Mimicking the process of manual sequence stratigraphy well correlation
Stratigraphic correlation of well logs is based on interactive, interpreter-based pattern recognition. A skilled interpreter identifies similar patterns (such as upward fining and coarsening) in user-defined well sections and links them using either a conscious or subconscious stratigraphic model. This manual stratigraphic correlation of numerous wells in mature fields can be both time consuming and error prone. To expedite the process of stratigraphic correlation, we perform the semi-automatic stratigraphic correlation of wireline logs from multiple wells using the Improved Dynamic Time Warping (IDTW). The IDTW employs semblance, which compares the shape of the well logs, to replace the Euclidean distance in the pairwise error computation. The resulting error matrix is compatible with the lateral nonstationary variation of well logs in the same formation. The workflow begins with interpreting stratigraphic well tops on user-defined well sections that is similar to current process of stratigraphy analysis. The interpreted wells are then treated as reference wells to aid in interpreting well tops for other wells. Necessary manual interventions are incorporated during the process of the semi-automatic stratigraphic correlation. We applied the proposed method to two experimental fields: a sand-rich reservoir and a mud-rich reservoir. The applications illustrate that the proposed method performs well in aggradational strata and successfully predicts the discontinuities with manual interventions.