Landmark Graphics Corporation

Travis St George Ramsay

Trace Boone Smith

Felix Segovia

Jeffrey Marc Yarus

Dominic Camilleri

Jesse Mathias Lomask

Richard Edward Hinkley

Aravind Prabhakar

Steven Paul Crockett

Brian Dale Davis

Chao Gao

Masoud Alfi

Alain Dupuy

Milena Ferreira Siqueira

Timothy Jeremiah Kho

Wan Wei

Naveen Krishnaraj

Burns Boaz

Vitor Ribeiro Silos

An information processing system having a processor and a memory device coupled to the processor, wherein the memory device includes a set of instruction that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive a multi-dimensional grid of acoustic or elastic impedances determined from seismic survey data associated with a subterranean formation, receive elastic property data that describes elastic property characteristics used to sort pseudo-components, and wherein the respective pseudo-components are formed of a combination of two or more lithologies. The instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to define select design variables using the impedance arrays, perform optimization operations for optimizing select design variables by applying the elastic property data as a part of a constitutive relation, and output a distribution of the pseudo-components to characterize volumetric concentrations of spatially grouped lithologies in a control volume of the subterranean formation.

System and method for application of elastic property constraints to petro-elastic subsurface reservoir modeling

A system and method can be used for to calibrating time-lapse seismic volumes by cross-migration rescaling and reorientation for use in determining optimal wellbore placement or production in a subsurface environment. Certain aspects include methods for cross-migration of data sets processed using different migration techniques. Pre-processing of the data sets, optimization of rescaling and reorientation, and identification of adjustment parameters associated with minimum global error can be used to achieve a time-dependent formation data set that addresses error in all input data sets.

Calibrating time-lapse seismic images for production operations

System and methods for predicting time-dependent rock properties are provided. Seismic data for a subsurface formation is acquired over a plurality of time intervals. A value of at least one rock property of the subsurface formation is calculated for each of the plurality of time intervals, based on the corresponding seismic data acquired for that time interval. At least one of a trend or a spatio-temporal relationship in the seismic data is determined based on the value of the at least one rock property calculated for each time interval. A value of the at least one rock property is estimated for a future time interval, based on the determination. The estimated value of the at least one rock property is used to select a location for a wellbore to be drilled within the subsurface formation. The wellbore is then drilled at the selected location.

Seismic rock property prediction in forward time based on 4D seismic analysis

Systems and methods of the present disclosure are directed to reservoir simulation modeling using upon rock compaction tables derived from physical pore compressibility tests. The illustrative methods transform rock mechanics-based pore compressibility tests into compliant rock compaction tables for reservoir simulators using Dimensionless Stress to Pore Pressure Conversion, to thereby transfer geomechanical changes due to confining stress into expressions of geomechanical changes due to pore pressure.

Conversion of rock mechanics data from confining stress to pore pressure for reservoir simulators

A method and system for forming Representative Elemental Length (REL) of well data. The method may comprise inputting log data from a borehole in a formation into an information handling system, identifying an initial length of the REL section and divide the log data into a plurality of REL investigation sections that are of substantially equal length, calculating an average value of a formation property for each of the plurality of REL investigation sections, and selecting a maximum value and a minimum value of the REL investigation sections. The method may further comprise checking the maximum value and the minimum value are stable, deriving the formation property for each of the REL sections as an output, and forming a model of the formation from each of the REL sections. The system may comprise a downhole device, configured to take measurements of a formation, and an information handling system.

Determination of representative elemental length based on subsurface formation data

A system can access geological data describing a plurality of rock types in a physical rock sample drilled from a reservoir. The system can generate synthetic rock samples and execute single phase upscaling to compute absolute permeabilities for the physical rock sample and the synthetic rock samples. The system can execute a first multiphase upscaling based on the single phase upscaling to determine relative permeabilities for the physical rock sample and the synthetic rock samples. The system can compare the relative permeability of the physical rock sample to the relative permeabilities for the synthetic rock samples and select a synthetic rock sample that varies the least from the physical rock sample. The system can perform at least one additional multiphase upscaling on the physical rock sample and the synthetic rock samples to determine a second multiphase upscaling result and to develop a plan for drilling operations.

Estimating relative permeability and capillary pressures of a geological formation based on multiphase upscaling

Methods and systems are presented in this disclosure for high-dimensional detection and visualization. Detection in a higher-dimensional domain of at least one of an event or one or more objects within a visualization environment can be performed by identifying at least one evolution of the event or a dynamic property of the one or more objects. The at least one evolution of the event or the one or more objects having the dynamic property can be displayed within the visualization environment. Appropriate operations can be initiated based on the at least one evolution of the event or the one or more objects.

Method for N-dimensional detection of spatial, temporal and gravimetric attributes and associated variation in plots, digital objects and photographs

At least some of the disclosed systems and methods obtain a static earth model having a three-dimensional grid with multiple cells, each cell having petrophysical properties associated therewith. Further, at least some of the disclosed systems and methods adjust a size of at least some of the cells based on a predetermined scaling rule. Further, at least some of the disclosed systems and methods re-sample petrophysical properties for the adjusted grid cells. If the one or more attributes of the static earth model are within a threshold tolerance after the adjusting and re-sampling steps, the static earth model is used as input to a flow simulator.

Static earth model grid cell scaling and property re-sampling methods and systems

A three-dimensional reservoir simulator used for automated upscaling relative permeability and capillary pressure in multi-porosity systems comprising disparate rock-types. A coarse-scale single-porosity model incorporating multi-porosity model properties may be derived from a fine-scale single-porosity model based, at least in part, on simulation of a model comprising data from one or more regions of interest. Real-world and laboratory measurements of the one or more regions of interest may be provided to the fine-scale single-porosity simulation model and the fine-scale single-porosity model may be subjected to one or more fractional flow simulation processes and one or more displacement simulation processes. The fine-scale model properties may be modified based, at least in part, on the results of the one or more fractional flow simulation processes and one or more displacement simulation processes. Coarse scale-model properties may be derived from the fine-scale single-porosity model properties by upscaling the fine-scale single-porosity model. The coarse-scale single-porosity simulation model incorporating multi-porosity model properties may be used to improve operational decision-making, including drilling operations and reservoir management.

Automated upscaling of relative permeability and capillary pressure in multi-porosity systems

A visualization module of an imaging system having a 3D geocellular model generated for illustrating rock types within a subterranean formation. The visualization module can determine that cells of the 3D geocellular model are visible to a field of view for a viewing user. For each cell determined to be visible, the visualization module can determine a rock type for the cell and that one or more faces of the cell are visible. For each face determined to be visible, the visualization module can determine an orientation of the face; determine that an image corresponds to the determined orientation and determined rock type; and apply the image to the face of the cell in the 3D geocellular model.

Image based rock property tensor visualization of a geocellular grid in a dynamic 3D environment

Wavelet estimation may be performed in a reservoir simulation model that is constrained by seismic inversion data and well logs. A synthetic seismic trace is generated along with an estimated wavelet. The reservoir simulation model is revised based on results from model comparisons to actual data or base seismic data and is then used to perform a wavelet estimation. The estimated wavelet may then be used to plan further production at the well site environment, additional production at additional well site environments or any other production and drilling operation for any given present or future well site environment.

Wavelet estimation for four-dimensional characterization of subsurface properties based on dynamic simulation

Systems and methods for determining non-linear petrofacies using cross-plot partitioning to define petrofacies boundaries that distinguish the petrofacies by appearance and/or composition using systematic and automated data analysis techniques.

Determining non-linear petrofacies using cross-plot partitioning

At least some of the disclosed systems and methods obtain a static earth model having a three-dimensional grid with multiple cells. Further, at least some of the disclosed systems and methods determine a plurality of geobodies for the static earth model, each geobody comprising a plurality of connected cells. Further, at least some of the disclosed systems and methods compute one or more tortuosity values for at least one of the plurality of geobodies. Further, at least some of the disclosed systems and methods calibrate the static earth model based on the one or more computed tortuosity values. Further, at least some of the disclosed systems and methods use the calibrated static earth model as input to a flow simulator.

Static earth model calibration methods and systems using tortuosity evaluations

A system and method utilizing one or more perforation filters to determine the location of perforation intervals along a well trace within a reservoir model. The filters may define the location of the perforation intervals based upon, for example, rock property, facies, fluid boundary, geobody, or dynamic fluid property.

System, method and computer program product for determining placement of perforation intervals using facies, fluid boundaries, geobodies and dynamic fluid properties

A system and method utilizing a modified Euler Characteristic to numerically quantify and rank connectivity of a geobody within a reservoir model based upon a range of petrophysical properties.

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Hockley, TX, United States of America

Travis St George Ramsay