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US 7,627,429 B2Granted
Method for producing underground deposits of hydrocarbon from an earth formation using fault interpretation including spline fault tracking
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsCen Li, Zhenghan Deng, Bruce Cornish
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Abstract
A method is disclosed for determining a fault surface in a formation, comprising: determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes, and selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to the first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, the first derived fault segment approximately lying on the fault surface and tending to determine the fault surface in the formation.
Claims21
A method of producing underground deposits of hydrocarbon from a formation, comprising:
- determining a fault surface in said formation, the step of determining said fault surface in said formation including:
- determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume, wherein the first plurality of crosscorrelation values are associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes, wherein the first plurality of 3D Volumes are defined by a seed segment and respective target segments, wherein said first plurality of crosscorrelation values are computed by cross-correlating values of voxels in a first layer and values of voxels in a second layer, wherein the first and second layers are separated by said fault surface;
- and
- selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface, wherein said first derived fault segment is one of the target segments that corresponds to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values;
- and
- after the fault surface is determined, drilling said formation in order to produce said underground deposits of hydrocarbon from said formation.
3 more elements
A method of producing underground deposits of hydrocarbon from a formation, comprising:
- determining a fault surface in said formation, the step of determining said fault surface in said formation including:
- determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface;
- and
- when the fault surface is determined, drilling said formation in order to produce said underground deposits of hydrocarbon from said formation,
- wherein the step of determining said fault surface in said formation further comprises:
- determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding second plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- selecting a second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, a second derived fault segment corresponding to said second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment and said second derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface,
- wherein the step of determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and the step of determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume comprises:
- solving a particular equation for C(A,B), said C(A,B) representing said first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and said second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume, said particular equation including:
- C
-
- (
- A
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- B
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- where Aijk and Bijk are voxel values.
50 more elements
A system adapted for producing underground deposits of hydrocarbon from a formation, comprising:
- apparatus adapted for determining a fault surface in said formation, the apparatus adapted for determining said fault surface in said formation including:
- apparatus adapted for determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes, wherein the first plurality of 3D Volumes are defined by a seed segment and respective target segments, wherein said first plurality of crosscorrelation values are computed by cross-correlating values of voxels in a first layer and values of voxels in a second layer, wherein the first and second layers are separated by said fault surface;
- and
- apparatus adapted for selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface, wherein said first derived fault segment is one of the target segments that corresponds to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values;
- and
- apparatus adapted for drilling said formation in order to produce said underground deposits of hydrocarbon from said formation on the condition that the fault surface is determined.
3 more elements
A system adapted for producing underground deposits of hydrocarbon from a formation, comprising:
- apparatus adapted for determining a fault surface in said formation, the apparatus adapted for determining said fault surface in said formation including:
- apparatus adapted for determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- apparatus adapted for selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface;
- and
- apparatus adapted for drilling said formation in order to produce said underground deposits of hydrocarbon from said formation on the condition that the fault surface is determined,
- wherein the apparatus adapted for determining said fault surface in said formation further comprises:
- apparatus adapted for determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding second plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- apparatus adapted for selecting a second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, a second derived fault segment corresponding to said second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment and said second derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface,
- wherein the apparatus adapted for determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and the apparatus adapted for determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume comprises:
- apparatus adapted for solving a particular equation for C(A,B), said C(A,B) representing said first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and said second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume, said particular equation including:
- C
-
- (
- A
- ,
- B
- )
- =
- 2
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- j
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- k
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- A
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- B
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- 2
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- where Aijk and Bijk are voxel values.
50 more elements
A method for determining a fault surface in a formation, comprising:
- determining, by a computer, a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes, wherein the first plurality of 3D Volumes are defined by a seed segment and respective target segments, wherein said first plurality of crosscorrelation values are computed by cross-correlating values of voxels in a first layer and values of voxels in a second layer, wherein, the first and second layers are separated by said fault surface;
- and
- selecting, by the computer, a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface and tending to determine said fault surface in said formation, wherein said first derived fault segment is one of the target segments that corresponds to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values.
A method for determining a fault surface in a formation, comprising:
- determining, by a computer, a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- selecting, by the computer, a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface and tending to determine said fault surface in said formation,
- wherein the method for determining said fault surface in said formation further comprises:
- determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding second plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- selecting a second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, a second derived fault segment corresponding to said second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment and said second derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface, and
- wherein the step of determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and the step of determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume comprises:
- solving a particular equation for C(A,B), said C(A,B) representing said first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and said second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume, said particular equation including:
- C
-
- (
- A
- ,
- B
- )
- =
- 2
-
- ∑
- i
- ,
- j
- ,
- k
-
- (
- A
- ijk
- *
- B
- ijk
- )
- ∑
- i
- ,
- j
- ,
- k
-
- (
- A
- ijk
- 2
- +
- B
- ijk
- 2
- )
- where Aijk and Bijk are voxel values.
47 more elements
A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a set of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for determining a fault surface in a formation, said method steps comprising:
- determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes, wherein the first plurality of 3D Volumes are defined by a seed segment and respective target segments, wherein said first plurality of crosscorrelation values are computed by cross-correlating values of voxels in a first layer and values of voxels in a second layer, wherein the first and second layers are separated by said fault surface;
- and
- selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface and tending to determine said fault surface in said formation, wherein said first derived fault segment is one of the target segments that corresponds to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values.
A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a set of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for determining a fault surface in a formation, said method steps comprising:
- determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface and tending to determine said fault surface in said formation,
- wherein the method for determining said fault surface in said formation further comprises:
- determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding second plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- selecting a second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, a second derived fault segment corresponding to said second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment and said second derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface,
- wherein the step of determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and the step of determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume comprises:
- solving a particular equation for C(A,B), said C(A,B) representing said first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and said second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume, said particular equation including:
- C
-
- (
- A
- ,
- B
- )
- =
- 2
-
- ∑
- i
- ,
- j
- ,
- k
-
- (
- A
- ijk
- *
- B
- ijk
- )
- ∑
- i
- ,
- j
- ,
- k
-
- (
- A
- ijk
- 2
- +
- B
- ijk
- 2
- )
- where Aijk and Bijk are voxel values.
47 more elements
A system adapted for determining a fault surface in a formation, comprising:
- apparatus adapted for determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes, wherein the first plurality of 3D Volumes are defined by a seed segment and respective target segments, wherein said first plurality of crosscorrelation values are computed by cross-correlating values of voxels in a first layer and values of voxels in a second layer, wherein the first and second layers are separated by said fault surface;
- and
- apparatus adapted for selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface, wherein said first derived fault segment is one of the target segments that corresponds to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values.
A system adapted for determining a fault surface in a formation, comprising:
- apparatus adapted for determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding first plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- apparatus adapted for selecting a first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, a first derived fault segment corresponding to said first minimum one of the first plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface,
- wherein the system adapted for determining a fault surface in a formation further comprises:
- apparatus adapted for determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume associated, respectively, with a corresponding second plurality of 3D Volumes;
- and
- apparatus adapted for selecting a second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, a second derived fault segment corresponding to said second minimum one of the second plurality of crosscorrelation values, said first derived fault segment and said second derived fault segment approximately lying on said fault surface,
- wherein the apparatus adapted for determining a first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and the apparatus adapted for determining a second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume comprises:
- apparatus adapted for solving a particular equation for C(A,B), said C(A,B) representing said first plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume and said second plurality of crosscorrelation values for a 3D Volume, said particular equation including:
- C
-
- (
- A
- ,
- B
- )
- =
- 2
-
- ∑
- i
- ,
- j
- ,
- k
-
- (
- A
- ijk
- *
- B
- ijk
- )
- ∑
- i
- ,
- j
- ,
- k
-
- (
- A
- ijk
- 2
- +
- B
- ijk
- 2
- )
- where Aijk and Bijk are voxel values.
47 more elements
A method of determining a fault surface, comprising:
- creating and projecting, by a computer, a first seed segment and adjusting a target segment to a first position thereby generating a first volume extending between the first seed segment and the target segment at said first position, the first volume including a first plurality of voxels having a corresponding first plurality of voxel values;
- calculating, by the computer, a first crosscorrelation value C1(A,B) corresponding to said first volume in response to said first plurality of voxel values;
- adjusting, by the computer, said target segment to a second position thereby generating a second volume extending between the first seed segment and the target segment at said second position, the second volume including a second plurality of voxels having a corresponding second plurality of voxel values;
- calculating, by the computer, a second crosscorrelation value C2(A,B) corresponding to said second volume in response to said second plurality of voxel values;
- and
- determining, by the computer, a minimum one of said C1(A,B) and said C2(A,B), and selecting a first derived fault segment which corresponds to said minimum one of said C1(A,B) and said C2(A,B), the first derived target segment being at one of the first and second positions corresponding to said minimum one of said C1(A,B), the first derived target segment lying on said fault surface and tending to determine said fault surface.
3 more elements
A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a set of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for determining a fault surface, said method steps comprising:
- creating and projecting a first seed segment and adjusting a target segment to a first position thereby generating a first volume extending between the first seed segment and the target segment at said first position, the first volume including a first plurality of voxels having a corresponding first plurality of voxel values;
- calculating a first crosscorrelation value C1(A,B) corresponding to said first volume in response to said first plurality of voxel values;
- adjusting said target segment to a second position thereby generating a second volume extending between the first seed segment and the target segment at said second position, the second volume including a second plurality of voxels having a corresponding second plurality of voxel values;
- calculating a second crosscorrelation value C2(A,B) corresponding to said second volume in response to said second plurality of voxel values;
- determining a minimum one of said C1(A,B) and said C2(A,B), and selecting a first derived fault segment which corresponds to said minimum one of said C1(A,B) and said C2(A,B), the first derived target segment being at one of the first and second positions corresponding to said minimum one of said C1(A,B) and said C2(A,B), the first derived fault segment lying on said fault surface and tending to determine said fault surface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.