--> Abstract: Kern River Full Field Model: Reserves Estimation Versus Opportunity Identification and Development Methodologies, by D. Beeson, S. Blackwood, N. Engin, M. Henning, H. Hoffower, J. Mcnaboe, and A. Talib; #90088 (2009)

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Kern River Full Field Model: Reserves Estimation Versus Opportunity Identification and Development Methodologies

D. Beeson, S. Blackwood, N. Engin, M. Henning, H. Hoffower, J. Mcnaboe, and A. Talib
Chevron, Bakersfield, CA, ([email protected]), ([email protected]), ([email protected]), ([email protected]), ([email protected]), ([email protected]), ([email protected])

California’s Kern River field is employing a full field 155 million cell 3D model to support a combination of fit for purpose base business reservoir management solutions. This full field model drives reserves estimation as well as the identification and development of remaining resources to reserves opportunity queues.

Normalized resistivity logs from over 12,000 wells establish the reservoir architecture while temperature, steam gas, and oil saturation logs from over 600 boreholes provide regular surveillance for identifying changes in fluids and temperature. The integration of these data provides the basis for linked reserves and resource estimation and the identification and development of remaining opportunities.

Kern River reserves and resources are estimated from the model for 120 internal reporting entities. For asset reservoir management purposes, reserves are updated into a “reserves tool” for over 160,000 pattern/zone/reserves entities across the 12 square mile field. The reserves tool volumes supply input to reserves distribution maps and spreadsheets used for evaluating workover and new development opportunities. Some of these opportunities represent heat mining of untapped hot oil zones while other opportunities are cold and require the introduction of steam to mobilize the oil.

In addition to mapping and spreadsheeting of modeled reserves data, another powerful tool has come from inputting reservoir property combinations into the full field model as filter criteria for identifying remaining opportunities. For example, reservoir volumes containing hot moveable oil below steam zones in non-producing areas can be quickly and efficiently identified and prioritized with this method. This has helped lead to the success of our current fieldwide horizontal infill drilling program which pursues geobodies based on these filtering criteria.

Over the past 2 years, the Kern River full field model has become an integral part of our reservoir management processes.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90088©2009 Pacific Section Meeting, Ventura, California, May 3-5, 2009