This paper describes how petrophysical thin-bed analysis is applied to an integrated static and dynamic modelling workflow to obtain a history match based on 3 years of production, for a series of relatively thin heterolithic reservoirs.
Previous reservoir simulation work based on conventional petrophysical interpretation for property modelling, indicated insufficient connected STOIIP and permeability-thickness to match flow behaviour observed from surveillance data. Therefore, an alternative thin-bed approach was proposed to address this fundamental reservoir characterization issue.
It is well known that across highly-laminated sandstone-shale intervals, the acquired log measurements of the sandstone laminations are adversely affected by shoulder effects due to inadequate vertical resolution of most logging tools. Furthermore, the resistivity of thin sandstones is suppressed by the high conductivity of silt-clay laminations which further compounds the problem. Thisleads tothe underestimation of reservoir properties and consequently, in the underestimation of hydrocarbon volumes and permeability-thickness.
The thin-bed approach utilises available core and high-resolution resistivity-based wellbore images together with open-hole logs. These are used as inputs to generate a set of petrophysical properties, via a log resolution enhancement (LRE) method, which are more representative of the reservoirs under study. The petrophysical improvements made, relate particularly to net pay thickness, porosity, permeability and saturation estimations.
This paper also demonstrates how thin-bed properties are propagated into the static modelling workflow, to produce a series of realizations which results in improved reservoir characterization, with more accurate in-place volumes and flow characteristics.
In practice, the application of thin-bed analysis requires careful refinement to 3D grid design so that the effects of thin-bed heterogeneity are captured to facilitate history matching in simulation. By integrating this thin-bed approach, an improved history match is obtained more efficiently and without significant application of local modifiers. This improvement further infers that thin-bed log analysis is much more appropriate than ‘conventional’ log analysis for thinly-bedded heterolithic reservoirs not only in this field, but potentially to many similar reservoirs in this basin, and elsewhere.
This work ultimately led toa successful infill drilling programme and opened up potential for extended development to include secondary recovery; as opposed to ad-hoc workover potential, as described in the original Field Development Plan.
