Public Abstract

VISUAL DISPLAY OF RESERVOIR PARAMETERS AFFECTING EOR

A PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GEOSCIENCE/ENGINEERING RESERVOIR HETEROGENEITY PROGRAM

BY

THE MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
THE INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS PROCESSING
HOUGHTON, MI 49931

AND

DIGITAL PETROPHYSICS, INC.
BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301

Evaluation of gas and oil properties for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) involves a high degree of risk especially when the fields are old and well past their prime. The purpose of this project is to provide the small-to-medium size field operators with the tools necessary to do an EOR evaluation of the same quality and sophistication that only large international oil companies have been able to afford to date. This approach utilizes readily available, affordable computer software and analytical services. This project will provide a detailed example, based on a field trial, of how to evaluate a field for EOR operations utilizing data typically available in a field which has undergone primary development.

Modern reservoir analysis involves assembling, visualizing and manipulating standard reservoir data, including well logs and measurements on samples. This study will illustrate the steps involved in: (1) integration of data typically available for gas and oil fields (well logs, production data, core measurements etc.) with predictive models for reservoir alteration, and (2) linking these data and models with modern computer software to provide 2D and 3D visualizations of the reservoir and its attributes. The technique will be demonstrated through a field trial on a reservoir, Pioneer Field in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California, a field that has EOR potential.

The proposed work will consist of two parts: (1) gathering and creating data sets, and (2) synthesis, presentation and interpretation of the data sets. In part 1, well logs, other well data, drilling and production data for the Pioneer Field in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California will be obtained, assembled, and input into VORTEX (c), a commercial spatial database manager, which will be used to produce 2D and 3D representations of the reservoir geometry, facies and subfacies, stratigraphy, original oil in place (OOIP) and present (estimated) OIP as well as measured and model parameters. Petrographic and petrophysical measurements made on samples from Pioneer Field, including core, cuttings and liquids, will be used to calibrate the log suite.

In part 2 the data sets will be used to develop algorithms correlating the log responses with geologic and engineering measurements, and rock alteration due to interactions with hot fluids will be quantitatively modeled and used to predict the reservoir response if the rocks were to be subjected to thermally enhanced oil recovery (TEOR).

The study will demonstrate how to use existing, proven technologies to go into a field, assemble the relevant existing data, process that data into a highly detailed computer image of field, calibrate log data using standard analytical and measurement techniques, and then map out the zones (stratigraphic horizons) that would be best (or worst) suited to EOR operations, including TEOR. A key aspect is that all of this information can be integrated into a reservoir visualizer that is flexible, reliable, commercially available and maintained, and is easily manipulated.