Reservoir management is crucial in the oil and gas industry as it involves analyzing and interpreting data to maximize oil and gas recovery. To achieve this, companies use various technologies, including wellbore imaging. In recent years, wellbore imaging technologies have evolved, providing real-time insights into reservoirs, and thus, transforming reservoir management. In this article, we will discuss the latest wellbore imaging technologies that are transforming reservoir management.
Introduction
In the past, wellbore imaging technologies were used to identify the location of the reservoir, its orientation, and its properties. However, with recent advancements, wellbore imaging technologies can now provide more detailed information on the reservoir. These technologies enable reservoir engineers to make more informed decisions, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
New Techniques of Wellbore-Image Analysis
New techniques of wellbore-image analysis have been developed to distinguish attributes of natural fractures from induced failures in borehole-image data [1]. These techniques enable engineers to understand the distribution and orientation of natural fractures and faults, which control the performance of low-permeability fractured reservoirs. By understanding these factors, engineers can optimize drilling, completion, production, and reservoir management.
Halliburton’s Borehole Imaging Technology
Halliburton has developed a new borehole imaging technology that is available in three versions to optimize the acquisition quality in various-size boreholes [2]. The 8-pad tool provides the greatest borehole coverage as it records data up and down a well, improving data quality and providing more acquisition options on a single run-in hole. With this technology, engineers can acquire high-quality data and make informed decisions quickly.
Proprietary Reverse Time Migration
Imaging is performed using a proprietary reverse time migration implemented to run in parallel. In several instances, the image reached 200 feet from the wellbore, and boundaries within a reservoir are delineated over several hundred/thousand feet within the formation at a distance from the wellbore varying from 180 feet to a few feet [3]. With this technology, engineers can obtain high-resolution images of the reservoir, allowing for a more detailed analysis of the reservoir’s characteristics.
3D Reservoir Mapping-While-Drilling Service
The 3D reservoir mapping-while-drilling service provides volumetric and 3D insights, enabling engineers to update reservoir models, leading to improved drilling, completion, production, and reservoir management [4]. This technology enables engineers to obtain real-time information on the reservoir’s characteristics, allowing for quick decision-making.
LWD Imaging Tools
LWD imaging tools are real-time engineering tools that enable steering through difficult trajectories, skirting hazards, and connecting with thin pay or injection zones while avoiding collisions with other wells draining a reservoir [5]. With LWD imaging tools, engineers can acquire high-quality data in real time, allowing for quick decision-making and efficient reservoir management. These tools have greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of reservoir management, leading to increased profits for companies in the oil and gas industry.
Techlog Platform
The Techlog platform provides new ways of visualizing the near-wellbore formation model. Detailed 3D interpretations maximize the value of all the sophisticated data collected in modern wells. This single-well model is then used to create a multiwell interpretation that provides the input to a simulation model to evaluate dynamic behavior in the reservoir [6]. With the Techlog platform, engineers can create a comprehensive model of the reservoir, allowing for more accurate predictions and optimization.
Wellbore Imaging Module
The Wellbore Imaging module within the Techlog* wellbore software platform provides a powerful processing and interpretation platform [7]. The new method for picking zones is particularly suited to manually interpreting detailed facies from borehole images, core, or conventional data. With this module, engineers can identify and interpret features within the reservoir, leading to more informed decision-making.
Wellbore Far-Field Imaging
As this technology becomes more mature, logging-based structural imaging away from the wellbore can be the missing scale between borehole wall images and borehole seismic such as VSP, enabling the [8]. With wellbore far-field imaging, engineers can obtain high-resolution images of the reservoir at a distance from the wellbore, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis of the reservoir’s characteristics.
Crosswell Technologies
Crosswell measurements help to bridge the gap by imaging the inter-well space at the reservoir scale. Crosswell seismic data provide high-resolution reflection images of reservoir architecture [9]. With Crosswell technologies, engineers can obtain high-quality data on the inter-well space, allowing for more accurate predictions of the reservoir’s characteristics.
Intelligent Well Technology
Intelligent good technology allows for real-time well and reservoir monitoring and control. By monitoring the reservoir in real time, engineers can optimize production, leading to increased efficiency and productivity [10]. With intelligent good technology, engineers can make informed decisions in real time, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
Conclusion
Wellbore imaging technologies have come a long way in recent years, providing engineers with valuable insights into reservoir characteristics. By using these technologies, engineers can optimize drilling, completion, production, and reservoir management, leading to increased efficiency and productivity. With continued advancements in wellbore imaging technology, we can expect even more detailed insights into reservoirs, further transforming reservoir management.