir Monitoring from a Norwegian Perspective

Svend Østmo
TNE RCT RD GG GI, StatoilHydro ASA, Trondheim, Norway

This paper gives an overview of how time-lapse streamer seismic data has been applied in StatoilHydro. StatoilHydro was one of the first companies to apply this technology in full, and this early technology development was done in the mid 1990s by StatoilHydro’s research team in close cooperation with the Oseberg and Gullfaks asset teams. Today, about 70% of the StatoilHydro operated fields on the Norwegian continental shelf employ time-lapse seismic technology.
Time-lapse seismic data contribute to increased reservoir understanding. In order to realize the potential, a multi-disciplinary approach is necessary, in which the seismic data are integrated with all other reservoir observations. Thus the time-lapse seismic can contribute to optimise reservoir management by e.g. improved well planning, injection and production steering and revised drainage strategy.

Using time-lapse seismic data for reservoir monitoring has been a considerable success in StatoilHydro. Estimates from our asset teams show that the extra value added from using 4D seismic data in reservoir management exceeds 1000 MUSD. In the last years the technology has been applied to more and more fields, and according to the governing documents the asset teams for all StatoilHydro-operated fields must perform a time-lapse seismic feasibility study as part of their reservoir management work. To make all these field cases successes we need the time-lapse seismic data to arrive at the ‘right time’, and we must in addition improve three aspects of the technology; i) reduce noise levels, ii) improve our ability to interpret drainage effects and iii) improve the integration of time-lapse seismic with other reservoir observations.

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