Method of reservoir compartment analysis using topological structure in 3D earth model

• US 10,318,663 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Cheng, Yao-Chou, Braaksma, Hendrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Gebresilassie, Kibrom K
• Application Number:
  US13/997,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20130338987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,744 Days
• Field of Search: 703 9, 703 10
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/345 Visualisation of seismic data or attributes, e.g. in 3D cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 20/00 Geomodelling in general
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/644 Connectivity, e.g. for fluid movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/66 Subsurface modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/10 Numerical modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for automatically identifying potential compartments of a reservoir based on the reservoirs geological structure. A method of identifying compartments of a reservoir structure includes obtaining structural data corresponding to a geological structure of a reservoir. The method also includes generating a topological net based on the structural data, the topological net comprising critical points and poly segments connecting the critical points. The method also includes identifying potential compartments of the reservoir structure based on the topological net. The method also includes identifying spill or break-over relationships among the potential compartments based on the topological net.

Claims

1. A method of identifying compartments of a reservoir structure, the method comprising:

obtaining structural data defining a reservoir structure, wherein the structural data represents a subsurface region containing at least a portion of a reservoir;

generating a topological net based on the structural data in a computer system, the topological net comprising critical points and poly segments connecting the critical points,

wherein the generation of the topological net comprises;

(i) defining a real value function that maps the reservoir structure to depth values;

(ii) computing one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, or any combination thereof based on the real value function;

(iii) identifying one of the one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, and any combination thereof as the critical points; and

(iv) representing the critical points in the topological net;

identifying potential compartments of the reservoir structure based on at least the critical points in the topological net in the computer system;

automatically identifying spill or break-over relationships among the potential compartments based on at least the critical points in the topological net; and

displaying or storing a representation based on the identified spill or break-over relationships.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the critical points comprise a minimum critical point, a maximum critical point, a top saddle critical point, or a base saddle critical point.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the top saddle critical point is identified as a spill relation between the potential compartments corresponding to the top saddle critical point.

4. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the base saddle critical point is identified as a break-over relation between the potential compartments corresponding to the base saddle critical point.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the poly segments correspond to reservoir regions of the reservoir structure.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein if the critical points comprise a top saddle critical point and a maximum critical point, the reservoir region corresponding to the poly segment connecting by the critical points is identified as one of the potential compartments.

7. The method recited in claim 5, wherein if the critical points comprise a base saddle critical point and a minimum critical point, the reservoir region corresponding to the poly segment connecting the critical points is identified as one of the potential compartments.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein a point in one of the poly segments corresponds to a level set contour of the reservoir structure.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein points on the poly segments represent structural contours, which are generated by obtaining depth level sets of the structural data from a real value function that maps to depths ranging from minimum depth to maximum depth of the structural data.

10. The method recited in claim 1, comprising identifying critical points of the topological net by passing a plane of constant depth through the reservoir structure to obtain depth level contours and identifying locations where the depth level contours intersect.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the structural data comprises geological surfaces, seismic data, geological models, reservoir models, or some combination thereof.

12. The method recited in claim 1, comprising adding the potential compartments to a reservoir connectivity diagram.

13. The method recited in claim 12, comprising adding the spill or break-over relationships to the reservoir connectivity diagram.

14. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising using the representation to determine one or more locations for drilling a well in the reservoir.

15. A method of performing a reservoir connectivity analysis comprising:

obtaining structural data defining a reservoir structure, wherein the structural data represents a subsurface region containing at least a portion of a reservoir;

generating a topological net based on the structural data in a computer system, the topological net comprising critical points and poly segments connecting the critical points,

wherein the generation of the topological net comprises;

(i) defining a real value function that maps the reservoir structure to depth values;

(ii) computing one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, or any combination thereof from the real value function;

(iii) identifying one of the one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, and any combination thereof as the critical points; and

(iv) associating the critical points in the topological net;

identifying a potential compartment of the reservoir structure based on at least the critical points in the topological net in the computer system;

adding the potential compartment to a reservoir connectivity diagram;

comparing measured pressure data with expected pressure data, wherein the expected pressure data is generated based on the reservoir connectivity diagram; and

displaying or storing a representation based on the comparison of the measured pressure data with expected pressure data.

16. The method recited in claim 15, comprising modifying the topological net if the measured pressure data is inconsistent with the expected pressure data and generating a modified reservoir connectivity diagram based on the modified topological net.

17. A system for analyzing reservoir structure data, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising code configured to direct the processor to;

obtain structural data corresponding to defining a reservoir structure, wherein the structural data represents a subsurface region containing at least a portion of a reservoir;

generate a topological net based on the structural data, the topological net comprising critical points and poly segments connecting the critical points, wherein the generation of the topological net comprises code configured to direct the processor to;

(i) define a real value function that maps the reservoir structure to a depth value;

(ii) calculate one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, and any combination thereof;

(iii) identify one of the one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, and any combination thereof as the critical points; and

(iv) associate the critical points in the topological net;

identify potential compartments of the reservoir structure based on at least the critical points in the topological net;

generate the poly segment by obtaining depth level sets of the structural data from the real value function that maps to depths ranging from minimum depth to maximum depth of the structural data; and

display or store a representation based on the identified potential compartments and the topological net.

18. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the code configured to direct the processor to identify potential compartments identifies one of the poly segments between two or more of the critical points as one of the potential compartments.

19. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprises code configured to direct the processor to identify one of the critical points as a spill or break-over connection between the potential compartments corresponding to the poly segments connected by the critical point.

20. The system recited in claim 17, comprising a visualization engine configured to provide a visual display of a reservoir and overlay the topological net over the visual display of the reservoir.

21. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprises code configured to direct the processor to add the potential compartments and relationships between compartments to a reservoir connectivity diagram.

22. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the critical points comprise a minimum critical point, a maximum critical point, a top saddle critical point, or a base saddle critical point and the poly segments correspond to regions of the reservoir.

23. The system recited in claim 17, wherein points on the poly segments represent structural contours, which are generated by obtaining depth level sets of the structural data from a real value function that maps to depths ranging from minimum depth to maximum depth of the structural data.

24. A method of modeling compartments in a subsurface region, the method comprising:

obtaining structural data defining a reservoir structure in the subsurface region;

generating a topological net based on the structural data in a computer system, the topological net comprising critical points and poly segments connecting the critical points,

wherein the generation of the topological net comprises;

(v) defining a real value function that maps the reservoir structure to depth values;

(vi) computing one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, or any combination thereof based on the real value function;

(vii) identifying one of the one or more local minima, one or more local maxima, and any combination thereof as the critical points; and

(viii) representing the critical points in the topological net;

identifying potential compartments of the reservoir structure based on at least the critical points in the topological net in the computer system;

automatically identifying spill or break-over relationships among the potential compartments based on at least the critical points in the topological net; and

constructing a reservoir connectivity diagram based on the identification of the potential compartments and the spill or break-over relationships;

displaying the reservoir connectivity diagram.