Reservoir architecture and the size and reservoir quality of producing bodies remain a central concern particularly in deepwater. In this case study, high-quality seismic imaging delineated the sand bodies and an intervening shale break between two stacked sands. Wireline evaluation in each well consisted of advanced DFA (Downhole Fluid Analysis), formation sampling and pressure measurements, borehole imaging and petrophysics. Reservoir fluid geodynamic analysis of Wireline asphaltene gradient measurements indicate that each sand body is laterally connected and that the shale break could be a baffle. Geodynamic analysis of reservoir architecture employing seismic analysis and wellbore imaging and petrophysical logging concludes the same. All other PVT and geochemical data are compatible with this assessment; nevertheless, the DFA-measured asphaltene gradients are shown to be superior to all other fluid measurements to determine reservoir architecture. The concurrence of high-resolution seismic imaging with advanced wireline for both formation and reservoir fluid geodynamics enables building robust geologic models populated with the accurate fluid structures of the reservoir. History matching months of production match most probable reservoir realizations which are now the basis of reservoir simulation. Future exploration with step-out wells are being optimized with this powerful workflow.
Knowledge of pore pressure, in-situ stress, and lithology in unconventional reservoirs is important for safe and economic drilling, hydrocarbon production, and geomechanics applications such as wellbore stability analysis and hydraulic fracturing. Reliable predrill predictions of pore pressure, in-situ stress, and lithology are thus required for safe drilling and optimal development in such reservoirs. In the Permian Basin, changes in lithology occur over vertical depths that cannot be resolved by seismic velocities obtained by kinematic analysis, as these have poor vertical resolution. To obtain improved vertical resolution, seismic prestack depth-migrated (PSDM) data are input to amplitude variation with offset (AVO) inversion, for an area in the Delaware Basin where wide-offset 3D seismic data are available. AVO inversion provides estimates of both P- and S-impedance. The results are used to build a 3D mechanical earth model, which is employed to predict pore pressure, in-situ stress, and geomechanical properties. The model enables integrating the results of seismic inversion with drilling data, measurements on cores, wireline logs, formation and fracture closure pressures, and other data. By employing P- and S-impedance, and their ratio, pore pressure, in-situ stress, and lithology derived from seismic prestack inversion provides greater resolution than estimates obtained using seismic velocities from kinematic analysis. Examples from the Permian Basin illustrate the importance of the results for unconventional reservoir development.
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