Towards cost-effective permanent seismic reservoir monitoring

Abstract

One of the challenges faced by reservoir engineers is to understand the way fluid saturation, pressure and compaction change between wells during production of a hydrocarbon reservoir. The optimum placement of infill wells and the identification of new step-out opportunities to maximise recovery of hydrocarbons relies on such information. Time lapse (or 4D) seismic is acknowledged as being the only direct wide-scale reservoir management tool that is capable of revealing these important details about a producing reservoir. The Life of Field Seismic (LoFS) project at the Valhall field on the Norwegian continental shelf illustrates the technical and economic success of reservoir monitoring using 4D seismic data. Today, as the industry explores, drills and produces deeper and/or more challenging targets, reliable and consistent reservoir monitoring is becoming even more essential. A new fibre optic seafloor seismic acquisition system ? with high dynamic range, low background noise, low cost per channel and a long operational life ? is leading the way towards cost-effective permanent seismic reservoir monitoring.