--> Monitoring Reservoir Fluids Using Microearthquake Technology in a Middle East Carbonate Oil Field
[First Hit]

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

Click to view page image in pdf format.


AAPG Bulletin, Vol. 90 (2006), Program Abstracts (Digital)

7th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition
Manama, Bahrain
March 27-29, 2006

ABSTRACT: Previous HitMonitoringNext Hit Previous HitReservoirNext Hit Fluids Using Microearthquake Technology in a Middle East Carbonate Oil Field

Shiv Dasgupta
Saudi Aramco, Dhahran Saudi Arabia, phone: (9663)8745496, [email protected]

Majority of the giant oil fields in the Middle East produces from prolific carbonate rock reservoirs. Collectively these carbonate reservoirs hold well over 50% of the world oil reserves. The high rigidity of the limestone-dolomite Previous HitreservoirNext Hit rock matrix, a small contrast between the elastic properties of pore fluids, low GOR oil and mixed salinity water are responsible for the weak 4D Previous HitseismicNext Hit effect from oil production in the Previous HitreservoirNext Hit under study. An alternative Previous HitreservoirNext Hit fluid Previous HitmonitoringNext Hit technique, between wells, was therefore considered. Permanent Previous HitseismicNext Hit sensors installed in a borehole and on the ground surface over a producing field will record passive Previous HitmonitoringNext Hit of microseismic activity from Previous HitreservoirNext Hit pore pressure perturbations. Previous HitReservoirNext Hit production and injection operations create these pressure or stress perturbations that are induced by shear stress release along zones of weakness in these rocks. The injection operation generates Previous HitreservoirNext Hit pore pressure increase which creates shear stress increase affecting the stability along the planes of weakness in Previous HitreservoirNext Hit rocks like joints, bedding planes, faults and fractures. Similarly Previous HitreservoirNext Hit production operation or fluid withdrawal creates a pore pressure sink that affects the stability in zones of weakness. The microseisms or minute earthquakes emanated from the Previous HitreservoirNext Hit would be recorded simultaneously at a large number of multicomponent Previous HitseismicNext Hit sensors that are deployed permanently at various levels in the borehole and over a surface area surrounding the borehole. Special geophones capable of measuring frequency response over 100-1000Hz frequency range would be installed. Previous HitReservoirTop heterogeneities affecting the fluid flow could be mapped by recording the distribution of hypocenter locations of these microseisms or small earthquakes.

 

Copyright © 2006. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All Rights Reserved.