Integration of High Resolution Well Data to Reservoir Models in a Multiuser E&P Collaboration Environment

Abstract

This study is the result of a multidisciplinary workflow across platforms to improve reservoir modeling for better understanding of reservoir distribution, more accurate reserves estimation, and overall reduced risk and uncertainty in the E&P lifecycle. Efficient two-way data transfer between the wellbore interpretation platform and 3D-modeling application promotes knowledge sharing and application at both the borehole and the reservoir scales.

The potential benefits of cm- or mm-scale geologic observations at the well to complement coarse resolution and wide-area coverage of seismic data are easy for the industry to envision. The obstacles are the vast difference in scales and the smooth transfer of relevant information between applications.

A potential sandstone reservoir is initially modeled based only on the seismic interpretation data available. The first study leads to undefined sand bodies and low resolution definition of channel and overbank deposits. As the first wells are drilled, higher resolution data such as logs, borehole images, and cores become available, providing clear lithofacies and depositional trends that are valuable to constrain stochastic models if provided at a relevant scale.

A new workflow to achieve this has the following main steps: 1) transfer of logs, images, and interpreted facies to the reservoir modeling platform, 2) picking of well tops and updating of interpreted seismic surfaces, 3) transfer of updated model zones to the wellbore platform, and 4) upscaling interpreted data (e.g. dip or paleocurrent trends) to zone-scale, and 5) transfer back to the reservoir modeling platform.

The cross-platform data transfers are seamlessly realized in a new, secure, cloud-based multiuser solution. In this cross-discipline environment, geoscientists and engineers share their work at the folder level, using automation to exchange updates with team members who have opted to keep those same folders in sync. Alerts and notifications give users awareness of what is happening in the team throughout the project, setting new standards in data sharing efficiency.

Updated reservoir models leveraging the maximum hard data gained from wellbore studies lead to a more representative appraisal and a more geologically sound development plan. The ability to smoothly integrate and collaborate at different scales is key to increasing team productivity and will become the new way of working for operators seeking to maximize certainty of return-on-investment.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90323 ©2018 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, Utah, May 20-23, 2018