Production seismology: The use of shear waves to monitor and mode production in a poro-reactive and interactive reservoir

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:542840

Crampin, S; Zatsepin, S V ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

A new understanding of stressed fluid-saturated porous rock shows that rock responds to small changes in stress, pressure, and other phenomena, by modifying the micro-scale geometry of intergranular microcracks and pores. We show that shear-wave propagation is directly coupled to this internal fluid/rock geometry, so that the micro-scale deformation can be monitored by analyzing the behavior of seismic shear waves. The shear waves carry three-dimensional information and are much more sensitive than P-waves to the possibly-marginal anisotropic changes in reservoirs during hydrocarbon production. These fluid/rock changes can be numerically modeled, and can be monitored in detail by analyzing shear waves along a few appropriate ray paths. Consequently, shear-wave technology could provide a feedback mechanism for production engineers for controlling the progress of production fronts and in the development of hydrocarbon reservoirs. In order to implement such techniques, high-frequency shear waves need to be recorded along comparatively short ray paths within the reservoir itself. This a new requirement for seismology which existing exploration technologies cannot meet. Possible techniques for production seismology are suggested.

• OSTI ID: 542840
• Report Number(s): CONF-951013--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
58 GEOSCIENCES
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC MODELS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
SEISMIC S WAVES
WAVE PROPAGATION