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Petroleum reservoir operation using geotechnical analysis

  • US 9,946,986 B1
  • Filed: 10/21/2016
  • Issued: 04/17/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of increasing petroleum recovery efficiency, the method comprising:

  • establishing one or more reservoir classification metrics for a plurality of petroleum reservoirs, including at least a resource size metric and a recovery potential metric;

    measuring, using one or more sensors placed in each petroleum reservoir of the plurality of petroleum reservoirs, physical characteristics directly or indirectly relating to each of an amount of oil, vertical and/or horizontal discontinuity, reservoir thickness, reservoir permeability, fluid viscosity, reservoir depth, and production of oil;

    determining, at least in part from data obtained by the one or more sensors relating to the amount of oil, the resource size metric of each petroleum reservoir;

    determining the recovery potential metric of each petroleum reservoir, including;

    determining, at least in part from data obtained by the one or more sensors relating to vertical and/or horizontal discontinuity, a compartmentalization factor for each petroleum reservoir;

    determining, at least in part from data obtained by the one or more sensors relating to reservoir thickness, reservoir permeability, and fluid viscosity, a transmissibility index for each petroleum reservoir; and

    determining, at least in part from data obtained by the one or more sensors relating to reservoir depth, a depth factor for each petroleum reservoir; and

    based on at least the corresponding resource size metric and the corresponding recovery potential metric of each petroleum reservoir, classifying each petroleum reservoir into at least one classification relating to recovery efficiency of petroleum;

    based at least in part on the at least one classification, manually or automatically adjusting operation of one or more reservoir production units of a petroleum reservoir having a higher classification than the at least one other petroleum reservoir to increase petroleum recovery efficiency, wherein the reservoir production units are selected from producing oil wells, water injection wells, gas injection wells, heat injectors, or sub-components thereof, and wherein adjusting the operation of the one or more reservoir production units is selected from change in volume, change in pressure, change in temperature, change in well bore path, drilling one or more new production units, or shutting down one or more existing production units.

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