Sweet spot identification through seismic inversion and multiattribute transform: A case study of the Niobrara and Codell unconventionals
The Niobrara and Codell unconventional tight reservoir play at the Wattenberg field, Colorado, has potentially two billion barrels of oil equivalent, requiring hundreds of wells to access this resource. Due to the formations’ high heterogeneity and variable thicknesses, we model the facies at the well-bore scale and upscale it to the seismic scale to guide the development strategy and evaluate future exploration targets. A facies classification from well data supervises the prestack seismic inversion and multiattribute transformation workflows to build a 3D facies model. The 3D facies model captures the reservoir heterogeneity throughout the study area and suggests the location of sweet spots for future hydraulic fracturing and refracturing. The term “sweet spot” refers to the parts of the rock formation that potentially have the highest hydrocarbon production. The significance of sweet spot identification includes improved recovery from the Niobrara, Codell, and potential deeper intervals for future exploration of drilling targets. Furthermore, sweet spot information also assists in keeping the well in formation, which is difficult to do without the seismic data. Keeping the well in formation is key for the efficiency of hydraulic fracturing operations and improved production.