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The United Arab Emirates’ strategy to increase gas production, reduce dependence on pipeline imports and become a net exporter of this commodity has led to various important reserve discoveries. Appraisal wells drilled in gas formations such as the Khuff require both static characterization as well as dynamic data integration to improve the overall reservoir modelling in these complex tight reservoirs. Drill Stem Tests (DST) performed on Khuff appraisal wells provide important dynamic data, however in commingled flow tests more detailed information than that obtained from downhole pressure measurements and surface flow rates is required for a representative dynamic downhole characterization. Production logs (PLTs) can provide the required downhole fluid and flow profiles to differentiate inflow from different reservoirs or individual perforation zones. Such operations can become more complicated in the deep and high temperature Khuff reservoirs, especially when running through the small internal diameters in the DST bottom hole assemblies. The importance of PLT flow profile data for Khuff appraisal wells was recognized early on as a means to help investigate the formation heterogeneity, and the possible influence of natural fracture networks on reservoir productivity. PLTs were included in the DST programs for the appraisal wells, with the next step being preparing logging procedures and equipment to undertake operations as efficiently as possible. This preparation resulted in multiple production logs being successfully acquired in both vertical and deviated wells, along with logs prior to and after acid stimulation, providing invaluable and often surprising insight into the reservoir behavior and feedback for the static reservoir characterization. Along the way various important lessons were learnt that required modifications in some procedures to increase efficiency or reduce operational risks in the difficult downhole conditions. This paper will review some of the production log results and discuss the lessons learnt with the objective of making this type of dynamic data acquisition more visible as a very feasible activity to help improve reservoir characterization even under difficult conditions of logging through drill stem test strings into deep, high temperature reservoirs.
The United Arab Emirates’ strategy to increase gas production, reduce dependence on pipeline imports and become a net exporter of this commodity has led to various important reserve discoveries. Appraisal wells drilled in gas formations such as the Khuff require both static characterization as well as dynamic data integration to improve the overall reservoir modelling in these complex tight reservoirs. Drill Stem Tests (DST) performed on Khuff appraisal wells provide important dynamic data, however in commingled flow tests more detailed information than that obtained from downhole pressure measurements and surface flow rates is required for a representative dynamic downhole characterization. Production logs (PLTs) can provide the required downhole fluid and flow profiles to differentiate inflow from different reservoirs or individual perforation zones. Such operations can become more complicated in the deep and high temperature Khuff reservoirs, especially when running through the small internal diameters in the DST bottom hole assemblies. The importance of PLT flow profile data for Khuff appraisal wells was recognized early on as a means to help investigate the formation heterogeneity, and the possible influence of natural fracture networks on reservoir productivity. PLTs were included in the DST programs for the appraisal wells, with the next step being preparing logging procedures and equipment to undertake operations as efficiently as possible. This preparation resulted in multiple production logs being successfully acquired in both vertical and deviated wells, along with logs prior to and after acid stimulation, providing invaluable and often surprising insight into the reservoir behavior and feedback for the static reservoir characterization. Along the way various important lessons were learnt that required modifications in some procedures to increase efficiency or reduce operational risks in the difficult downhole conditions. This paper will review some of the production log results and discuss the lessons learnt with the objective of making this type of dynamic data acquisition more visible as a very feasible activity to help improve reservoir characterization even under difficult conditions of logging through drill stem test strings into deep, high temperature reservoirs.
With the current increase of domestic and global demand for gas, exploring any gas accumulations has never been more attractive in Abu Dhabi. The deepest targets, such as the clastic Permian formations, are especially attractive due to their H2S free (sweet gas) characteristics. Nevertheless, understanding the deep reservoirs is still one of the main exploration challenges in Abu Dhabi. The primary Pre-Khuff reservoir potential within offshore Abu Dhabi is considered to lie within the siliciclastic deposits of the Unayzah Fm. The Unayzah Fm. comprises predominantly continental deposits ranging from alluvial fan, braided river, lacustrine facies in western Saudi Arabia to fluvial, eolian, overbank and interdune facies further east. Deltaic to shallow marine deposits are also present in eastern Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. Seismic reservoir characterization poses as one of the most significant options for understanding the reservoir architecture and properties. Pre-stack seismic inversion was conducted targeting the Pre-Khuff zone of two offshore fields in Abu Dhabi. The available seismic data is a full azimuth high-quality 3D ocean bottom cable (OBC), covering 1270km2, with wide radial offset range of approximately 9400 meters. Due to the long offsets, four partial angle stacks (up to 40° of mid angle) processed to relatively true amplitudes, after pre-stack time migration, allowed the extraction of seismic reflectivity information at the deep sections with confidence. Elastic properties were derived from seismic reflectivity data and reservoir properties were sub consequently obtained. Although the inversion resolution was led by the seismic bandwidth, lateral continuity of inverted properties (P-impedance and Vp/Vs ratio) benefitted from the good seismic coherency of reflectors and signal to noise ratio. The comparison between the recorded seismic and the inverted synthetics exhibited a high cross-correlation throughout the whole area, for all partial stacks. The novelty of this study is the applicability of pre-stack seismic inversion techniques to the characterization of deep clastic reservoirs in offshore Abu Dhabi. The final products represent valuable information not only for further qualitative analysis in terms of reservoir geometry interpretation but also to derive some reservoir properties that could potentially optimize future exploration and appraisal activities.
High gas flow rates in deep-buried dolomitized reservoir from an offshore field Abu Dhabi cannot be explained by the low matrix permeability. Previous permeability multiplier based on distance to major faults is not a solid geological solution due to over-simplifying reservoir geomechanics, overlooking folding-related fractures, and lack of detailed fault interpretation from poor seismic. Alternatively, to characterize the heterogeneous flow related with natural fractures in this undeveloped reservoir, fracture network is modelled based on core, bore hole imager (BHI), conventional logs, seismic data and test information. Limited by investigation scale, vertical wells record apparent BHI, and raw fracture interpretation cannot represent true 3D percolation reflected on PLT. To overcome this shortfall, correction based on geomechanics and mechanical layer (ML) analysis is performed. Young's modulus (E), Poisson ratio (ν), and brittleness index are calculated from logs, describing reservoir tendency of fracturing. Other than defining MLs, bedding plane intensity from BHI is also used as an indicator of fracture occurrence, since stress tends to release at strata discontinuity and forms bed-bounded fractures observed from cores. Subsequently, a new fracture intensity is generated from combined geomechanics properties and statistics average of BHI-derived fracture occurrence within the ML frame, which improves match with PLT and distinguishes fracture enhance flow intervals consistently in all wells. Seismic discontinuity attributes are used as static fracture footprints to distribute fractures from wells to 3D. The final hybrid DFN comprises large-scale deterministic zone-crossing fractures and small-scale stochastic bed-bounded fractures. Sub-vertical open fractures are dominated by NE-SW wrenching fractures related with Zagros compression and reactive salt upward movement. There is no angle rotation of fractures in different fault blocks. Open fractures in other strikes are supported by partial cements and mismatching fracture walls on computerized tomography (CT) images. ML correlation shows vertical consistence across stratigraphic framework and its intensity indicates fracture potential of vertical zones reflected by tests. Fracture-enhanced flow units are further constrained by a threshold in both combined geomechanics properties and statistics average of raw BHI fracture intensity in ML frame. As a result, final fracture network maps reservoir brittleness and flow potential both vertically and laterally, identifying fracture regions along folding axis not just major faults, evidenced by wells and seismic. According to the upscaling results, the case study reveals a type-III fractured reservoir, where fractures contribute to flow not to volume. Fracture network enhances bed-wise horizontal communication but also opens vertical feeding channels. Fracture permeability is mainly influenced by aperture and intensity, while aspect ratio, fracture length, and proportion of strikes and dips mainly influence permeability distribution rather than absolute values. This study provides a production-oriented characterization workflow of natural fracture heterogeneity based on correction of raw BHI in undeveloped fields.
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