SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

	SwRI has developed cost-effective methods for complete subsurface mapping using a diverse range of geophysical techniques.

Summary

The main objective of this project is to develop a method to exploit viscoelastic rock and fluid properties, to greatly enhance the sensitivity of surface seismic measurements to the presence of hydrocarbon saturation. We will use well log, lithology, production, and three-dimensional (3D) seismic data from an oil reservoir on the Waggoner Ranch in north central Texas. The proposed program provides a methodology for processing and interpreting surface and subsurface data to determine reservoir properties and for applying the information to predict hydrocarbon locations and volume estimates in complex geological environments.

This work is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Technology Transfer

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) technology transfer activities in the first year of the project consisted of the preparation of three technical papers, which are briefly described:

Papers:

We presented a paper titled “High-resolution acoustic and seismic investigation of carbonate rock properties” at the Society of Petroleum Well Log Analysts (SPWLA) International Symposium, held June 22–25, 2003, in Galveston, Texas. This paper, published in the Transactions of the SPWLA Symposium, is relevant to the application of Q for evaluating crosswell seismic measurements at the South Florida aquifer. [PDF]

A second paper, “High resolution P-wave surface seismic profiling to delineate flow units in carbonate aquifers of South Florida: a feasibility study,” was prepared and submitted to the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) for the Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas, in October 2003. The paper also was published in the SEG Conference Proceedings. The data in this paper will be used to test the inversion algorithm to estimate Q from surface seismic data during Phase II.[PDF]

A third paper was prepared and submitted for the Geopro2003 International Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, in October. The paper is titled, “A double-porosity poroelastic model to relate attenuation to fluid flow in vuggy carbonate rock.” The paper is relevant to the attenuation mechanisms that we are investigating. [PDF]

Presentations:

Parra, J.O.,  P.-C., Xu, and  C.L., Hackert. “An Algorithm to extract Q from sonic logs and its application to a double porosity carbonate aquifer.” Paper presented at the Society of Exploration Geophysicist Development and Production Forum, Austin, Texas, May 15–19, 2005. [PPS] [Downloadable viewer]

J.O. Parra, C.L Hackert, and P.-C Xu. "Attenuation analysis of acoustic waveforms in borehole intercepted by a sand-shale sequence" Paper presented at SEG International Exposition and Seventy-Fifth Annual Meeting, Houston, Texas, November 6–11, 2005, pp. 388–391. [PPS]

For more information about Q as a lithological/hydrocarbon indicator, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Jorge O. Parra, Ph.D., at jparra@swri.org or

(210) 522-3284.

reservoirgeophysics.swri.org

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Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

December 28, 2012