Leveraging Seismic Attributes to Understand the “Frac-able” Limits and Reservoir Performance in the Eagle Ford Shale, South Texas, USA
There are numerous criteria commonly used to characterize low-permeability shale plays and their associated resource potential, including organic richness, thermal maturity, lithologic heterogeneity and brittleness. The latter, a descriptor of the geomechanical rock properties, plays a significant role in overall well performance and may be a key productivity driver. An understanding of the mechanical stratigraphy is fundamental for well placement and hydraulic stimulation design.
Using petrophysical logs, core, and 3D seismic data,
we assess the mechanical contrasts between facies units and their effect on
well performance. We use 3D seismic data to map the structural and facies
distributions in an area where identification of reservoir facies is a major
challenge, in order to plan delineation and development drilling. Young’s
Modulus and density rock properties, inverted from 3D seismic data, prove to be
effective discriminators for identifying facies changes and define the
“frac-able” limits in areas where proppant embedment is a concern.
This approach facilitates the identification of mechanical changes from 3D
seismic data attributes associated with a brittle, carbonate prone, Eagle Ford facies and use these data to delineate the prospective zones, areally and
vertically. Understanding changes in mechanical properties in ultra-low
permeability shale plays is important in high grading productive intervals and
predicting well performance.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90142 © 2012 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, April 22-25, 2012, Long Beach, California