From Seismic Reservoir Characterization to Reservoir Simulation Models: Bridging the Project Workflow Gaps

Shanor, Gordy G., Jonathan Bown, Ødegaard A/S, Copenhagen N, Denmark

Exploration and development geoscientists continue to work within their respective dis­ciplines to provide management with reservoir studies which must be sewn together into integrated reservoir models at a later stage.

Seismic scale reservoir characterization provides a variety of results which integrate 2D, 3D and 4D data and interpretations with well log analysis and rock physics to provide tremendous insight into the spatial distributions of reservoir properties in two-way travel­time.

Higher resolution, geological modelling of depositional facies and petrophysics is often performed in great detail based largely on mapping and well log interpretations without direct integration with seismic reservoir characterization results, leading to discipline inde­pendent 3D models generated through interpolation or geostatistical modelling.

Ultimately, reservoir engineering groups require either high-resolution petrophysical models or appropriately upscaled models for history matching and reservoir performance prediction. These predictive flow simulation models in turn provide the basis for manage­ment to evaluate field development plans and economic scenarios including uncertainty analysis.

The objective then, is to build representative, fully integrated flow simulation models derived from the ‘best of both worlds’, i.e. models which capture the spatial coverage of 3D seismic reservoir characterization as well as the high vertical resolution of geological mod­elling through applications of conditional geostatistical modelling techniques.

This paper presents examples which integrate seismic reservoir characterization such as simultaneous AVO inversions to acoustic impedance, Poisson’s ratio and density, from which probability of lithology-fluid classes can be derived, with depth conversion, high res­olution grid building, geostatistical analysis and conditional simulation of facies and petro­physical data.