North Sea Application Of Seismic Correlative And Seismic Velocity (ITT) Techniques To Predict Pore Pressure

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Haas
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Seismic Velocity

scholarly journals Physics-Based Relationship for Pore Pressure and Vertical Stress Monitoring Using Seismic Velocity Variations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2684
Author(s):  
Eldert Fokker ◽  
Elmer Ruigrok ◽  
Rhys Hawkins ◽  
Jeannot Trampert
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Pressure Head ◽  
Groundwater Table ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Stress Monitoring ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Velocity Variations ◽  
Velocity Changes

Previous studies examining the relationship between the groundwater table and seismic velocities have been guided by empirical relationships only. Here, we develop a physics-based model relating fluctuations in groundwater table and pore pressure with seismic velocity variations through changes in effective stress. This model justifies the use of seismic velocity variations for monitoring of the pore pressure. Using a subset of the Groningen seismic network, near-surface velocity changes are estimated over a four-year period, using passive image interferometry. The same velocity changes are predicted by applying the newly derived theory to pressure-head recordings. It is demonstrated that the theory provides a close match of the observed seismic velocity changes.

Successful Application of Managed Pressure Drilling MPD Technology to Reach TD in a Narrow Margin HPHT Well in the North Sea – A Case History

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babar Kamal ◽  
Emil Stoian ◽  
Graeme MacFarlane
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Back Pressure ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The North ◽  
Pull Out ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Managed Pressure Drilling ◽  
Integrity Tests ◽  
Remedial Work

Abstract This paper reviews the recently concluded successful application of a Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) system on a High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) well with Narrow Mud Weight Window (NMWW) in the UK sector in the Central North Sea. Well-A was drilled with the Constant Bottom Hole Pressure (CBHP) version of MPD with a mud weight statically underbalanced and dynamically close to formation pore pressure. Whilst drilling the 12-1/2" section of the well with statically under-balanced mud weight, to minimize the overbalance across the open hole, an influx was detected by the MPD system as a result of drilling into a pressure ramp. The MPD system allowed surface back pressure to be applied and the primary barrier of the well re-established, resulting in a minimal influx volume of 0.06 m3 and the ability to circulate the influx out by keeping the Stand Pipe Pressure (SPP) constant while adjusting Surface Back Pressure (SBP) through the MPD chokes in less than 4 hours with a single circulation. After reaching the 12-1/2" section TD, only ~0.025sg (175 psi) Equivalent Mud Weight (EMW) window was available to displace the well and pull out of hole (POOH) the bottom hole assembly (BHA) therefore, 3 × LCM pills of different concentrations were pumped and squeezed into the formation with SBP to enhance the NMWW to 0.035sg EMW (245 psi) deemed necessary to kill the well and retrieve BHA. MPD allowed efficient cement squeeze operations to be performed in order to cement the fractured/weak zones which sufficiently strengthened the well bore to continue drilling. A series of Dynamic Pore Pressure and Formation Integrity Tests (DPPT and DFIT) were performed to evaluate the formation strength post remedial work and to define the updated MMW. Despite the challenges, the MPD system enabled the delivery of a conventionally un-drillable well to target depth (TD) without any unplanned increase/decrease in mud weight or any costly contingency architecture operations, whilst decreasing the amount of NPT (Non Productive Time) and ILT (Invisible Lost Time) incurred. This paper discusses the planning, design, and execution of MPD operations on the Infill Well-A, the results achieved, and lessons learned that recommend using the technology both as an enabler and performance enhancer.

Seismic tomographic interpretation of Paleozoic sedimentary sequences in the southeastern North Sea

Geophysics ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. R45-R56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Nielsen ◽  
Hans Thybo ◽  
Martin Glendrup
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
North German Basin ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
The North ◽  
Crystalline Crust ◽  
German Basin

Seismic wide-angle data were recorded to more than 300-km offset from powerful airgun sources during the MONA LISA experiments in 1993 and 1995 to determine the seismic-velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle along three lines in the southeastern North Sea with a total length of 850 km. We use the first arrivals observed out to an offset of 90 km to obtain high-resolution models of the velocity structure of the sedimentary layers and the upper part of the crystalline crust. Seismic tomographic traveltime inversion reveals 2–8-km-thick Paleozoic sedimentary sequences with P-wave velocities of 4.5–5.2 km/s. These sedimentary rocks are situated below a Mesozoic-Cenozoic sequence with variable thickness: ∼2–3 km on the basement highs, ∼2–4 km in the Horn Graben and the North German Basin, and ∼6–7 km in the Central Graben. The thicknesses of the Paleozoic sedimentary sequences are ∼3–5 km in the Central Graben, more than 4 km in the Horn Graben, up to ∼4 km on the basement highs, and up to 8 km in the North German Basin. The Paleozoic strata are clearly separated from the shallower and younger sequences with velocities of ∼1.8–3.8 km/s and the deeper crystalline crust with velocities of more than 5.8–6.0 km/s in the tomographic P-wave velocity model. Resolution tests show that the existence of the Paleozoic sediments is well constrained by the data. Hence, our wide-angle seismic models document the presence of Paleozoic sediments throughout the southeastern North Sea, both in the graben structures and in deep basins on the basement highs.

Spatial Evaluation of Pore Pressure Variations Related to Rainfall from Seismic Velocity Changes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rezkia Dewi Andajani ◽  
Takeshi Tsuji ◽  
Roel Snieder ◽  
Tatsunori Ikeda
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Ambient Noise ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Diffusion Mechanism ◽  
Velocity Change ◽  
Diffusion Parameters ◽  
The Status ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Velocity Changes

<p>Crustal pore pressure, which could trigger seismicity and volcanic activity, varies with fluid invasion. Various studies have discussed the potential of using seismic velocity changes from ambient noise to evaluate pore pressure conditions, especially due to rainfall perturbations. Although the influence of rainfall on seismic velocity changes has been reported, consideration of the spatial influence on rainfall towards seismic velocity and its mechanism have not been well understood. We investigated the mechanism of rainfall-induced pore pressure diffusion in southwestern Japan, using seismic velocity change (Vs) inferred from ambient noise. We modeled pore pressure changes from rainfall data based on a diffusion mechanism at the locations where infiltration is indicated. By calculating the correlation between Vs changes and the modeled pore pressure with various hydraulic diffusion parameters, the optimum hydraulic diffusion parameter was obtained. We estimated the diffusion parameters with the highest negative correlation between pore pressure and Vs change because a negative correlation indicates pore pressure increase due to diffusion induced by groundwater load. Furthermore, the spatial variation of the hydraulic diffusivity infers the heterogeneity of the rocks in different locations. This finding suggests that the response of pore pressure induced by rainfall percolation depends on location.  We show that seismic velocity monitoring can be used to evaluate the status of pore pressure at different locations, which is useful for fluid injection, CO<sub>2</sub> wellbore storage, and geothermal development.</p>

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