SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING SUBSURFACE FEATURES AS A FUNCTION OF POSITION IN A SUBSURFACE VOLUME OF INTEREST

• US 20200132876A1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Inventors: Sun, Boqin, Clinch, Simon, Keele, Dustin J., Gulick, Byron Dean
• Granted Patent: US 10,962,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/003 Determining well or borehole volumes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/6244 Porosity
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/30 operating with electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/32 operating with electron or nuclear magnetic resonance
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/38 Processing data, e.g. for analysis, for interpretation, for correction

Abstract

Exemplary implementations may: obtain subsurface relaxation time data specifying subsurface relaxation time values corresponding to a well in the subsurface volume of interest; generating a subsurface relaxation time distribution using the subsurface relaxation time data; generating a subsurface porosity distribution using the subsurface relaxation time distribution; generating a representation of the subsurface porosity distribution in the subsurface volume of interest using visual effects to depict at least one of the one or more subsurface relaxation time values; and display the representation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying subsurface features as a function of position in a subsurface volume of interest, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical computer processors, non-transient electronic storage, and a graphical user interface, comprising:

a) obtaining, from the electronic storage, subsurface relaxation time data specifying subsurface relaxation time values corresponding to a well in the subsurface volume of interest;

b) generating, with the one or more physical computer processors, a subsurface relaxation time distribution using the subsurface relaxation time data, wherein the subsurface relaxation time distribution specifies the subsurface relaxation time values as a function of porosity values; and

wherein the subsurface relaxation time values are sorted into one or more subsurface relaxation time bins;

c) generating, with the one or more physical computer processors, a subsurface porosity distribution using the subsurface relaxation time distribution, wherein the subsurface porosity distribution sorts the subsurface relaxation time values into one or more subsurface porosity bins;

d) generating, with the one or more physical computer processors, a representation of the subsurface porosity distribution in the subsurface volume of interest using visual effects to depict at least one of the subsurface relaxation time values; and

e) displaying, on the graphical user interface, the representation.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the subsurface relaxation time values correspond to a porosity feature.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the porosity feature comprises clay bound fluid, capillary bound fluid, and movable fluid in large pores.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the visual effects comprise mapping the subsurface relaxation time values corresponding to a given porosity feature to a given color gradient.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the representation depicts subsurface relaxation time values increasing as the subsurface porosity bin value increases.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the representation depicts subsurface relaxation time values decreasing as the subsurface porosity bin value increases.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more subsurface porosity bins are equally spaced in the subsurface porosity distribution.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating, with the one or more physical computer processors, steps (a)-(e) to generate and display, on the graphical user interface, multiple representations corresponding to one or more wells in the subsurface volume of interest; and

identifying, with the one or more physical computer processors, correlations between the one or more wells based on visual effects between the multiple representations as a function of position in the one or more wells.

9. A system configured for identifying subsurface features as a function of position in a subsurface volume of interest, the system comprising:

non-transient electronic storage;

a graphical user interface; and

one or more physical computer processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

a) obtain, from the electronic storage, subsurface relaxation time data specifying subsurface relaxation time values corresponding to a well in the subsurface volume of interest;

b) generate, with the one or more physical computer processors, a subsurface relaxation time distribution using the subsurface relaxation time data, wherein the subsurface relaxation time distribution specifies the subsurface relaxation time values as a function of porosity values; and

wherein the subsurface relaxation time values are sorted into one or more subsurface relaxation time bins;

c) generate, with the one or more physical computer processors, a subsurface porosity distribution using the subsurface relaxation time distribution, wherein the subsurface porosity distribution sorts the subsurface relaxation time values into one or more subsurface porosity bins;

d) generate, with the one or more physical computer processors, a representation of the subsurface porosity distribution in the subsurface volume of interest using visual effects to depict at least one of the subsurface relaxation time values; and

e) display, on the graphical user interface, the representation.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein one or more of the subsurface relaxation time values correspond to a porosity feature.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the porosity feature comprises clay bound fluid, capillary bound fluid, and movable fluid in large pores.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the visual effects comprise mapping the subsurface relaxation time values corresponding to a given porosity feature to a given color gradient.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the representation depicts subsurface relaxation time values increasing as the subsurface porosity bin value increases.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the representation depicts subsurface relaxation time values decreasing as the subsurface porosity bin value increases.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the one or more subsurface porosity bins are equally spaced in the subsurface porosity distribution.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

repeat, with the one or more physical computer processors, steps (a)-(e) to generate and display, on the graphical user interface, multiple representations corresponding to one or more wells in the subsurface volume of interest; and

identify, with the one or more physical computer processors, correlations between the one or more wells based on visual effects between the multiple representations as a function of position in the one or more wells.

17. A computer-implemented method for identifying subsurface features as a function of position in a subsurface volume of interest, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical computer processors, non-transient electronic storage, and a graphical user interface, comprising:

a) obtaining, from the electronic storage, an imaging log representing a well in the subsurface volume of interest;

b) generating, with the one or more physical computer processors, one or more estimated subsurface porosity bins using the imaging log;

c) generating, with the one or more physical computer processors, a subsurface pore size distribution using the one or more estimated subsurface porosity bins for a position in the subsurface volume of interest, wherein the subsurface relaxation time distribution specifies subsurface pore size values as a function of porosity values; and

wherein the subsurface pore size values are sorted into one or more subsurface pore size bins;

d) generating, with the one or more physical computer processors, a subsurface porosity distribution using the subsurface pore size distribution, wherein the subsurface pore size distribution sorts subsurface pore size values into one or more subsurface porosity bins;

e) generating, with the one or more physical computer processors, a representation of the subsurface pore size distribution in the subsurface volume of interest using visual effects to depict at least one of the subsurface pore size values; and

f) displaying, on the graphical user interface, the representation.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein one or more of the subsurface relaxation time values correspond to a porosity feature, and wherein the porosity feature comprises clay bound fluid, capillary bound fluid, and movable fluid in large pores.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the one or more subsurface porosity bins are equally spaced in the subsurface porosity distribution.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

repeating, with the one or more physical computer processors, steps (a)-(f) to generate and display, on the graphical user interface, multiple representations corresponding to one or more wells in the subsurface volume of interest; and

identifying, with the one or more physical computer processors, correlations between the one or more wells based on visual effects between the multiple representations as a function of position in the one or more wells.