Maximizing the Value of Analogues in Deep-Water Reservoirs

Abstract

Deep-water reservoir systems form major reservoirs in many parts of the world. The depositional architecture is dominated by channels and more sheet-like depositional lobes. These facies can each control trapping mechanisms, flow barriers, recovery per well and water production. Every stage of the reservoir evaluation across the E&P spectrum, from exploration access to late-life production, requires major decisions to be made with incomplete data and knowledge. Learning from producing analogues form a critical part of this technical analysis and decision making. We can divide data and knowledge into three types; primary data from seismic, well logs, cores etc. from the immediate area of interest; local (or off-set) analogues from adjacent basins with similar geology and global analogues using data and knowledge from around the world. In order to maximize the value of the analogues it is vital that they are integrated into the analysis workflow and not just made an add-on at the end. For deep-water reservoirs in particular analogues are used across a range of activities including giving confidence to interpretations, generating and calibrating exploration prospects, inputting data to reservoir models, forecasting and benchmarking reservoir performance and identifying best practices for reservoir enhancement. There is abundant literature on these systems from seismic outcrop and modern sea-floor studies but for many working geoscientists it is simply too time-consuming to exploit this massive data set properly. At the exploration and appraisal stage of a project key analogue impacts may be in validating the proposed trapping mechanism (e.g. for stratigraphic trapping potential), generating and/or calibrating the range of reservoir property values for probabilistic resource assessments and developing alternative models for appraisal activity. Through project definition leading to project sanction analogues can provide sand/shale body geometries for reservoir modelling and benchmarking of modelled field performance factors. During production, analogues can be used to test the impact of facies on fluid flow/EUR and for benchmarking secondary recovery enhancement methods We will explore the application (and misuses) of the analogue concept for some deep-water reservoirs including the generation of play analogues at exploration access, the use of analogues to support uncertainty studies at project sanction and benchmarking reservoir production performance.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90332 © 2018 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa, November 4-11, 2018