79th Society of Exploration

Geophysicists International
Exposition and Annual
Meeting 2009

(SEG Houston 2009)

Houston, Texas, USA

25 – 30 October 2009

Volume 1 of 7

ISBN: 978-1-61567-566-1
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 Volume 1

ACQ 2.5 (0061-0065)

A Free Lunch While Designing Experiments to Estimate
Azimuthal Anisotropy
Darrell Coles
Faults, Fractures, and Stress

RC 1.1 (1711 -1715) RC 1.4 (1726-1730)

Improved tools to streamline the seismic interpretation and fault Stress evolution due to depletion in an ellipsoidal e/astoplastic
analysis workf/ow reservoir
S. R. Freeman*, S. D. Harris, K. Wood, V. S. O'Connor, and R. J. Knipe, RORI Victor Dunayevsky and Michael Myers, Shell; Danil Safin, U of Houston
Leeds U

RC 1.5 (1731-1735)
RC 1.2 (1716-1720) Seismic detection of paleocave system and its influence on
Azimuthal P-wave attributes based fracture characterization of carbonate reservoir compartmentalization
Paleozoic buried-hill reservoir Qifeng Dou* and Yuefeng Sun, Texas A&M U; Charlotte Sullivan, Pacific
Z. Zhang, M. Zhao*, H. Wang, and S. Yang, LandOcean Energy Northwest Nat'I Lab

RC 1.3 (1721 -1725) RC 1.6 (1736-17 40)

Electrokinetic coupling in hydraulic fracture propagation A new method of formation evaluation for fractured and caved
N. Cuevas*, U of California; J. Rector, Lawrence Berkeley Lab; J. R. Moore carbonate reservoir: A case study from Lundong area, Tarim Basin
and S. D. Glaser, U of California Lulu Cai* and Sam Zandong Sun, China U of Petroleum; Youjun Xiao, CNPC
Case Studies

Solid Images

RC 2.1 (1741-1745) RC2.5 (1760-1764)

Rock physics integration of CSEM and seismic data: a case study Quantifying reservoir heterogeneity: A case study of elastic
based on the Luva gas field reservoirs, Bohai Bay Basin, China
P. Harris*, Z. Du, H. H. Soleng, L. M. MacGregor, and W. Olsen, OHM-Rock Qian Song* and Yuefeng Sun, Texas A&M U; Jie Zhou, PetroChina

RC2.2 (1746-1750) RC 2.6 (1765-1769)

The seismic imprint of cold heavy oil production Case study of a heavy oil reservoir interpretation using Vp/Vs ratio
Ken Hedlin* and Arthur Chan, Husky Energy and other seismic attributes
Carmen Dumitrescu*, Sensor; Larry Lines, U of Calgary

RC2.3 (1751-1755)
Development well targeting using prestack seismic inversion in RC2.7 (1770-177 4)
the Muda Field, Malay Basin Fluid contacts and net-pay identification in three phase reservoirs
V. Chaisomboonpan*, K. lntharawijitr, B. Ibrahim, A. Sirimongkolkitti, K. using seismic data
Wongpaet, I. Abdullah, P. Chumsena, and C. Nianfu, Carigali-PTTEPI J. Gil*; Fusion; R. Perez, J. Cuesta, R. Altamar, M. Sanabria, Petrodelta

RC2.4 (1756-1759) RC2.8 (1775-1779)

Fluid prediction in Bonga Main Field Fracture characterization using seismic data in a west Kuwait field
Hua Zhu, Shell A. AI-Kandari and R. Kumar, Kuwait Oil; P. Convert, S. Ortet, and G. Lecante,
Beicip-Franlab
 Fluid contacts and net-pay identification in three phase reservoirs
using seismic data
José Gil*; Fusion Petroleum Technologies,
Richard Pérez; Julian Cuesta; Rosa Altamar, María Sanabria; Petrodelta.
Abstract
An integrated interpretation of 3D seismic
attributes, spectral decomposition and pseudo
impedances, led to the identification of fluid
contacts within heavy oil reservoirs in Block II of
the Uracoa Field, in Monagas Sur area, Eastern
Venezuela. The study was run by Petrodelta, a
PDVSA-Harvest Vinccler joint venture in
Venezuela.
The final product is a breakthrough for Petrodelta
development plan, result of a multidisciplinary
interpretation and workstation capabilities. Those
results led to setting two new drilling locations.
Introduction
The Uracoa Field is located in the Monagas Sur
area, nearby the Orinoco Belt, Eastern Venezuela.
As a result of latest studies a PSTM processing
was run for the 165 km2 seismic dataset in 2008
by Fusion Petroleum Technologies for Petrodelta.
The field development plan (FDP) included a few
more locations within the mature field, avoiding the
shallower -drilled- free gas areas, and the deeper
-modeled- water contact.
The challenge for the subsurface team was to
reveal from old, reprocessed data, new evidence
in order to determine where to drill horizontal wells
in the oil bearing sandstones.
Further analysis of well-seismic calibrated data
and several trials on different set of attributes and
spectral decomposition started to reveal some
subtle geological features and amplitude
responses that led to forecast gas and heavy oil
intervals. Seismic attributes and spectral
decomposition interpretation were the key drivers
SEG Houston 2009 International Exposition and Annual Meeting
to determine GOC and OWC, as well as the oil
section to set new drilling locations.
Theory Background
The quest for the oil bearing interval in the
reservoir was mainly based on recent investigation
of seismic responses in presence of gas in heavy
oils at high GOR (Han & Liu, 2008) where seismic
velocity decreases. There is well data in Uracoa
field that measured GOR > 24000 scf/bbl, which is
very high at the local reservoir conditions.
In addition, gas-prone sands, drilled in previous
campaigns, showed that there are a few areas in
the field where free gas is located at the top of
reservoirs. Such fact allow to consider seismic
may detect the contrast between gas and oil.
A second investigation on heavy oil seismic
responses was found (Wolf, Vanorio, et al, 2008)
which suggests that if the sonic log shows elastic
contrast, confirmed by S converted waves from
near-to-far offset data, there is a chance to
differentiate velocity and/or density changes on the
seismic data. Log data available in Uracoa field
confirmed acoustic/elastic changes that led the
team to consider the possibility of mapping gas-oil
contrast.
Workflow
The workflow was derived from the many trials on
the datasets. It became a two steps flow:
1) First step of the analysis was to run spectral
decomposition on the seismic horizons related
to the top reservoirs. Gas-prone sandstones
had been drilled in the area but the three
phase fluids distribution had not been mapped
either clearly understood in the reservoir..
 The heavy oil reservoirs in the field have
historically showed a water contact at the
bottom. Seismic data was decomposed, in the
quest for acoustic/elastic contrasts among the
three fluid phases.
2) Second step was run in two phases: i) build a
de-tuning curve to differentiate gas and non-
gas amplitudes. ii) Pseudo impedances cube,
interpretation to determine lateral sandstones
distribution.
Bounding stratigraphic features of the
reservoir and the net-sand distribution within
the GOC and OWC were identified and
mapped.
By combining results of the two steps analysis the
net-pay was determined, and two drilling locations
set. Team interpretation improved the
performance, and served to update the dynamic
model.
Test on data:
Well-Seismic data: The 50Hz cube showed to be
useful for identifying the geological closures, free
gas zones and the GOC of the reservoir.
Figure 1 shows a seismic section from the Spectral
decomposition at 50Hz, across the Well-1. It is
observed a high amplitude response at the top of
the target reservoir. Higher amplitudes are
interpreted to qualitatively represent the gas sand.
That well has a complete set of log, which
confirmed gas presence in the interval. Figure 2
shows the gas bearing zone, interpreted in the
Neutron-Density. The log data matched the 50 Hz
seismic amplitudes. Next step was to check on the
lateral continuity of the gas sands.
Lateral extension and GOC: Figure 3 is a spectral
decomposition map, run to the top horizon after
calibrated to Well-1. The amplitude response
shows the lateral extension of the gas bearing
sandstones and the GOC detected downdip to the
North of the structure.
Production data match: The amplitude map shows
the gas zone across two other wells that had not
been revised: Well-2 and Well-3. Their production
history was checked, and both wells had a very
high GOR (>24000 scf/bbl) at the time the 3D
SEG Houston 2009 International Exposition and Annual Meeting
seismic was acquired (1998). The GOR confirmed
the amplitude was related to the gas distribution at
the top of the reservoir.
At this stage the team was able to reliably map the
gas presence, to be cased when drilling. It also
mapped the oil column top. Next task was to map
the net-sand distribution below the GOC and
above the OWC.
De-tuning Curve: Amplitudes were extracted from
top to bottom of the gas response. The detuning
curve was generated using a Time vs. Amplitude
curve to remove the high amplitudes, associated to
gas.
Low impedances derived from calculated pseudo-
acoustic impedance cubes showed to respond at
sand distribution. Combining the detuned
amplitudes and the derived impedance map
allowed detecting the net sand below the GOC and
above the OWC. Those sands became are
interpreted to be oil bearing, and no well has ever
targeted those.
Figure 4 shows the detuned curve and the
impedance map where the lowest values, red in
the scale, were interpreted as net sand distribution
spots. Those spots, in figure 5, were selected as
the drilling targets, and two locations were set in
the 2009-2010 drilling sequence.
Conclusions:
Combining spectral decomposition data and
pseudo impedances led to the identification of fluid
contacts three phases reservoirs. Log data was
used to calibrate the attributes at well locations
and to forecast lateral continuity.
De-tuned amplitude maps and the pseudo
impedance allowed to determined net-sand in the
reservoir under the GOC and above OWC. Those
sands became the drilling target.
Proposal for two drilling locations are the final
product of a breakthrough interpretation workflow,
adding value for the Petrodelta development plan.