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US 12,006,812 B2Granted
Method and system for sub-seismic fracture prediction
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorSi-Hai Zhang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method may include determining a portion of a microscale fracture using a well log acquired for a stratigraphic interval of interest. The method may further include obtaining seismic data for the stratigraphic interval of interest. The method may further include determining a seismic attribute that correlates the microscale fracture to a subset of the seismic data. The method may further include generating an attribute volume using the seismic attribute with a seismic volume for a region of interest. The method may further include generating, using the attribute volume, a fracture image of the microscale fracture throughout the region of interest.
Claims17
A method, comprising:
- obtaining, by a logging system coupled to a drilling system, at least one well log for a first well acquired for a first stratigraphic interval of interest, wherein the at least one well log comprises first dip measurements and first lithologies;
- generating, by a reservoir simulator comprising a computer processor and coupled to the logging system and the drilling system, a first plurality of dip angles for a first stratigraphic structure by comparing the first dip measurements to the first lithologies;
- obtaining, by the reservoir simulator, first seismic data regarding seismic waves acquired for the first stratigraphic interval of interest,
- identifying, by the reservoir simulator, the first stratigraphic structure as a first microscale fracture if:
- a difference between a minimum dip angle of the first plurality of dip angles and a maximum dip angle of the first plurality of dip angles is greater than a predetermined angle threshold, and
- the first stratigraphic structure has a size below a seismic wavelength of the seismic waves;
- and
- for an identified first microscale fracture:
- determining, by the reservoir simulator, a first seismic attribute that correlates the first microscale fracture to a first subset of the first seismic data,
- generating, by the reservoir simulator, an attribute volume using the first seismic attribute with a seismic volume for a region of interest;
- and
- generating, by the reservoir simulator and using the attribute volume, a fracture image of the first microscale fracture throughout the region of interest.
9 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a logging system coupled to a plurality of logging tools, wherein the plurality of logging tools comprises a dipmeter logging tool;
- a drilling system coupled to the logging system;
- and
- a reservoir simulator comprising a computer processor, wherein the reservoir simulator is coupled to the logging system and the drilling system, the reservoir simulator comprising functionality for:
- obtaining, using the logging system, at least one well log from a first well acquired for a first stratigraphic interval of interest, wherein the at least one well log comprises first dip measurements and first lithologies,
- generating a first plurality of dip angles for a first stratigraphic structure in a subterranean formation by comparing the first dip measurements to the first lithologies,
- obtaining first seismic data regarding seismic waves acquired for the first stratigraphic interval of interest,
- identifying the first stratigraphic structure as a first microscale fracture if:
- a difference between a minimum dip angle of the first plurality of dip angles and a maximum dip angle of the first plurality of dip angles is greater than a predetermined angle threshold;
- and
- the first stratigraphic structure has a size below a seismic wavelength of the seismic waves, and
- for an identified first microscale fracture:
- determining a first seismic attribute that correlates the first microscale fracture to a first subset of the first seismic data;
- generating an attribute volume using the first seismic attribute with a seismic volume for a region of interest;
- determining, using the attribute volume, a location of the first microscale fracture throughout the region of interest;
- and
- determining, using the location of the first microscale fracture, a wellbore path through the subterranean formation.
14 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a computer processor, the instructions comprising functionality for:
- obtaining at least one well log acquired for a stratigraphic interval of interest,
- wherein the at least one well log is acquired by a logging system coupled to a drilling system, and
- wherein the at least one well log comprises dip measurements and lithologies;
- generating a plurality of dip angles for a stratigraphic structure by comparing the dip measurements to the lithologies;
- obtaining seismic data regarding seismic waves acquired in a region of interest comprising the stratigraphic interval of interest;
- identifying the stratigraphic structure as a first microscale fracture if:
- a difference between a minimum dip angle of the plurality of dip angles and a maximum dip angle of the plurality of dip angles is greater than a predetermined angle threshold, and
- the stratigraphic structure has a size below a seismic wavelength of the seismic waves;
- and
- for an identified first microscale fracture:
- determining a seismic attribute that correlates the first microscale fracture to a subset of the seismic data,
- generating an attribute volume using the seismic attribute with a seismic volume for a region of interest, and
- generate, using the attribute volume, a fracture image of the first microscale fracture throughout the region of interest.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.