Time-lapse seismic monitoring methodologies applied to the Pyrenees Field, offshore Western Australia
Ramses Meza A , Guy Duncan A , Konstantinos Kostas A , Stanislav Kuzmin A , Mauricio Florez A , Tom Perrett A and James Stewart ABHP Billiton Petroleum.
The APPEA Journal 55(2) 412-412 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ14047
Published: 2015
Abstract
Time-lapse dedicated 3D seismic surveys were acquired across the Pyrenees oil and gas field, Exmouth Sub-basin to map production-induced changes in the reservoir. Rock-physics 4D modelling showed that changes in pore pressure and fluid saturation would produce a time-lapse seismic response of sufficient magnitude, in both amplitude and velocity, to overcome time-lapse noise.
The dominant observed effect is associated with gas coming out of solution. The reservoir simulation model forecasted that reservoir depletion would cause gas breakout that would impact the elastic properties of the reservoir. The effect of gas breakout can be clearly observed on the 4D seismic data as a change in both amplitude and velocity. The analysis of the seismic datasets was proven to be enhanced significantly by using inversion methodologies. These included a band-limited extended-elastic impedance (EEI) approach, as well as simultaneous 4D elastic inversion. These datasets, combined with rock physics modelling, enabled quantitative interpretation of the change in 4D seismic response which was a key tool for assisting with the infill well placement and field development strategy.
Ramses Meza obtained his MSc in geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines (USA) and geophysical engineering degree from the Universidad Simon Bolivar (Venezuela). Early in his career he worked as a reservoir geophysicist at PDVSA in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela; Harvest-Vinccler in Maturin, Venezuela, and ConocoPhillips in Houston, USA. His responsibilities included support in terms of quantitative seismic interpretation for hydrocarbons exploration and production activities. He has been with the BHP Billiton’s Quantitative Interpretation team providing support to all E&P assets with emphasis on integration of QI products, visualisation, seismic attributes and visualisation, QI quality assurance, seismic reservoir characterisation, DHI analysis and risking since 2012. Member: SEG, AAPG, EAGE and SOVG. |
Guy Duncan obtained his PhD in geophysics from Melbourne University. Early in his career he worked as a scientist at BHP ’s research laboratories in Newcastle, Australia. There he was involved in the development of seismic methods for resource exploration and production in the mining industry, such as cross-hole seismic tomography and in-seam seismic methods. Since 1995, he has been with BHP Billiton’s petroleum division, working in various technical roles in a number of geographical locations. The main emphasis of his work has been in seismic imaging, quantitative interpretation, 4D seismic and development geophysics. Member: ASEG, SEG and PESA. |
Kon graduated from Curtin University in 1993 with a BSc in physics and geophysics. He has international experience in exploration and development in the oil and gas industry, a cross-disciplinary skill set and has been exposed to a variety of basins, from land to deep water, throughout Australia and Asia. Kon is now working for BHP as a development geophysicist for the Pyrenees Field Development, offshore WA, and is actively involved in 4D as part of a multi-disciplinary team. |
Stanislav Kuzmin graduated from University of California, San Diego, in 2004 with a PhD in physics and worked on a variety of exploration and development projects in different basins. He primarily works in quantitative interpretation and rock physics. Stanislav’s responsibilities include support in terms of quantitative seismic interpretation for hydrocarbons exploration and production activities. |
Mauricio Florez has a BSc in geology from the National University of Colombia and a PhD in geophysics from Stanford University. He is now a geophysicist at BHP Billiton Petroleum and manager of the QI Team. He worked as an exploration geologist in Colombia for about eight years, and after finishing his graduate studies in 2005, he has worked in reservoir characterisation (iReservoir), rock physics and AVO modelling (BP America) and, recently, quantitative seismic interpretation with BHP Billiton. |
Tom Perrett received an MSc from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. He has worked in the oil and gas industry for the past 25 years on a diverse set of projects including exploration in Myanmar and China and development projects in Vietnam, the Gulf of Mexico, Trinidad and Australia. He now holds a position as a staff geologist working on development projects off the North West Shelf of Australia. |
James Stewart received a BE and a BSc from the University of Melbourne in Melbourne. He has mainly worked offshore Western Australia, Carnarvon Basin projects, with a focus on moderately heavy-oil developments. James is the reservoir engineer for the Pyrenees project. |
References
Kuzmin, S., Florez, M., and Duncan, G.D., 2015—Rock physics modelling and analysis of time-lapse seismic response on Pyrenees field, offshore Western Australia. APPEA Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 17–20 May, extended abstract, DVD.Lancaster, S., and Whitcombe, D., 2000—Fast-track colored inversion. In: SEG expanded abstracts, 1,572–75.
Whitcombe, D.N., Connolly, P.A., Reagan, R.L., and Redshaw, T.C. (2002). Extended elastic impedance for fluid and lithology prediction. Geophysics 67, 63–7.
