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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Integration of the comprehensive Gorgon CO2 surveillance program for history matching of the Dupuy reservoir model

Andrew Haynes A * , Karl Jager A , Jessica Maekivi A , Leigh Scoby-Smith A and Trent Shawcross A
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A Chevron Pty Ltd, Perth, WA, Australia.

* Correspondence to: Andrew.Haynes@chevron.com

The APPEA Journal 63 S386-S390 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ22190
Accepted: 10 March 2023   Published: 11 May 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.

Abstract

The Gorgon CO2 project (The Gorgon Project is operated by Chevron Australia and is a joint venture of the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron (47.3%), ExxonMobil (25%), Shell (25%), Osaka Gas (1.25%), Tokyo Gas (1%) and JERA (0.417%)) is the world’s largest operational Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project dedicated to greenhouse gas abatement. Since starting injection in 2019 it has successfully sequestered more than 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (as at 31 January 2023). A comprehensive surveillance program – including reservoir pressure monitoring, 4D seismic, microseismic monitoring, distributed temperature and acoustic sensing, and InSAR surface displacement measurement – provides a wealth of data for developing history-matched static, dynamic and geomechanical models that are instrumental in the operation and development planning of the field. In comparison to modelling of conventional hydrocarbon reservoirs, in which maximising production and ultimate recovery are typically the focus, developing and selecting a suite of representative CCS models requires consideration of an additional set of factors. These factors include modelling CO2 plume movement, managing reservoir pressure at key locations and accommodating geomechanical constraints. This paper will explore these differences, and how the various sources of surveillance data have been integrated into the modelling process to better understand and predict the dynamic behaviour of the Dupuy reservoir.

Keywords: 4D, carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide, CCS, CO2, Dupuy, Gorgon, history matching, InSAR, sequestration, simulation, surveillance.

Andrew Haynes graduated from the University of Melbourne with BEng Hons in Chemical Engineering and BSc in Chemistry. Andrew joined Chevron in 2009 and held various Reservoir Engineer positions before joining Gorgon CO2 in 2021.

Karl Jager graduated from the University of Waikato with a MSc degree in Earth Sciences and joined Chevron in 2012. Karl has held various Earth Science roles before joining the Gorgon CO2 team as a Development Geologist in 2019.

Jessica Maekivi is a Geomechanics Specialist working on the Gorgon CO2 Project. Since joining Chevron in 2008, she has worked in a variety of roles including well planning, static modelling and geomechanics, which is where her focus lies. Jessica graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2007 with a BSc (Hons) in Petroleum Geology and Geophysics.

Leigh Scoby-Smith is a Geophysicist with 20 years of global experience working on geophysical technical services, exploration, appraisal, development, production and CCS projects.

Trent Shawcross graduated from Curtin University of Technology with a Master of Petroleum Engineering (MPetEng) and Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc Hons) in Geophysics. Trent joined Chevron in 2005 and has held various Petroleum Engineering positions in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia and Angola before joining Gorgon CO2 in 2020.