INTEGRATION OF SEISMIC DATA WITH DOWNHOLE FLUID ANALYSIS TO PREDICT THE LOCATION OF HEAVY HYDROCARBON

• US 20150247941A1
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Published: 09/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (SLB)
• Inventors: Wang, Kang, Zuo, Youxiang, Mullins, Oliver, Fiduk, Joseph Carl, Pomerantz, Andrew Emil
• Application Number:
  US14/635,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20150247941A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/00 Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/003 Seismic data acquisition in general, e.g. survey design G01V1/3808, G01V1/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/50 Analysing data
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/644 Connectivity, e.g. for fluid movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/663 Modeling production-induced effects

Abstract

Various implementations directed to the integration of seismic data with downhole fluid analysis to predict the location of heavy hydrocarbon are provided. In one implementation, a method may include receiving seismic data for a hydrocarbon reservoir of interest. The method may also include identifying geological features associated with a secondary gas charge from the seismic data. The method may further include determining the proximity of the geological features to the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest. The method may additionally include receiving preliminary downhole fluid analysis (DFA) data from formations at or near the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest. The method may further include analyzing the preliminary DFA data to determine the equilibrium state of the hydrocarbon reservoir and to confirm the secondary gas charge in the hydrocarbon reservoir. The method may also include determining whether to perform one or more additional DFA'"'"'s.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving seismic data for a hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

identifying geological features associated with a secondary gas charge from the seismic data, wherein the geological features are selected from a group consisting of one or more gas chimneys, bright spots and salt welds;

determining the proximity of the geological features to the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

receiving preliminary downhole fluid analysis (DFA) data from formations at or near the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

analyzing the preliminary DFA data to determine the equilibrium state of the hydrocarbon reservoir and to confirm the secondary gas charge in the hydrocarbon reservoir; and

determining whether to perform one or more additional DFA'"'"'s.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of performing the additional DFAs are based on the proximity of the geological features and the analysis of the preliminary DFA data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the preliminary DFA data comprises analyzing the preliminary DFA data for fluid markers associated with the secondary gas charge in the hydrocarbon reservoir.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the proximity comprises determining whether the geological features are within a predetermined threshold spatial distance of the hydrocarbon reservoir.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the geological features are in fluid communication with the hydrocarbon reservoir.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the preliminary DFA data comprises determining if the hydrocarbon reservoir is equilibrated using one or more equations of state models of thermodynamic behavior of reservoir fluid.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a geological age of the hydrocarbon reservoir based on the analysis of the equilibrium state of the hydrocarbon reservoir.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the geological features are gas chimneys and further comprising:

determining the size of the gas chimneys;

performing the one or more additional DFAs near the top of the hydrocarbon reservoir if the gas chimneys are classified as large; and

performing the one or more additional DFAs near the bottom of the hydrocarbon reservoir if the gas chimneys are classified as small.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the gas chimneys are classified as large if it is determined to be greater than one kilometer or comparable in size to the hydrocarbon reservoir, and as small if it is determined to be less than five hundred meters or less than one-third the size of the hydrocarbon reservoir.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting locations of one or more additional DFA stations based on the size of the gas chimneys.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional DFAs determine whether the hydrocarbon reservoir is in equilibrium or determine the presence of heavy hydrocarbon associated with the secondary gas charge.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional DFAs are used to determine the impact of heavy hydrocarbon for the purpose of flow assurance, defining a production strategy or field development planning.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying flow barriers caused by precipitation of solid particles or asphaltene from reservoir fluids.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the seismic data to enhance the identification of one or more gas chimneys.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving seismic data for a hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

identifying geological features associated with a secondary gas charge from the seismic data, wherein the geological features are selected from a group consisting of one or more gas chimneys, bright spots and salt welds;

receiving preliminary downhole fluid analysis (DFA) data from formations at or near the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

analyzing the preliminary DFA data for fluid markers associated with the secondary gas charge in the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

determining whether secondary gas charge has occurred from the analysis of the preliminary DFA data; and

predicting the presence of large disequilibrium gas-oil-ratio (GOR) gradients and saturation pressure gradients in the hydrocarbon reservoir based on the determination of the secondary gas charge.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive seismic data for a hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

identify geological features in seismic data that are associated with a secondary gas charge, wherein the geological features are selected from a group consisting of one or more gas chimneys, bright spots and salt welds;

receive downhole fluid analysis (DFA) data from formations at or near the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest;

analyze the DFA data to determine the equilibrium state of the hydrocarbon reservoir and to confirm the secondary gas charge in the hydrocarbon reservoir; and

predict one or more locations of heavy hydrocarbon within the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest based on the identified geological features.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program instructions which cause the computer to analyze the DFA data comprise program instructions which cause the computer to analyze the DFA data for fluid markers associated with the secondary gas charge in the hydrocarbon reservoir.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program instructions which cause the computer to analyze the DFA data comprise program instructions which cause the computer to determine whether the hydrocarbon reservoir is equilibrated based on the DFA data.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program instructions which, cause the computer to determine whether the reservoir is equilibrated based on the DFA data comprise program instructions which cause the processor to determine the presence of large disequilibrium gas-oil-ratio (GOR) gradients and saturation pressure gradients in the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more locations of heavy hydrocarbon within the hydrocarbon reservoir of interest are based on the size of the one or more gas chimneys.