skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A rock physics and seismic reservoir characterization study of the Rock Springs Uplift, a carbon dioxide sequestration site in Southwestern Wyoming

Journal Article · · International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [3];  [5];  [6];  [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). School of Energy Resources, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
  2. Univ. of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa, TX (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
  3. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
  4. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Carbon Management Inst.
  5. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Civil and Architectural Engineering
  6. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

We present a reservoir geophysics study, including rock physics modeling and seismic inversion, of a carbon dioxide sequestration site in Southwestern Wyoming, namely the Rock Springs Uplift, and build a petrophysical model for the potential injection reservoirs for carbon dioxide sequestration. Our objectives include the facies classification and the estimation of the spatial model of porosity and permeability for two sequestration targets of interest, the Madison Limestone and the Weber Sandstone. The available dataset includes a complete set of well logs at the location of the borehole available in the area, a set of 110 core samples, and a seismic survey acquired in the area around the well. The proposed study includes a formation evaluation analysis and facies classification at the well location, the calibration of a rock physics model to link petrophysical properties and elastic attributes using well log data and core samples, the elastic inversion of the pre-stack seismic data, and the estimation of the reservoir model of facies, porosity and permeability conditioned by seismic inverted elastic attributes and well log data. In particular, the rock physics relations are facies-dependent and include granular media equations for clean and shaley sandstone, and inclusion models for the dolomitized limestone. The permeability model has been computed by applying a facies-dependent porosity-permeability relation calibrated using core sample measurements. Finally, the study shows that both formations show good storage capabilities. The Madison Limestone includes a homogeneous layer of high-porosity high-permeability dolomite; the Weber Sandstone is characterized by a lower average porosity but the layer is thicker than the Madison Limestone.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
FE0023328
OSTI ID:
1369278
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1550199
Journal Information:
International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 63; ISSN 1750-5836
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 17 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (27)

Chemomechanical evolution of pore space in carbonate microstructures upon dissolution: Linking pore geometry to bulk elasticity: CHEMOMECHANICAL PORE STIFFNESS MODEL journal October 2015
Long‐wavelength propagation in composite elastic media II. Ellipsoidal inclusions journal December 1980
Bayesian linearized AVO inversion journal January 2003
The Wyoming carbon underground storage project: Geologic characterization of the Moxa Arch and Rock Springs Uplift journal January 2011
Time-lapse 3-D electrical resistance tomography inversion for crosswell monitoring of dissolved and supercritical CO2 flow at two field sites: Escatawpa and Cranfield, Mississippi, USA journal June 2016
Effects of water and supercritical CO 2 on the mechanical and elastic properties of Berea sandstone journal December 2016
Simulation of industrial-scale CO2 storage: Multi-scale heterogeneity and its impacts on storage capacity, injectivity and leakage journal September 2012
Elasticity of high‐porosity sandstones: Theory for two North Sea data sets journal September 1996
Geologic carbon sequestration in Wyoming: prospects and progress journal October 2010
Probabilistic petrophysical-properties estimation integrating statistical rock physics with seismic inversion journal May 2010
Quantitative log interpretation and uncertainty propagation of petrophysical properties and facies classification from rock-physics modeling and formation evaluation analysis journal May 2012
Probabilistic approach to rock physics modeling journal March 2014
Bayesian linearized rock-physics inversion journal November 2016
Time-lapse pressure–saturation discrimination for CO2 storage at the Snøhvit field journal November 2013
Permeability variation with porosity, pore space geometry, and cement type: A case history from the Snøhvit field, the Barents Sea journal January 2015
Modeling CO 2 vertical migration based on seismic frequency-dependent AVO responses journal March 2016
Geophysical monitoring technology for CO2 sequestration journal June 2016
Amplitude-variation-with-offset and prestack-waveform inversion: A direct comparison using a real data example from the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming, USA journal March 2015
Azimuthal anisotropy analysis of P-wave seismic data and estimation of the orientation of the in situ stress fields: An example from the Rock-Springs uplift, Wyoming, USA journal March 2017
Some practical aspects of prestack waveform inversion using a genetic algorithm: An example from the east Texas Woodbine gas sand journal March 1999
Geometry, timing, and continuity of the Rock Springs uplift, Wyoming, and Douglas Creek arch, Colorado: Implications for uplift mechanisms in the Rocky Mountain foreland, U.S.A. journal December 2005
The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change journal December 2004
Baseline geochemical characterization of potential receiving reservoirs for carbon dioxide in the Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming journal October 2010
Recent advances in time-lapse, laboratory rock physics for the characterization and monitoring of fluid-rock interactions journal March 2015
Reservoir characterization of the Mississippian Madison Formation, Wind River basin, Wyoming journal April 2004
Complex fracture development related to stratigraphic architecture: Challenges for structural deformation prediction, Tensleep Sandstone at the Alcova anticline, Wyoming journal November 2009
Applications of boundary-preserving seismic tomography for delineating reservoir boundaries and zones of CO2 saturation journal March 2015

Cited By (1)

Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Characterization of Carbonate and Sandstone Reservoirs From Rock Spring Uplift of Wyoming journal September 2018