Underground imaging in real time by using white noise reflection processes: application to petroleum recovery including oil sands

使用白噪声反射过程进行地下实时成像：在包括油砂在内的石油开采中的应用

• 批准号: 419622-2011
• 负责人: Gates, Ian
• 金额: $ 9.11万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Idea to Innovation
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=495415
• 关键词: Underground; imaging; real; time; using

Repeated seismic shoots, often referred to as 4D seismic, are used to understand the in situ evolution of oil and gas recovery processes. For example, for thermal recovery processes for oil sands reservoirs such as Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), repeated seismic shoots can be used to determine how the steam chamber grows within the reservoir. The uniformity of the steam chamber is directly related to the amount of oil produced and the efficiency of the process: the more uniform the steam chamber, the larger the amount of oil and lower the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere. Continuous monitoring, done by 4D seismic, of the steam chamber is required to view steam chamber evolution to maximize oil produced and minimize emissions. However, seismic data acquisition and interpretation requires extensive time for processing and its spatial resolution is of the order of 10 m. Thus, seismic methods have large uncertainties associated with estimates of the chamber size, shape and internal discontinuities in the reservoir such as shale layers and other flow barriers. Here, we propose to continue our development of white-noise reflection technology to image underground reservoirs and their heterogeneity at resolution of the order of meters or smaller in real time. White noise reflection technologies are low energy, can be analyzed quickly enabling real-time monitoring of oil extraction processes, and allow resolutions down to length scales not yet achieved by 4D seismic methods. To date, white noise reflection has been tested by using detailed thermal-acoustic reservoir simulation with application to the SAGD process and in the lab by using a large physical model apparatus. The results from simulations and lab testing reveal that the technology have the potential to image reservoirs at lower power levels and higher frequencies than seismic methods. Since the method uses orthogonally-coded signals, noise from recovery processes and the native reservoir environment do not interfere with monitoring. Funding is required to go to the next stage: testing in the field. A large oil services company has agreed to participate in testing of the technology in the field.

重复的地震波，通常被称为4D地震，用于了解石油和天然气开采过程的原位演变。 例如，对于油砂储层的热开采过程，例如蒸汽辅助重力泄油（SAGD），可以使用重复的地震激发来确定蒸汽室如何在储层内生长。 蒸汽室的均匀性与产油量和工艺效率直接相关：蒸汽室越均匀，产油量越大，排放到大气中的温室气体量越低。 需要通过4D地震对蒸汽室进行持续监测，以查看蒸汽室的演变，以最大限度地提高石油产量并最大限度地减少排放。 然而，地震数据采集和解释需要大量的时间进行处理，其空间分辨率为10米的数量级。 因此，地震方法具有与储层中的腔室尺寸、形状和内部不连续性（例如页岩层和其他流动障碍物）的估计相关联的大的不确定性。 在这里，我们建议继续发展白噪声反射技术，以真实的时间为米或更小的分辨率对地下储层及其非均质性进行成像。 白色噪声反射技术是低能量的，可以快速分析，从而能够实时监测石油开采过程，并允许分辨率下降到4D地震方法尚未实现的长度尺度。 迄今为止，白色噪声反射已经通过使用详细的热声储层模拟并应用于SAGD过程以及在实验室中通过使用大型物理模型装置进行了测试。 模拟和实验室测试的结果表明，该技术有可能在比地震方法更低的功率水平和更高的频率下对储层进行成像。 由于该方法使用正交编码信号，因此来自开采过程和天然储层环境的噪声不会干扰监测。 需要资金才能进入下一阶段：实地测试。 一家大型石油服务公司已同意参与该领域的技术测试。