5. Measuring and Monitoring Heavy-Oil Reservoir Properties

PreviousNext No AccessHeavy Oils: Reservoir Characterization and Production Monitoring5. Measuring and Monitoring Heavy-Oil Reservoir PropertiesAuthors: Kevin WolfTiziana VanorioGary MavkoE. F. GonzalezG. MukerjiG. MavkoE. F. GonzalezG. MavkoT. MukerjiR. KrimholtzD. A. LeedomG. L. MatthaeiS. RamoJ. R. WhinneryT. Van DuzerM. A. ZimmerKevin WolfDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USSearch for more papers by this author, Tiziana VanorioDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USSearch for more papers by this author, Gary MavkoDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USDepartment of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USSearch for more papers by this author, E. F. GonzalezSearch for more papers by this author, G. MukerjiSearch for more papers by this author, G. MavkoSearch for more papers by this author, E. F. GonzalezSearch for more papers by this author, G. MavkoSearch for more papers by this author, T. MukerjiSearch for more papers by this author, R. KrimholtzSearch for more papers by this author, D. A. LeedomSearch for more papers by this author, G. L. MatthaeiSearch for more papers by this author, S. RamoSearch for more papers by this author, J. R. WhinnerySearch for more papers by this author, T. Van DuzerSearch for more papers by this author, and M. A. ZimmerSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.1190/1.9781560802235.ch5 SectionsAboutPDF/ePub ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract Introduction The level of interest in heavy-oil and bitumen reservoirs has dramatically increased in recent times. Increased production of these reservoir types has stimulated research on the properties of these reservoirs under various conditions to aid in the initial characterization of the reservoir and monitor production strategies in situ utilizing seismic data. Rock physics provides the crucial link between the physical properties of the reservoir and seismic properties that can be remotely measured; however, to this point there is not a robust model that can be used to predict or infer the properties of heavy-oil or bitumen sands from seismic data, nor is there sufficient experimental data to calibrate such models. We present a methodology to characterize and monitor heavy-oil reservoirs by inverting converted-wave seismic data to obtain P-to-S converted-wave elastic impedance (PSEI) estimates as a function of angle. By examining these data in “PSEI space” (crossplots of PSEI values obtained at different angles), we can infer the conditions in the reservoir and possibly relate them to physical properties of the reservoir through a reliable rock physics model. This methodology points out the need for better defined rock physics models that need to be calibrated to a large, robust data set. Experimental measurement of heavy-oil sands is challenging, and to meet these challenges, we have designed an ultrasonic pulse transmission system that has been optimized for use with heavy-oil sand samples. These samples provide several unique challenges in the laboratory that are not typically encountered when measuring traditional hard rocks such as carbonates or sandstones. Although the system has several specialized components, we will focus on the design of the transducers used in the system. The transducers are uniquely designed so that they closely match the impedance of the bitumen sand over a wide temperature range, resulting in sharp first arrivals while maximizing the received amplitude. Permalink: https://doi.org/10.1190/1.9781560802235.ch5References Gonzalez, E. F. , G. Mukerji, and G. Mavko, 2003, Near and far offset P-to-S elastic impedance for discriminating fizz water from commercial gas: The Leading Edge, 22, 1012–1015. AbstractGoogle Scholar Gonzalez, E. F. , G. Mavko, and T. Mukerji, 2004, A practical procedure for P-to-S ‘elastic’ impedance (PSEI) inversion: Well log and synthetic seismic examples for identifying partial gas saturations: 74th Annual International Meeting, SEG, Expanded Abstracts, 1782–1785. AbstractGoogle Scholar Krimholtz, R., D. A. Leedom, and G. L. Matthaei, 1970, New equivalent circuits for elementary piezoelectric transducers: Electronics Letters, 6, 398–399. CrossrefGoogle Scholar Ramo, S., J. R. Whinnery, and T. Van Duzer, 1994, Fields and waves in communications electronics: J. Wiley and Sons. Google Scholar Zimmer, M. A. , 2003, Seismic velocities in unconsolidated sands: measurements of pressure, sorting and compaction effects: Ph.D. thesis, Stanford University. Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Heavy Oils: Reservoir Characterization and Production MonitoringISBN (print):978-1-56080-222-8ISBN (online):978-1-56080-223-5Copyright: 2010 Pages: 339 publication data© 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisherPublisher:Society of Exploration Geophysicists HistoryPublished in print: 01 Jan 2010 CITATION INFORMATION Kevin Wolf, Tiziana Vanorio, and Gary Mavko, (2010), "5. Measuring and Monitoring Heavy-Oil Reservoir Properties," Geophysical Developments Series : 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1190/1.9781560802235.ch5 Plain-Language Summary PDF DownloadLoading ...