Understanding Reservoir Architectures and Steam-Chamber Growth at Christina Lake, Alberta, by Using 4D Seismic and Crosswell Seismic Imaging

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (05) ◽  
pp. 446-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weimin Zhang ◽  
Sung Youn ◽  
Quang T. Doan
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Lateral Spread ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Reservoir Heterogeneity ◽  
Fort Mcmurray ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Reservoir Architecture

Summary EnCana Corporation's Christina Lake Thermal Pilot Project located 170 km south of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, uses steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) technology to recover bitumen from the Lower Cretaceous McMurray formation. This paper presents an analysis of time-lapse and crosswell seismic data, as part of an overall study integrating different disciplines and technologies, to understand the effects of geology on SAGD-process performance in the pilot area. A 3D baseline survey was conducted at the start of the pilot in 2001, and two follow up surveys were conducted in 2004 and 2005. In addition, six crosswell seismic profiles were acquired by placing both sources and receivers in the vertical wellbores. The goal of the seismic surveys was to better understand steam-chamber growth and reservoir architecture by detecting lithology changes, including the occurrence and distribution of mudstone stringers. Data from the surveys, especially from the crosswell profiles, indicated significant reservoir heterogeneity, and helped to characterize reservoir architecture in the pilot area more accurately. Analysis of seismic data (both 4D and crosswell) showed steam-chamber growth and oil recovery to be influenced strongly by reservoir geology. Steam-chamber growth is especially affected by the presence of low-permeability facies in the vicinity of the SAGD well pairs. Our analysis indicates that these reservoir heterogeneities have contributed to the creation of areas within the reservoir that have been unaffected by steaming operations to date. These findings are in agreement with flow-simulation results and collectively contribute significantly to the planning of future developments. Introduction The SAGD process was developed conceptually and investigated experimentally by Butler (1994). Main features of the original SAGD model for the lateral spread of the steam chamber included thermal conduction ahead of a steady-moving steam-chamber interface; countercurrent gravity drainage of mobilized bitumen, or heavy oil; and vertical rise of the steam chamber. This recovery process was field tested at the Underground Test Facility (UTF) near Fort McMurray through a number of different phases of pilot operation (Edmunds et al. 1989; Komery et al. 1993). Field applications of the SAGD process have revealed several issues of considerable importance to the recovery performance, including wellbore hydraulics, reservoir heterogeneity, effects of solution gas, and production of solids (Edmunds and Gittins 1993; Ito and Suzuki 1999; Suggett et al. 2000; Ito 1999; Edmunds 1999; Birrell 2003). This paper relates initial efforts undertaken by the Christina Lake Project team to integrate geology, geophysics (specifically, seismic technology), and reservoir engineering to further the understanding of steam-chamber growth in the McMurray reservoir for the Christina Lake SAGD project. Phase 1 of the SAGD pilot was implemented in 2001 at Christina Lake with the drilling and completion of three SAGD well pairs (A1, A2, and A3). Since then, three additional well pairs have been added (A4 well pair in October 2003 and A5 and A6 well pairs in August 2004). Fig. 1 illustrates the project area (TWP 76, R06 west of 4th Meridian), which now includes six SAGD well pairs along with observation wells and disposal wells. The following discussion will be limited to A1 through A4 well pairs, as production histories for the A5 and A6 well pairs are rather limited.

Feasibility of electromagnetic methods to detect and image steam-assisted gravity drainage steam chambers

Geophysics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. E227-E241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah G. R. Devriese ◽  
Douglas W. Oldenburg
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Vertical Component ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Mcmurray Formation

We have investigated the use of electric and electromagnetic (EM) methods to monitor the growth of steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) steam chambers. SAGD has proven to be a successful method for extracting bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, Canada. However, complexity and heterogeneity within the reservoir could impede steam chamber growth, thereby limiting oil recovery and increase production costs. Using seismic data collected over an existing SAGD project, we have generated a synthetic steam chamber and modeled it as a conductive body within the bitumen-rich McMurray Formation. Simulated data from standard crosswell electrical surveys, when inverted in three dimensions, show existence of the chamber but lack the resolution necessary to determine the shape and size. By expanding to EM surveys, our ability to recover and resolve the steam chamber is significantly enhanced. We use a simplified survey design procedure to design a variety of field surveys that include surface and borehole transmitters operating in the frequency or time domain. Each survey is inverted in three dimensions, and the results are compared. Importantly, despite the shielding effects of the highly conductive cap rock over the McMurray Formation, we have determined that it is possible to electromagnetically excite the steam chamber using a large-loop surface transmitter. This motivates a synthetic example, constructed using the geology and resistivity logging data of a future SAGD site, where we simulate data from single and multiple surface loop transmitters. We have found that even when measurements are restricted to the vertical component of the electric field in standard observation wells, if multiple transmitters are used, the inversion recovers three steam chambers and discerns an area of limited steam growth that results from a blockage in the reservoir. The effectiveness of the survey shows that this EM methodology is worthy of future investigation and field deployment.

Predicting Geomechanical Dynamics of Steam-Assisted Gravity-Drainage Process. Part II: Modified Cam-Clay Model

SPE Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (06) ◽  
pp. 3366-3385
Author(s):  
Mazda Irani
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Elastic Behavior ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Heated Zone ◽  
Modified Cam Clay ◽  
Cam Clay

Summary In Part I of this study (Irani 2018), the geomechanical effects in the reservoir associated with steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) steam chamber growth was evaluated on the basis of two core assumptions: reservoir yield behavior follows that of the Mohr-Coulomb (MC) dilative behavior, and the reservoir stress response follows that of a drained sand. In Part I, it was shown that although the dilative model nicely described the shearing and the sheared zone thickness at the front of the SAGD steam chamber, it could not predict the displacements associated with cold dilation in SAGD reservoirs, in which cold dilation refers to vertical displacement created in the zone ahead of the heated zone caused by isotropic unloading generated by the pore pressure increase and the increase in far-field horizontal stress. In cold dilation, the stresses do not reach the critical state line (CSL), which defines the yield surface and should, therefore, be analyzed considering elastic behavior. A modified Cam-Clay (MCC) model, however, can be used to describe the behavior of the oil sand in the cold dilation zone before reaching the CSL. In this study and as an extension to the results presented in Part I, strains developed in the reservoir during SAGD operation are calculated using an MCC model, and the associated oil rate enhancement and displacements are evaluated. The vertical strains and displacements are compared with measured values from the extensive monitoring program conducted at the Underground Test Facility (UTF) in the late 1980s. Two aspects of geomechanical effects are compared between the cap models (Part II) and dilative models (Part I): first, prediction of the sheared zone thickness and its effect on SAGD production enhancement, and second, prediction of vertical and horizontal displacements. It is shown that consideration of the material model effects on production rates are negligible for both models and that the MCC model can predict displacements in both the heated and cold zones of the reservoir reasonably accurately. Although dilative constitutive models can be used to predict horizontal and vertical displacements in the heated zone quite accurately, they lack the ability to predict the response in the “cold dilation zone.” Another main advantage of using an MCC model is that the MCC model provides a better description of a stress path and how the reservoir mobility can affect reservoir dilation, especially in the cold dilation zone.

Interpretation of geologic facies in seismic volume using key rock elastic properties and high-definition facies templates

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. SE11-SE27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahbub Alam ◽  
Sabita Makoon-Singh ◽  
Joan Embleton ◽  
David Gray ◽  
Larry Lines
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Effective Porosity ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
Particle Volume ◽  
Reservoir Architecture

We have developed a deterministic workflow in mapping the small-scale (centimeter level) subseismic geologic facies and reservoir properties from conventional poststack seismic data. The workflow integrated multiscale (micrometer to kilometer level) data to estimate rock properties such as porosity, permeability, and grain size from the core data; effective porosity, resistivity, and fluid saturations using petrophysical analyses from the log data; and rock elastic properties from the log and poststack seismic data. Rock properties, such as incompressibility (lambda), rigidity (mu), and density (rho) are linked to the fine-particle-volume (FPV) ranges of different facies templates. High-definition facies templates were used in building the high-resolution (centimeter level) near-wellbore images. Facies distribution and reservoir properties between the wells were extracted and mapped from the FPV data volume built from the poststack seismic volume. Our study focused on the heavy oil-bearing Cretaceous McMurray Formation in northern Alberta. The internal reservoir architecture, such as the stacked channel bars, inclined heterolithic strata, and shale plugs, is intricate due to reservoir heterogeneity. Drilling success or optimum oil recovery will depend on whether the reservoir model accurately describes this heterogeneity. Thus, it is very important to properly identify the distribution of the permeability barriers and shale plugs in the reservoir zone. Dense vertical well control and dozens of horizontal well pairs over the area of investigation confirm a very good correlation of the geologic facies interpreted between the wells from the seismic volume.

A Methodological Analysis of the Mechanisms Associated With Steam/Solvent Coinjection Processes Using Dynamic Gridding

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (06) ◽  
pp. 2238-2249 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.. Perez-Perez ◽  
M.. Mujica ◽  
I.. Bogdanov ◽  
J.. Hy-Billiot
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Thermal Recovery ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Good Precision ◽  
Edge Zone ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Phase Mobility

Summary Hybrid steam-solvent processes have gained importance as a thermal-recovery process for heavy oils in recent years. Numerous pilot projects during the last decade indicate the increasing interest in this technology. The steam/solvent coinjection process aims to accelerate oil production, increase ultimate oil recovery, reduce energy and water-disposal requirements, and diminish the volume of emitted greenhouse gases compared with the steam-assisted-gravity-drainage (SAGD) process. Among the identified physical mechanisms that play a role during the hybrid steam/solvent processes are the heat-transfer phenomena, the gravity drainage and viscous flow, the solvent mass transfer, and the mass diffusion/dispersion phenomena. The major consequence of this complex interplay is the improvement of oil-phase mobility that is controlled by the reduction in the oil-phase viscosity at the edge of the steam chamber. It follows that a detailed representation of this narrow zone is necessary to capture the involved physical phenomena. In this work, a study of sensitivity to grid size was carried out to define the appropriate grid necessary to represent the near-edge zone of the steam/solvent chamber. Our results for the steam/solvent coinjection process in a homogeneous synthetic reservoir indicate that a decimetric scale is required to represent with a good precision the heat and mass-transfer processes taking place at the edge of the steam chamber. In addition, we present some numerical results of the adaptive dynamic gridding application. Comparison was performed between the SAGD process and steam/solvent coinjection after the characterization and analysis of the mechanisms that govern oil production under typical Athabasca oil-sand conditions. Finally, in the framework of the proposed numerical methodology, the effect of solvent type and injection conditions on the oil-recovery efficiency is quantitatively illustrated. Published data for similar applications are also discussed. It is expected that this work will provide some insight for the simulation community about methodological aspects to be taken into account when hybrid steam/solvent processes would be modeled.

scholarly journals Identifying Reservoir Features via iSOR Response Behaviour

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Jingyi Wang ◽  
Ian Gates
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Athabasca Oil Sands ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Heterogeneous Reservoirs ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Response Behaviour

To extract viscous bitumen from oil sands reservoirs, steam is injected into the formation to lower the bitumen’s viscosity enabling sufficient mobility for its production to the surface. Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is the preferred process for Athabasca oil sands reservoirs but its performance suffers in heterogeneous reservoirs leading to an elevated steam-to-oil ratio (SOR) above that which would be observed in a clean oil sands reservoir. This implies that the SOR could be used as a signature to understand the nature of heterogeneities or other features in reservoirs. In the research reported here, the use of the SOR as a signal to provide information on the heterogeneity of the reservoir is explored. The analysis conducted on prototypical reservoirs reveals that the instantaneous SOR (iSOR) can be used to identify reservoir features. The results show that the iSOR profile exhibits specific signatures that can be used to identify when the steam chamber reaches the top of the formation, a lean zone, a top gas zone, and shale layers.

Investigation of Emulsion Flow in Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage

SPE Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (03) ◽  
pp. 440-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.C.. C. Ezeuko ◽  
J.. Wang ◽  
I.D.. D. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage ◽  
Emulsion Flow ◽  
Very High ◽  
Effective Representation

Summary We present a numerical simulation approach that allows incorporation of emulsion modeling into steam-assisted gravity-drainage (SAGD) simulations with commercial reservoir simulators by means of a two-stage pseudochemical reaction. Numerical simulation results show excellent agreement with experimental data for low-pressure SAGD, accounting for approximately 24% deficiency in simulated oil recovery, compared with experimental data. Incorporating viscosity alteration, multiphase effect, and enthalpy of emulsification appears sufficient for effective representation of in-situ emulsion physics during SAGD in very-high-permeability systems. We observed that multiphase effects appear to dominate the viscosity effect of emulsion flow under SAGD conditions of heavy-oil (bitumen) recovery. Results also show that in-situ emulsification may play a vital role within the reservoir during SAGD, increasing bitumen mobility and thereby decreasing cumulative steam/oil ratio (cSOR). Results from this work extend understanding of SAGD by examining its performance in the presence of in-situ emulsification and associated flow of emulsion with bitumen in porous media.

FLUVIAL RESERVOIR ARCHITECTURE INTERPRETATION BELOW THE SEISMIC RESOLUTION IN AN OFFSHORE OILFIELD

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-49
Author(s):  
Dong Zhang ◽  
Xuri Huang ◽  
Ting’en Fan ◽  
Haifeng Wang ◽  
Feng Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Window ◽  
Seismic Attributes ◽  
Gradient Algorithm ◽  
Bohai Bay ◽  
Reservoir Heterogeneity ◽  
Reservoir Architecture ◽  
Fluvial Reservoir ◽  
Seismic Resolution ◽  
Infill Drilling ◽  
Bounding Surfaces

Reservoir discontinuity is a practical representation of reservoir heterogeneity, which leads to the non-uniformed flow of hydrocarbons during production and to the increase in the difficulties of producing the remaining oil in clastic reservoirs. A feasible solution is to detect the internal bounding surfaces of the reservoir based on infill drilling data. However, for offshore oilfields, reservoir discontinuity analysis will have to rely on seismic data due to their sparse well spacings. Moreover, from the interpretation of a fluvial reservoir system in Chinaapos;s Bohai Bay, it turns out that the thickness of the sandstone is usually smaller than the seismic tuning thickness. In order to interpret a fluvial reservoir architecture which is below the seismic resolution, we elaborated a hierarchy of the fluvial reservoir architectures and classified the compound sandstones as different architectural elements according to their sedimentary periods. Forward models were designed to analyze the seismic responses of the architectures. The results demonstrate that amplitude-related seismic attributes could be sensitive to different reservoir architectures below the seismic resolution. The amplitude-related seismic attributes can be extracted through a time window guided by the horizons. The horizon-based attributes can be treated as digital images which may contain the information of compound sandstones with hidden discontinuity boundaries. We propose a direction-adaptive mathematical morphology gradient algorithm that can detect the boundaries of reservoir architectures in different directions on horizon-based seismic attributes. The application to field data demonstrates that the boundaries detected by the proposed algorithm have a good consistency with well logs. This method could enhance our capability to visualize and understand the complexity of reservoir heterogeneity.

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