Application of Seismic Monitoring To Manage an Early-Stage Steamflood

Abstract

Summary: Time-lapse seismic monitoring technology has recently been introduced to the Duri field reservoir-management process as a means of directly imaging changes in vertical and horizontal steam distribution over time. The technique consists of repeated acquisition of three-dimensional (3D) seismic surveys to measure steamflood-induced changes in the acoustic properties of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The resulting seismic images are processed, parameterized, and translated to relevant engineering parameters. In this case study, steam flow was monitored during the early stages of steam injection by mapping anomalous seismic-reflectivity response within the steam-flow layers. Seismic-reflectivity data and borehole information were combined by use of multivariate statistical analysis and image processing techniques to produce images of steamflood conformance at the flow-unit level. The images reveal important insights into steam-flow behavior and were used to design a conformance-improvement program for the case study focus area.