Building a seismic‐driven 3D geomechanical model in a deep carbonate reservoir

Abstract

In this paper we show how to extend seismic-driven earth model building into the domain of geomechanics and drilling. A mechanical earth model (MEM) is a quantitative description of rock mechanical properties and in-situ stresses in the subsurface. Formation strength and in-situ stress are key components that impact well design. Most mechanical earth models, even today, are one-dimensional (1D), based on well and drilling data alone. The concept of using seismically derived horizons and velocities to extend the MEM into 3D space was introduced a few years ago. Very recently, a few authors have demonstrated the power of seismic inversion to improve the resolution and quality of a 3D MEM. We present a case-study from Kuwait (Sabriyah field) where a 3D geomechanical model was built using a combination of wellbore geomechanics, geologic structure, and seismic inversion-derived lithofacies and elastic properties. We show critical challenges facing seismic-based geomechanical model-building, demonstrate current solutions, and discuss future strategies.

3D Geomechanical Model Construction for Wellbore Stability Analysis in Algerian Southeastern Petroleum Field

“…Therefore, we were able to proceed to 3D geomechanical model construction. The workflow of this process is summarized in Figure 7 ( [6,[27][28][29][30]).…”

“…These properties are called "dynamic" because of their high-frequency contents. Nevertheless, their calibration can be guaranteed using laboratory tests on cores: the UCS cube was calculated from a UCS vs. Young's modulus correlation based on the regional core tests in the four wells, and the TSTR was estimated at 6-8% of the UCS [28]. The obtained 3D rock properties are illustrated in Figure 9.…”

3D Field-Scale Geomechanical Modeling of Potential CO2 Storage Site Smeaheia, Offshore Norway

“…Moreover, a simple assumption is missing the anisotropic behavior of the properties. Seismic-data-driven models can resolve the spatial anisotropic issue; however, to date, they have only focused on the reservoir and caprock intervals [3,31]. Considering these issues, Rahman et al [32] proposed the seismic-inverted-property-driven 3D field-scale geomechanical model workflow, where an integrated approach has been introduced.…”

Lithological Characterization by Simultaneous Seismic Inversion in Algerian South Eastern Field

“…A study including seismic inversion model construction was conducted. It consists of inverting the seismic data before summation in order to highlight the differences in lithology and thus to better understand, characterize, and evaluate the reservoir [3,4].…”