Feasibility Study of Monitoring of Water Injection into an Iranian Oil Fields Using 4D Seismic Data

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Faculty of Petroleum Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Iran

Abstract

In recent years, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods have received more attention because of the increase in demand and decrease in oil reserves. One of these methods is water injection. Due to the structural complexities and sedimentology of most of Iran’s reservoirs, the success of EOR methods, particularly water injection, is associated with high uncertainty. Therefore, monitoring and controlling the injection process using four-dimensional seismic surveys is necessary to reduce the operational risk and increase the production rate. In this study, the feasibility of seismic operation is investigated to monitor the water injection process in two reservoir formations of Burgan (sandstone) and Yamama (carbonate) in one of the oil fields in the south of Iran in zero, one, and three-dimensional scales. For this purpose, first, a comprehensive study was performed on the existing rock physics models, and the appropriate rock physics model covering most of the effective parameters was selected. Then, the changes in seismic response caused by the three scenarios of formation water injection, seawater injection, and smart water injection were investigated in each formation. The results obtained in the zero-dimensional scale showed that the acoustic impedance changes by 4.5-7% for different scenarios in both sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. To perform one-dimensional studies, synthetic seismic data were generated using well logs and for different scenarios of rising oil-water contact. The results of one-dimensional modeling indicate that four-dimensional seismic data can record any displacement over 3 meters in oil-water contact in the Burgan reservoir and over 7 meters in Yamama. To conduct studies on a 3D scale, 3D synthetic seismic data were generated using static and dynamic models of Burgan and Yamama reservoirs. Feasibility studies using 3D seismic data also indicate the possibility of success of 4D seismic data for monitoring changes in the fluid contacts of both Burgan and Yamama formations on a reservoir scale. Therefore, 4D seismic operation in the selected field is recommended for monitoring and optimizing the production plan and suggesting suitable locations for drilling new wells.

Keywords

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References

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Journal of Petroleum Research
Volume 34, 1403-1 - Serial Number 134
May and June 2024
Pages 73-93

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