A Case Study: Using Modern Reservoir Characterization to Optimize Future Development of a Mature Asset

摘要

Enhancements in software, hardware, expertise, data collection and interpretation have continued to improve the industry’s ability to build detailed 3D geologic and dynamic flow models of the subsurface. These models in turn have improved our ability to make optimum reservoir engineering decisions for reservoir development. While such characterization has proved its worth for large assets over and over again, there continues to be much skepticism about the ability to use this process for mature or marginal assets. This paper describes a field example showing how a truly integrated approach can shorten the time frame and reduce the cost of the characterization process. This ensures that all the available data is being used in an efficient manner to optimize future recovery. Application of modern 3D reservoir characterization on mature fields is very problematic because of data quality issues, such as poor log quality, missing production data or lost cores. However, this lower quality data often provides bounds that are important in understanding the field performance and therefore should not be discarded. These data quality issues are addressed in this paper. Additionally this paper shows how a truly integrated approach shortens the time frame for development of detailed 3D geologic and dynamic models. For example early conceptual flow modeling and engineering analysis provides valuable input for constraining the static geologic model. * Now with Questa Engineering Modern software tools and analysis techniques are greatly improving the ability to combine many scales of data. This provides a better understanding of the reservoirs and improved decision-making. The value of these tools is often a direct result of efficient analysis and visualization of the data and interpretations. These powerful capabilities should not be limited to large assets, as they can be cost effectively applied to mature properties also.