Porosity estimation in the Fort Worth Basin constrained by 3D seismic attributes integrated in a sequential Bayesian simulation framework

Martin Blouin (1) , Mickaële Le Ravalec (1) , Erwan Gloaguen (2) , Mathilde Adelinet (1)

1 IFPEN - IFP Energies nouvelles
2 INRS - ETE - Centre Eau Terre Environnement [Québec]

The accurate inference of reservoir properties such as porosity and permeability is crucial in reservoir characterization for oil and gas exploration and production as well as for other geologic applications. In most cases, direct measurements of those properties are done in wells that provide high vertical resolution but limited lateral coverage. To fill this gap, geophysical methods can often offer data with dense 3D coverage that can serve as proxy for the variable of interest. All the information available can then be integrated using multivariate geostatistical methods to provide sto-chastic or deterministic estimate of the reservoir properties. Our objective is to generate multiple scenarios of porosity at different scales, considering four formations of the Fort Worth Basin altogether and then restricting the process to the Marble Falls limestones. Under the hypothesis that a statistical relation between 3D seismic attributes and porosity can be inferred from well logs, a Bayesian sequential simulation (BSS) framework proved to be an efficient approach to infer reservoir porosity from an acoustic impedance cube. However, previous BBS approaches only took two variables upscaled at the resolution of the seismic data, which is not suitable for thin-bed reservoirs. We have developed three modified BSS algorithms that better adapt the BSS approach for unconventional reservoir petrophysical properties estimation from deterministic prestack seismic inversion. A methodology that includes a stochastic downscaling procedure is built and one that integrates two secondary downscaled constraints to the porosity estimation process. Results suggest that when working at resolution higher than surface seismic, it is better to execute the workflow for each geologic formation separately.

Domaines: Géologie appliquée

Martin Blouin, Mickaële Le Ravalec, Erwan Gloaguen, Mathilde Adelinet. Porosity estimation in the Fort Worth Basin constrained by 3D seismic attributes integrated in a sequential Bayesian simulation framework. Geophysics, 2017, 82 (4), pp.M67 - M80. ⟨10.1190/GEO2016-0506.1⟩. ⟨hal-01637241⟩