Innovative non-conventional techniques for focused reservoir imaging

Bill Chmela, general manager, READ Well Services, in Houston discusses advances in 3DVSP surveys and other emerging technologies designed to improve understanding of the reservoir at reasonable cost 3DVSP surveys and other non-conventional seismic techniques for focused reservoir imaging can be used to improve resolution and to deliver more accurate reservoir models for production enhancement. New techniques and methods are being introduced by small innovative companies and have emerged in some areas as a primary imaging process. New technologies and data acquisition techniques have been developed that allow very large scale 3DVSPs to be acquired while using less than 10% of the rig time than similar surveys would have used just a few years ago. In tough imaging areas, this may be the only way to obtain improved images. In the past, the biggest factor limiting the use of 3DVSP technology was the cost involved with tying up a rig for days. By significantly reducing the cost, these high resolution surveys are becoming more common. With many oil and gas fields moving into the declining stage of production, the industry is continuously looking for ways to improve the recovery of hydrocarbons from existing reservoirs. In older fields there is a wealth of high resolution data obtained at the borehole (well logs) and a much wider but low resolution view of the field from surface seismic measurements. Trying to get a better understanding of a reservoir typically revolves around attempts to improve the resolution of the seismic image and/or measure changes in the reservoir properties to uncover bypassed hydrocarbons. The focus of READ Well Services has from the start nearly 20 years ago been to develop technologies that reduce the cost of finding and recovering hydrocarbons. It has developed and worked with other companies to introduce a number of new technologies that fill the gap between the high resolution data inherent in well logs and the low resolution seen with surface seismic.