Method for identifying subsurface fluid migration and drainage pathways in and among oil and gas reservoirs using 3-D and 4-D seismic imaging

Patent · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:870745

Anderson, Roger N ^[1]; Boulanger, Albert ^[1]; Bagdonas, Edward P ^[2]; Xu, Liqing ^[3]; He, Wei ^[3]

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1. New York, NY
2. Brookline, MA
3. New Milford, NJ

The invention utilizes 3-D and 4-D seismic surveys as a means of deriving information useful in petroleum exploration and reservoir management. The methods use both single seismic surveys (3-D) and multiple seismic surveys separated in time (4-D) of a region of interest to determine large scale migration pathways within sedimentary basins, and fine scale drainage structure and oil-water-gas regions within individual petroleum producing reservoirs. Such structure is identified using pattern recognition tools which define the regions of interest. The 4-D seismic data sets may be used for data completion for large scale structure where time intervals between surveys do not allow for dynamic evolution. The 4-D seismic data sets also may be used to find variations over time of small scale structure within individual reservoirs which may be used to identify petroleum drainage pathways, oil-water-gas regions and, hence, attractive drilling targets. After spatial orientation, and amplitude and frequency matching of the multiple seismic data sets, High Amplitude Event (HAE) regions consistent with the presence of petroleum are identified using seismic attribute analysis. High Amplitude Regions are grown and interconnected to establish plumbing networks on the large scale and reservoir structure on the small scale. Small scale variations over time between seismic surveys within individual reservoirs are identified and used to identify drainage patterns and bypassed petroleum to be recovered. The location of such drainage patterns and bypassed petroleum may be used to site wells.

• Research Organization: Columbia University
• DOE Contract Number: FC22-93BC14961
• Assignee: Trustees of Columbia University in City of New York (New York, NY)
• Patent Number(s): US 5586082
• OSTI ID: 870745
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/367/702/
3-d
4-d
allow
amplitude
analysis
attractive
attribute
basins
bypassed
completion
consistent
data
data set
data sets
define
deriving
deriving information
determine
drainage
drilling
dynamic
establish
event
evolution
exploration
fine
fluid
fluid migration
frequency
gas
gas region
gas reservoir
gas reservoirs
grown
hae
hence
identified
identify
identifying
identifying subsurface
imaging
individual
information
information useful
interconnected
intervals
location
management
matching
means
method
methods
migration
multiple
networks
oil
oil-water-gas
orientation
pathways
pattern
pattern recognition
patterns
petroleum
plumbing
presence
producing
recognition
recovered
region
regions
reservoir
reservoirs
scale
sedimentary
seismic
seismic data
seismic imaging
seismic surveys
separated
sets
single
site
spatial
structure
subsurface
subsurface fluid
surveys
targets
time
time interval
time intervals
tools
useful
utilizes
variations