Integrated Characterization of the Thin-Bedded 8 Reservoir, Green Canyon 18, Gulf of Mexico
Conference Paper
Overview
Additional Document Info
View All
Overview
abstract
The thin-bedded, channelized-turbidite 8 reservoir of the Green Canyon 18 field (GC-18) had previously been difficult to describe owing to its complex architecture and limitations in seismic data resolution. The reservoir has high rock compressibility. Its complex geology had, before this study, prevented the delineation of its hydrocarbon accumulation and determination of the different resource volumes. An integrated approach has been used to develop a geologically consistent model of the reservoir. Seismic interpretation and attribute extraction provided the reservoir geometry and stratigraphy, which show the preeminent role of salt tectonics in the shaping of the reservoir before and after deposition. Geostatistical methods were used to construct gross and net thickness maps and to infer lateral variations in the quality of the 8 sand. Lithofacies description from cores showed 3 distinct facies - channel, levee, and overbank deposits - that were sufficient to describe the reservoir. Fine-scale heterogeneity in each zone was determined from core and log lithological descriptions. Truncated Gaussian sequential simulation was performed to distribute facies and reservoir properties throughout the reservoir volume. The resulting geological model was used to construct a dynamic flow model that matched historical production and pressure data. This work shows the efficiency of the integrated approach in describing complex reservoirs where the internal variability is a major control of flow efficiency, This approach is especially valuable in reservoirs like the GC-18 8 reservoir where the well information is scarce or not uniformly distributed.
