Characterization of Unconventional Reservoir for Development and Production: An Integrated Approach

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omprakash Pal ◽  
Bilal Zoghbi ◽  
Waseem Abdul Razzaq
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Additional Parameter ◽  
Unconventional Reservoir ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
Capillary Suction ◽  
Geomechanical Properties ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Geochemical Properties

Abstract Unconventional reservoir exploration and development activities in the Middle East have increased and are expected to continue to do so. National oil companies in the Middle East have a strategy for maximizing oil exports as well as use of natural gas. This has placed emphasis on use of advanced technology to extend the lives of conventional reservoirs and more activities in terms of “unconventional gas and oil.” Understanding unconventional environments, such as shale reservoirs, requires unique processes and technologies based on reservoir properties for optimum reservoir production and well life. The objective of this study is to provide the systematic work flow to characterize unconventional reservoir formation. This paper discusses detailed laboratory testing to determine geochemical, rock mechanical, and formation fluid properties for reservoir development. Each test is described in addition to its importance to the reservoir study. Geochemical properties, such as total organic carbon (TOC) content to evaluate potential candidates for hydrocarbon, mineralogy to determine the formation type and clay content, and kerogen typing for reservoir maturity. Formation fluid sensitivity, such as acid solubility testing of the formation, capillary suction time testing, and Brinell hardness testing, are characterized to better understand the interaction of various fluids with the formation to help optimize well development. An additional parameter in unconventional reservoirs is to plan ahead when implementing the proper fracturing stimulation technique and treatment design, which requires determining the geomechanical properties of the reservoir as well as the fluid to be used for stimulation. Properties of each reservoir are unique and require unique approaches to design and conduct fracturing solutions. The importance of geomechanical properties is discussed here. This paper can be used to help operators obtain a broad overview of the reservoir to determine the best completion and stimulation approaches for unconventional development.

Joint Application of Diagenetic, Petrophysical and Geomechanical Data for Selecting Hydraulic Fracturing Candidate Zone

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 55-79
Author(s):  
E. Bakhshi ◽  
A. Shahrabadi ◽  
N. Golsanami ◽  
Sh. Seyedsajadi ◽  
X. Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Earth Model ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
Stress Regime ◽  
Geomechanical Properties ◽  
Hydrocarbon Reservoir ◽  
Diagenetic Processes ◽  
Mechanical Earth Model ◽  
New Equation

The more comprehensive information on the reservoir properties will help to better plan drilling and design production. Herein, diagenetic processes and geomechanical properties are notable parameters that determine reservoir quality. Recognizing the geomechanical properties of the reservoir as well as building a mechanical earth model play a strong role in the hydrocarbon reservoir life cycle and are key factors in analyzing wellbore instability, drilling operation optimization, and hydraulic fracturing designing operation. Therefore, the present study focuses on selecting the candidate zone for hydraulic fracturing through a novel approach that simultaneously considers the diagenetic, petrophysical, and geomechanical properties. The diagenetic processes were analyzed to determine the porosity types in the reservoir. After that, based on the laboratory test results for estimating reservoir petrophysical parameters, the zones with suitable reservoir properties were selected. Moreover, based on the reservoir geomechanical parameters and the constructed mechanical earth model, the best zones were selected for hydraulic fracturing operation in one of the Iranian fractured carbonate reservoirs. Finally, a new empirical equation for estimating pore pressure in nine zones of the studied well was developed. This equation provides a more precise estimation of stress profiles and thus leads to more accurate decision-making for candidate zone selection. Based on the results, vuggy porosity was the best porosity type, and zones C2, E2 and G2, having suitable values of porosity, permeability, and water saturation, showed good reservoir properties. Therefore, zone E2 and G2 were chosen as the candidate for hydraulic fracturing simulation based on their E (Young’s modulus) and ν (Poisson’s ratio) values. Based on the mechanical earth model and changes in the acoustic data versus depth, a new equation is introduced for calculating the pore pressure in the studied reservoir. According to the new equation, the dominant stress regime in the whole well, especially in the candidate zones, is SigHmax>SigV>Sighmin, while according to the pore pressure equation presented in the literature, the dominant stress regime in the studied well turns out to be SigHmax>Sighmin>SigV.  

The Cambrian Basal Sandstone Unit in central Alberta — an investigation of temperature distribution, petrography, and hydraulic and geomechanical properties of a deep saline aquifer

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (8) ◽  
pp. 783-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Weides ◽  
Inga Moeck ◽  
Jacek Majorowicz ◽  
Matthias Grobe
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
High Porosity ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Hydraulic Stimulation ◽  
Deep Saline Aquifer ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Geomechanical Properties ◽  
Western Canada Sedimentary Basin ◽  
Porosity And Permeability

Recent geothermal exploration indicated that the Cambrian Basal Sandstone Unit (BSU) in central Alberta could be a potential target formation for geothermal heat production, due to its depth and extent. Although several studies showed that the BSU in the shallower Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) has good reservoir properties, almost no information exists from the deeper WCSB. This study investigated the petrography of the BSU in central Alberta with help of drill cores and thin sections from six wells. Porosity and permeability as important reservoir parameters for geothermal utilization were determined by core testing. The average porosity and permeability of the BSU is 10% and <1 × 10−14 m2, respectively. A zone of high porosity and permeability was identified in a well located in the northern part of the study area. This study presents the first published geomechanical tests of the BSU, which were obtained as input parameters for the simulation of hydraulic stimulation treatments. The BSU has a relatively high unconfined compressive strength (up to 97.7 MPa), high cohesion (up to 69.8 MPa), and a remarkably high friction coefficient (up to 1.22), despite a rather low tensile strength (<5 MPa). An average geothermal gradient of 35.6 °C/km was calculated from about 2000 temperature values. The temperature in the BSU ranges from 65 to 120 °C. Results of this study confirm that the BSU is a potential geothermal target formation, though hydraulic stimulation treatments are required to increase the permeability of the reservoir.

The legal relationship between multinational oil companies and the Sudan: problems and prospects

1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adila Abusharaf
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Economic Growth And Development ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Legal Relationship ◽  
Oil Corporations ◽  
Crude Oil Production ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Marketing Operations

Multinational oil corporations (MNOCs) are a strategically important group of multinational corporations (MNCs). There are now many MNOCs operating in both the private and public sectors with remarkably diverse characters, strategies and objectives. Handling large budgets, revenue and capital, and complex advanced technology, they are responsible for exploration, crude oil production, refining, and distribution. These very capacities enable MNOCs to make a number of positive contributions to the economic growth and development of the developing oil-producing countries in which they operate. In that regard, MNOCs engage extensively in joint marketing operations with their host countries in various parts of the world, and foreign funds injected by MNOCs' operations relieve the shortage of financial capital and make greater production possible.

Unconventional Reservoir characterization and Sensitive Attributes Determination: A Case Study of Eastern Sembar Formation, Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan

Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-67
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abid ◽  
Liping Niu ◽  
Jiqiang Ma ◽  
Jianhua Geng
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Wave Impedance ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Indus Basin ◽  
Brittleness Index ◽  
Poor Correlation ◽  
Unconventional Reservoir ◽  
Geomechanical Properties ◽  
Lower Indus Basin

The Sembar Shale formation in Lower Indus Basin Pakistan is thought to contain significant potential of unconventional resources; however, no detailed study has yet been carried out to quantify its potential. In conventional oil and gas exploration, reservoir rocks have been the main focus therefore, limited number of wells target the Sembar Formation. To explore its regional view, the seismic characterization of these shale is required. Generally, a poor correlation is generally observed between P-wave impedance and the reservoir and geomechanical properties of rocks, making it challenging to characterize them using seismic data. We present a workflow for characterizing the seismic derived unconventional prospect of the Sembar Shale using prestack seismic data along with well logs. The logging results of the two wells show that organic matter richness of well A is in high to very high values while, well B is in low to very low values. Considering the mineral composition and brittleness index evaluation the Sembar Shale in well A is brittle to less brittle in nature. The organic content, porosity, and brittleness index results in well A makes the Lower Cretaceous Sembar Formation favorable to be considered as a potential organic shale reservoir. Four sensitive attributes, derived through integration of the rock petrophysical, geochemical and geomechanical parameters, are correlated with P-wave impedance. The correlation of each sensitive attribute has been applied to characterize the Sembar Shale potential. These attributes are first-order indicators to depict organic matter, porosity and geomechanical properties. This attribute approach is further validated through rock physics modeling. The workflow presented in this study can be employed to assess unconventional reservoir potential of the Sembar Formation in other parts of the basin.

Novel fracture zone identifier attribute using geophysical and well log data for unconventional reservoirs

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. T155-T167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debotyam Maity ◽  
Fred Aminzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Fracture Zone ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Microseismic Monitoring ◽  
Well Logs ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Microseismic Data

We have characterized a promising geothermal prospect using an integrated approach involving microseismic monitoring data, well logs, and 3D surface seismic data. We have used seismic as well as microseismic data along with well logs to better predict the reservoir properties to try and analyze the reservoir for improved mapping of natural and induced fractures. We used microseismic-derived velocity models for geomechanical modeling and combined these geomechanical attributes with seismic and log-derived attributes for improved fracture characterization of an unconventional reservoir. We have developed a workflow to integrate these data to generate rock property estimates and identification of fracture zones within the reservoir. Specifically, we introduce a new “meta-attribute” that we call the hybrid-fracture zone-identifier attribute (FZI). The FZI makes use of elastic properties derived from microseismic as well as log-derived properties within an artificial neural network framework. Temporal analysis of microseismic data can help us understand the changes in the elastic properties with reservoir development. We demonstrate the value of using passive seismic data as a fracture zone identification tool despite issues with data quality.

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