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First EAGE Passive Seismic Workshop - Exploration and Monitoring Applications
- Conference date: 10 Dec 2006 - 13 Dec 2006
- Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- ISBN: 978-90-73781-45-0
- Published: 10 December 2006
21 - 40 of 42 results
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The Place of Passive Seismic in E & P
Authors S. Kapotas, N. Martakis and A. TselentisThe increase on the demand for Passive Seismic especially in the domains of exploration and production has most recently become a challenging field of opportunity. The method based on uncontrolled sources, requires an understanding and analysis of what we call passive events in a careful manner, so as not to be misinterpreted leading to a possible damage of its credibility. The objective of this presentation is to look at one of the methodologies that benefit from passive sources, and justify its use with case studies. Integrated Passive Seismic using P and S-wave travel times from natural micro-earthquakes can accurately estimate 3D Vp (structural) and Vp/Vs (lithologic) information of the subsurface. and reservoir related parameters.
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Frontier Exploration Using Passive Seismic
Authors P. Duncan and J. LakingsWe present a case history of 3-D seismic imaging in the Uinta Basin of Utah using passive seismic as an example of how passive techniques can aid exploration efforts in frontier areas. The area is topographically rugged making conventional seismic exploration expensive. Additionally, surface access is controlled by federal authorities and subject to stringent regulations which make permitting of conventional seismic almost impossible. The survey began in June, 2005. Over 12 months of passive data have been acquired. The catalogue of located events exceeds 6000 events. Tomographic inversion to a velocity model has shown structures of exploration interest.
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Virtual Surface Seismic Data from Downhole Passive Arrays
More LessMonitoring oilfield reservoirs by downhole seismic arrays typically consists of picking traveltimes of direct arrivals and locating the hypocenter of the fracturing rock. The 3-component array typically has no more than a handful of geophones located in one or more wells. To broaden the use of this downhole recording array I propose that it can, in principle, also be used to record 3D VSP data from controlled surface sources. These VSP data with free surface multiples can then be interferometrically transformed into virtual surface seismic reflection data, so that the subsurface reflection coverage is almost the same as a surface seismic experiment. To support this proposal, I present interferometric imaging results from 2D and 3D VSP data. Images from free surface related multiples show that the subsurface reflection illumination is almost as wide as that of a surface seismic experiment and is much larger than that from a conventional VSP image.
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Passive Infra-Frequency Microseismic Technology – Experience and Problems of Practical Use
Authors B. Y. Meltchouk, A. E. Suntsov, S. L. Aroutunov and A. M. MekhninInfra-frequency microseismic technology ANCHAR is based on the analysis of microseismic background of the Earth and is designed for prediction of oil bearing of formation rocks. Based on the 15-year experience of applying the microseismic technology to prediction of oil and gas, authors analyze the problems arising in microseismic technologies based on the use of amplitude characteristics (AC) of microseismic. Proposed is a new criterion based on the statistical analysis of displacement vector of the microseismic background considered as random time series (EC). Demonstrated is its benefits, particularly, better daily reproducibility as compared to approaches based on amplitude characteristics. Presented are case studies of applying the infra-frequency microseismic technology in hard-to-access areas of West Siberia in Russia and examples of ANCHAR applications in other world regions.
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A Remote, Wireless Microeismic Monitoring System
Authors R. R. Stewart, D. C. Lawton, H. Bland and Z. ChenThis paper discusses the design, installation, and performance of a remote microseismic monitoring system in a mountainous terrain. The system was designed to detect local seismic events that could be precursors of a landslide or indicators of seismic activity related to hydrocarbon production in the area. Six 3-component seismic stations were installed on Turtle Mtn., Alberta, Canada - site of North America's most fatal landslide in 1903. The area is also host to considerable natural gas production. We discuss the sensors used, recording apparatus, data transmission, marshalling, and storage. Event detection algorithms have been developed and hypocentre determination codes emplaced. We provide an overview of recent results.
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Surface Passive Seismic in Kuwait
By G. R. RachedSurface passive seismic is a direct hydrocarbon saturation indicator technique. It detects the presence of subsurface hydrocarbons by recording and spectroscopically analyzing the low-frequency acoustic/seismic background noise (between 0.5- 10 Hz) which is actively emitted by the earth. The measurements after filtering and analysis can be calibrated with well data and integrated with other geophysical data to provide information which can lower the uncertainty level for drilling and field development decisions. Measurements were carried out in Kuwait to evaluate their suitability to map the extent of hydrocarbon occurrences. The main concern being the suitability of the technology to differentiate between various reservoirs in stacked-reservoir environment. The level of certainty in the resulting map could not be accessed as there is a possibility that some deep reservoirs have not penetrated by the wells in the area of the experiment. It was concluded that the technology (at this point) cannot indicate the distribution of the occurrence among the stacked reservoirs since the measured indicators are the summation of the response of all the underlying reservoir layers. Nevertheless, the areas with highest hydrocarbon potential indication will normally be the most interesting ones.
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Application of Passive Seismic (IPDS) Surveys in Arabian Peninsula
More LessInfrasonic Passive Differential Spectroscopy (IPDS), called also as Passive seismic, is relatively a new technology for hydrocarbon reservoir (oil and gas) detection and monitoring. Application of this technology was utilized in several countries worldwide since 1996.
The Passive Seismic (IPDS) technique is based on the principles of non-linear behavior of multiphase fluid systems in porous reservoirs. Hydrocarbons in the pore system can be detected at surface as a characteristic deformation caused by ambient vibration of the normal signature of the natural earth’s noise signal in the low frequency range between 1 Hz and 10 Hz.
The technology is to becoming the leader in the development and application of passive low frequency acoustic and electromagnetic technologies for the detection of hydrocarbons and oil reservoirs monitoring – from the surface.
The main objective of the Passive seismic IPDS survey campaigns in the Arabian Peninsula in Oil and Gas fields (UAE, Kuwait, & Jordan) was to run such surveys as an exploration, delineation, reservoir monitoring and time laps monitoring tool under sand dunes-desert conditions.
The secondary objective was to provide information concerning detailed aerial hydrocarbon and vertical distributions. Up to date; run surveys in 15 exploration, appraisal and development areas.
Over 1,000 measurements were acquired from several exploration and development areas in Middle-East and 15,000 worldwide. The profiles pass through over hundreds of exploration, dry, appraisal, producer, and injector wells. The correlation with known data from these wells result in a correlation coefficient better than 80%, and the correlation between hydrocarbon net pay zone and Geospectra IPDS data related to several wells were excellent.
Based on the results of these surveys several new exploration areas were identified and additional hydrocarbon pools were found as an extension of existing fields under development and avoided a lot of dry holes. More than 13 wells drilled in B & Q fields based on the passive seismic (IPDS) direct hydrocarbon indication maps, most well results came exactly as predicated.
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Microseismic Monitoring with a Surface Array
Authors P. Duncan and J. LakingsWe propose an alternative to down hole microseismic monitoring that uses large arrays of surface geophones. The method presents several logistical and technical advantages over more common down hole techniques, but has its drawbacks as well. We have employed the technique in more than 16 projects to date and present here some of the results and observations on that work.
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Passive Seismic and Surface Deformation Monitoring of Steam Injection
More LessIn this paper, we present two case studies demonstrating the use of passive seismic and surface deformation of steam injections. The first example is of a cyclic steam injection, and the second a SAGD injection. The paper also highlights the geomechanical integration of passive seismic data and strains inverted from surface deformation.
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How Microseismic Data Monitored from Treatment Well Can Lead to Fracture Imaging – Feedback from Field Experiments
Authors C. Maisons, E. Gaucher, E. Fortier and P. KaiserFor any oil company, the knowledge of fluid paths within its reservoir is key information for production optimizing. Hence the ever growing interest of understanding any seismic activity induced by stimulation operations such as fracturation jobs. Indeed, microseismic monitoring of such experiments can lead to fracture mapping – usually, it is carried out from a distant observation well. The originality of our field feedback relies on a monitoring from the treatment well itself. Over the last years, we have collected a significant catalogue of multiple frac jobs experiments (beyond 20 jobs, within various overburdens types, using different probes in various survey geometries). The variety of configurations yet leads to very consistent conclusions as to the fracture characterization, by taking advantage of both types of waves - and validates our treatment well approach.
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Field Monitoring Using a Large Passive Seismic Array in Saudi Arabia – Field Pilot Study
Authors M. Jervis and S. DasguptaA large passive seismic array has been installed over a field in Saudi Arabia. This array comprises both downhole and surface 3C sensors and is designed to record microseismic events from the reservoir zone about 2km deep over an area of about 9 sq km. The main objective is to demonstrate that microseismic events which occur in the reservoir are detectable and that they can be used for mapping fluid flow and fracture pathways.
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Same Data, Different Results – The Apples and Oranges of Microseismic Data Processing
Authors F. H. Kindy, P. Engbers, A. Yahyai, P. Schoepfer, G. Engen and C. Van EdenHaving had a total of seven microseismic projects to date, PDO are in the unique situation were they have microseismic data acquired from a given field independently analyzed or processed by more than one party. For one field, identical data processed by two vendors gave very different results, both in number of events and their locations for the same recording period. For another field, the scattered data is believed to be correct whereby the nicely aligned data was found to be unreliable after a quality check. These differences raise many questions regarding MS data processing: why are these results different and are the differences a result of bad processing or different methodology used? We find that there are several factors for the differences including the processing methodology, the input data and the MS event screening and characterizing process used by the different vendors. Specific input and direction from the client are useful to ensure such discrepancies are reduced.
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Microseismic Monitoring of a Petroleum Field in Oman
Authors S. Sarkar, E. Sze and M. N. ToksozA case study of microseismic monitoring using extensive data from two different seismic networks in a petroleum field in Oman is presented. Spatial-temporal analysis of these microearthquake locations reveals fault structures, identifies causes of induced seismicity and fault reactivation. Shear-wave splitting analyis is used to map anisotropy and the stress direction in the reservoir.
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Induced Seismicity in the Oil & Gas Reservoirs of the South & South Western Iran
Authors M. Jalali, H. Memarian and M. ZareZagros Basin, extending from south to south west of Iran, is one of those large sedimentary basins of the world that shows high seismicity rate. The purpose of this research is to model and acquire the induced seismicity in the oil and gas reservoirs of this basin, resulted from extraction or injection of fluids in the reservoirs.
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Oil Reservoir Monitoring in Middle East Carbonates – Passive Seismic as an Alternative Approach to 4D Seismic
More LessMany of the supergiant oil fields in the Middle East produce from prolific carbonate reservoirs. Collectively these carbonate rock reservoirs hold over 50% of the proven world oil reserves (Nurmi, 1997). The ultimate oil recovery from these reservoirs could be optimized by monitoring the water flood areal sweep efficiency and by monitoring the changes in the remaining oil saturation between the wells, as the reservoir is produced. The sparse well spacing and large drainage areas for producing wells in these fields along with the rock physics properties of the reservoir matrix and fluids, however, make such monitoring a technical challenge.
The limestone-dolomite reservoir rock matrix has high rigidity modulus and the reservoir pore fluids show only a small elasticity contrast, as the oil is replaced by aquifer water. This is primarily due to relatively low gas-oil-ratio (GOR) in these undersaturated oil reservoirs, absence of a gas cap and mixed salinity water due to the injection of lower salinity brine in the reservoir. The combination of these reservoir properties produces a weak 4D seismic or time-lapse seismic effect from oil production in these reservoirs. For fluid monitoring in such reservoirs an alternative to time-lapse or 4D seismic technique is needed.
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Seismic Monitoring of Underground Storage in Salt Cavity in a Seismo-Tectonic Context
Authors E. Fortier, P. R. Renoux and C. M. MaisonsCaverns stability is monitored using a permanent seismic surveillance network operating since 1992. This paper summarized the results concerning underground storage monitoring in a seismo-tectonic context. Over the last 14 years, the seismic network has recorded 1800 internal micro-seismic events (magnitude < 0.5), and 500 external seismic events located close to the site. The objective is to show whether the seismicity is associated to exploitation activities (leaching) or to the local geological tectonic activity.
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Passive Seismic Imaging of Deformation Induced by Hydraulic Fracture Complexity in the Naturally Fractured Barnett Shale
Authors S. C. Maxwell, C. K. Waltman, N. R. Warpinski, M. J. Mayerhofer and N. BoroumandMicroseismic mapping is extensively utilized in the Barnett Shale, to map hydraulic fracture complexity associated with interactions of the stimulation with pre-existing fractures. Previous studies have indicated a fair correlation between the well performance and extent of the seismically active volume. However, in addition to this measure of the extent of the stimulated fracture network, the characteristics of this fracture network is also expected to impact the well performance. In particular, the fracture spacing is believed to be important factor controlling the potential gas flow. In this paper, we utilize the density of the total seismic moment release (a robust measure of the microseism strength) as an indication of the seismic deformation that may correlate to the fracture density. The study uses a set of microseismic maps of hydraulic fracture stimulations, including cases where the stimulated reservoir volume measured by the extent of the seismically active region poorly correlated with the well performance. Incorporating the seismic moment density to assess the fracture density with the network extent, an improved correlation with the well performance was observed.
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Passive Seismic Monitoring at a CO2 Injection Site, Violet Grove, Alberta, Canada
Authors H. C. Bland, R. Chalaturnyk, H. Soderberg and D. C. LawtonAt the Penn West pilot project, 100 km southwest of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, CO2 is being injected into the Cretaceous Cardium Formation in the Pembina Oil Field for enhanced recovery and carbon sequestration purposes. The reservoir is being monitored using passive seismic borehole array. Additional active seismic surveys are periodically performed to obtain time-lapse seismic images. A passive seismic array was installed on production tubing, along with fluid samples ports and pressure temperature sensors. Borehole geophones are used in combination surface three-component geophones to obtain sparse, 4D, multicomponent surveys of the study area. To date, the repeat active seismic surveys show indication of reservoir changes as a result of the CO2 injection. Passive seismic monitoring is ongoing, but has yet to yield any measurable levels of seismicity generated by the CO2 flood.
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Recent Experience of System Optimization for Wide Area PMM Installations
Authors I. Weir-Jones, P. M. Duncan, Ph. D., S. A. Shore and S. M. J. TaylorBased upon current experience with large PMM systems being deployed in North America, North Africa and the Gulf the authors review the factors which should be considered when designing PMM systems for various types of reservoir monitoring applications. Using specific examples of PMM systems designed to monitor heavy oil production is North America, CO2 sequestration in North Africa, and production optimization in Saudi Arabia the key factors influencing the design and operational characteristics of cost effective PMM systems are reviewed. The paper concludes with a review of the features which will be incorporated in different types of PMM systems in the near future.
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Data Acquisition, Transfer and Processing for Multi Channel Permanent PMM Systems
Authors I. Weir-Jones, P. M. Duncan, Ph. D., S. A. Shore and S. M. J. TaylorThis paper discusses the acquisition, transfer and subsequent processing/presentation of data from four different permanent PMM installations. The installations differ in both size, location, data processing procedures and ultimate function.
In terms of complexity, capability and addressability this new Aramco PMM system probably represents the current state of the art in permanents deployed, unmanned passive microseismic monitoring systems. The paper concludes with a review of system data handling capabilities as they currently, or will soon, exist using the characteristics of this new system for illustration purposes.
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