Topic:

Numerical analysis of wave‐induced fluid flow effects

on seismic data: Application to monitoring of CO2
storage at the Sleipner field

 汇 报 人：Martins Uchenna Obidiegwu

单 位：2021290206
2021290206
2021年12月08
08日
 Background and motivation
ince October 1996, Co2 has been injected into the Utsira said, a major saline aquifer at the sleipe
eld offshore Norway, with more than 11 million tones currently in the reservoir (Chadwick et al
010).

his operation was the world’s first industrial scale Co2 injection project designed specifically as
reenhouse gas mitigation measure (Chadwick et al.,
al 2005).

ince after world’s first operation, a number of other sequestration sites were selected and Co2
urrently being injected at various place worldwide, including either depleted hydrocarbon reservoi
r deep saline aquifers, as in the case of the Utsira sand (Lumley et al., 2010; Lumley, 2010).

he Utsira sand is a weakly consolidated sandstone lying at depth between 800m and 1100m aroun
eipner.
 Background and motivation
The Utsira sand internally contains thin intra reservoir shale layers, having typical thickness of 1-
(Zweigel et al., 2004).

The Co2 is injected at a supercritical state near the bottom of Utsira sand, and it rises due to buoya
effects until it reaches flow barriers such as the thin shale layers and the top seal shale.

The presence of Co2 in the pore space of the rock produces a lowering of the compressional velo
which in turn, may induce significant pushdown of reflections within or below the Co2 plume.

This effect, which is clearly seen in the time-lapse

lapse seismic data of the Sleipner field, can be used
obtain additional information about the reservoir.

The ultimate goal of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of these processes within
framework of the seismic monitoring of CO2 sequestration, a key strategy to mitigate global warmin
 Background and motivation
The plume reflectivity can be explained by the presence of the CO2‐bearing thin layers, the velo
pushdown observed beneath the CO2 plume at the Sleipner field is too large for the estimated amo
of CO2 present at such thin layers.
This fact led Chadwick et al. (2005) to propose a model in which the CO2 plume is partitioned into;
a main component of high saturation (about 0.9 9) trapped in thin layers beneath the intra-reserv
mudstones and (2) a lesser component of low saturation in between the layers (diffuse CO2).
As mentioned, the propagation of seismic waves in rocks containing mesoscopic‐scale heterogenei
in the fluid or frame properties may induce fluid flow. This physical process constitutes the domin
P wave attenuation mechanism in reservoir rocks at seismic frequencies and can be understood
follows;
– when a compressional wave squeezes a heterogeneous fluid‐saturated porous material,
different regions of the medium, due to their distinct elastic properties, may undergo different p
fluid pressures. This, in turn, produces fluid flow and thus generates energy loss and velo
dispersion.
Background and motivation Con’t.
odology

e Methodology is as follows;
We first carry out Monte Carlo analysis to study the statistical behavior of attenuation and veloc
dispersion of compressional wave travelling through rocks with properties similar to those at
Utsira sand, Sleipner field, containing quasi-fractal
fractal patchy distribution of Co2and brine.
In this work, we employ the numerical upscaling procedures presented by Rubino et al., (2009)
study these effects of Co2 – bearing formations.
As proposed by the authors, a very efficient strategy to obtain equivalent complex frequen
dependent plane wave moduli for heterogenous fluid-saturated porous rocks as mentioned in
proposal.
Carrying out numerical simulation of wave propagation considering reservoir models and C
accumulation patters similar to the Co2 injection site in the Sleipner field.
To ensure convergence of the Monte Carlo approach, we consider a criteria similar to that employed
by Rubino et al., (2009).
A representative fluid saturated rock sample containing mesoscopic scale heterogeneity is subjected
an oscillatory compressibility test.
odology
plication

e application is as follows;
To analyze how patchy distribution of Co2 and brine within sand reservoir may lead to signific
attenuation and velocity dispersion effects which in turn may have a profound impact on surface dat
The determination of the nature of the fluid distribution as well as the proper modeling of the seism
data.
To analyze the effects on the corresponding surface seismic data.
To analyze the seismic response of a model similar to Sleipner field.
sion and conclusion
his work shows how patchy distribution of Co2 and brine within sand reservoirs.
his result in this work shows that the mean patchy size and Co2 saturation play key roles in the
served wave-induce fluid flow effect.
ltimate goal of this paper has been contributed in the understanding of this processes within the
ame work of the seismic monitoring of Co2 sequestration,
sequestration a key strategy to mitigate global warming.
his work also shows that numerical experiments suggest that wave induce fluid flow effects may
oduce changes in the reservoir’s seismic response, modifying significantly the main seismic
ributes usually employed in the characterization of these environment.
nalysis of the attenuation and velocity dispensation of compressional seismic waves produced by
tchy distributions of Co2 and brine in poorly consolidated sandstone in the seismic band of
equencies, and their effects on surface seismic data.
data
 sion and conclusion

umerical upscaling procedures was employed which permits to determine the wave-induced fluid
ow effects of porous rock samples containing mesoscopic -scale heterogeneities.
Monte Carlo analysis was first of all performed to determine the statistical behavior of attenuation
d velocity dispersion of compressional wave travelling through porous rocks with similar properties
the Utsira sand, in the sleiper field, containing quasi-fractal
quasi patchy distributions of Co2 and brine in
eir pore space.
urthermore, this thorough study let us conclude that these effects are very sensitive to the mean
tch size and Co2 saturation.
n the frame of the Sleipner field, this analysis suggests that wave-induced fluid flow effects may be
ry significant in the regions containing diffused Co2, while they can be neglected in the thin layers
ntaining very high Co2 concentration.
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order to obtain 2D seismic sections, this procedure is repeated for a large number of locations
nsidering smooth lateral variations of the parameters describing the different models under study.
scillatory compressibility test was employed to obtain the equivalent phase velocity and quality
ctor.
addition, these authors observed that to match both the observed reflectivity and the velocity push-
wn, the saturation of the second component varies from nearly 0.1 in the axial parts of the plume, to
s than 0.01 in its outer parts, and they estimated that about 13% of the known injected CO2
rresponds to the diffuse component.

a recent paper, Rubino and Velis [2011] observed that wave‐induced fluid flow effects, which are
o called mesoscopic effects, may be very significant in media similar to the Utsira Sand containing
tchy CO2‐brine distributions. This is particularly true for CO2 saturations near 0.1.
 Discussion and conclusion Con’t.

This attenuation mechanism is presumably the major cause of seismic attenuation in reservoir rock
seismic fre  quencies, and is due to the presence of mesoscopic‐scale heterogeneities, i.e.,
homogeneities larger than the pore size but smaller than the predominant wavelengths [White, 19
White et al., 1975; Pride et al., 2004; Carcione and Picotti, 2006].
The results found by Rubino and Velis [2011], together with the fact that very low CO2 saturat
values are expected to be present in the reservoir (diffuse component) at the Sleipner field, encourag
us to study the role of wave‐induced fluid flow effects on the seismic data usually employed in
monitoring of CO2 sequestration problems.
In this work, we first analyze the statistical behavior of the attenuation and velocity dispersion
compressional waves traveling through rocks containing highly heterogeneous distributions of C
and brine in the pore space, and consider different saturation levels and geometric characteristics
the CO2 patches.
Later, we perform numerical simulations of wave propagation in order to study the role played by
nature of the fluid distributions in the seismic data of these environments.
 Discussion and conclusion Con’t.
The results of our analysis using reservoir models similar to that found at the Sleipner field show t
the nature of the fluid distributions, i.e., patchy or homogeneous, as well as the patch size play k
roles in the main characteristics of the seismic data of these geological formations, especially in
presence of regions containing low CO2 saturation level.
 Some Selected References
Arts, R. J., O. Eiken, A. Chadwick, P. Zweigel, L. van der Meer, and G. Kirby (2004a), Seism
monitoring at the Sleipner underground CO2 2 storage site (North Sea), in Geological Storage
CO2 for Emissions Reduction, edited by S. J. J Baines and R. H. Worden, Geol. Soc. Spec. Pub
233, 181–191.
Chadwick, A., R. J. Arts, and O. Eiken (2005), 4D D seismic quantification of a growing CO2 plume
the Sleipner, North Sea, in Petroleum Geology:
Geology North‐West Europe and Global Perspectives
Proceedings of the 6th Petroleum Geology Conference, pp. 1385–1399, Geol. Soc., London.
Lumley, D. (2010), 4D seismic monitoring of CO2 2 sequestration, Leading Edge, 29, 150–155.
Lumley, D., D. Sherlock, T. Daley, L. Juang, D. D Lawton, R. Masters, M. Verliac, and D. Wh
(2010), Highlights of the 2009 SEG Summer Research Workshop on CO2 Sequestratio
Leading Edge, 29, 138–145.
Rubino, J., and D. Velis (2011), Seismic characterization of thin beds con  taining patchy carb
dioxide‐brine distributions: A study based on numerical simulations, Geophysics, in press.
Zweigel, P., R. J. Arts, A. E. Lothe, and E. B. Lindeberg (2004), Reservoir geology of the Uts
Formation at the first industrial‐scale underground CO2 storage site (Sleipner area, North Se
in Geological Storage of CO2 for Emissions Reduction, edited by S. J. Baines and R.
Worden, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 233, 165–180180
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