Calibrating reservoir performance with time-lapse seismic monitoring and flowsimulations of the Sleipner CO_2 plume

摘要

Since its inception in 1996, the CO_2 injection operation at Sleipner has been monitored by four repeat 3D seismic surveys. Striking time-lapse seismic images of the CO_2 plume have been obtained, but some aspects of reservoir structure and properties remain imperfectly understood. The topmost layer of the CO_2 plume can be most accurately characterized, its rate of growth quantified, and CO_2 flux at the reservoir top estimated. The latter has been quite stable since 2001, which suggests that transport through intra-reservoir mudstones is via a limited number of discrete pathways that became established quite early in plume evolution. This important constraint on reservoir performance can help calibrate longer-term predictive models of plume evolution.