DeepLook-EM

Enhanced crosswell reservoir

monitoring system
The DeepLook-EM crosswell acquisition
system directly measures the resistivity
of the reservoir between wells up to
3,280 ft apart.
Until now, logging has measured
only within the borehole and
near-well environment. The
DeepLook-EM* enhanced cross-
well reservoir monitoring system
expands the scale investigated
by resistivity logging to give you
the big picture for monitoring fluid
distribution and movement on a
reservoir scale.
Building on two decades of
research by a consortium of
industry, academia, and US
Department of Energy scientists,
Schlumberger advances in tech-
nology, processing, and inversion
techniques make it possible to
directly measure the resistivity
distribution between wells. Varia-
tions in resistivity reflect changes
in porosity (subsidence), saturation
(waterflooding, bypassed pay),
and temperature (steam flooding).
Looking Deep
The DeepLook-EM acquisition
system consists of a transmitter
tool deployed in one well and a
receiver tool deployed in a second
well, with the two wells located up
to 3,280 ft [1,000 m] apart, depending
on formation and resistivity contrasts.
A Global Positioning System is used
for synchronized communication of
the tools, which are conveyed on
standard wireline equipment.
The interval logged, including
positions above, below, and within
the zone of interest, is at least the
length of the well spacing. Typically
DeepLook-EM station spacing is 2%
to 5% of the well spacing.
Reservoir-scale resistivity images help
you understand fluid distribution and
predict movement for successful
reservoir management.
The 32.4-ft [9.88-m] transmitter
antenna is a vertical-axis magneti-
cally permeable core wrapped
with several hundred turns of
wire and driven to broadcast a
continuous sinusoidal signal at
frequencies from 5 Hz to 1 kHz.
The frequency selection depends
upon the borehole environment
(for example, chromium casing
or open hole), well separation,
and formation resistivity. Lower
frequencies are required for the
receiver in steel well casing,
larger well separation, and low
formation resistivity.
The transmitter has a magnetic
moment that is more than 100,000
times stronger than the source in
a conventional single-well induction
logging system. The interwell
distance depends on the condition
of the wells and is determined
through modeling and simulation.
The transmitter signal induces
electrical currents to flow in the
formation between the wells. The
currents, in turn, induce a second-
ary magnetic field related to the
electrical resistivity of the rock
where they are flowing. At the
receiver borehole, induction coil
receivers detect the magnetic
field generated by the transmitter
(primary field) as well as the
magnetic field from the induced
currents (secondary field). The
receiver tool comprises an array
of four receiver coils, which
reduces logging time by simulta-
neously recording the signals.
For each receiver station, the
transmitter in the other well
is moved between the depths
of interest while continuously
broadcasting. To reduce noise,
the incoming signals are averaged
several hundred times per station.
Depending on the amount of aver-
aging and frequency of operation,
the transmitter logging speed
ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 ft/h
[600 to 1,520 m/h]. Once a complete
transmitter traverse, or profile, is
collected for a receiver position,
the receiver tool is repositioned
and the process repeated.
Logging is conducted at the location
of the moving transmitter. The
operation is controlled through
the logging surface station and
a laptop computer and requires
a wireline field unit and mast or
crane at each of the two wells.
Deeper Understanding
Inversion of the DeepLook-EM
data to generate interwell resis-
tivity images follows a rigorous
workflow that integrates existing
reservoir information. The field
data are compiled using Petrel*
seismic-to-simulation software
to create a field model of possible
fluid movement scenarios. Simula-
tion based on the scenarios then
ensures that the appropriate
measurement sensitivity is applied.
Following the DeepLook-EM
survey, the interwell resistivity
distributions are exported back to
the field model for data integration
and interpretation to provide
critical insight for fluid tracking
of water and steam, bypassed
pay detection, and reservoir
characterization.
Primary field
Transmitter Receiver
Secondary field
Induced
currents
Both the primary magnetic field generated by the transmitter and the secondary magnetic fields resulting from the induced
currents are measured by the four receiver sensors.
Monitoring interwell fluid
front to optimize injection
Petroleum Development Oman
(PDO) needed to monitor water-
flood conformance in an Oman
field with a high fracture density
and thief zones. Fluid distribution
could only be guessed at because
conventional methods of measuring
fluid movement relied on interwell
interpolation of wellbore-scale data.
Wireline resistivity measurements
from before injection were used
to construct a baseline model to
which DeepLook-EM time-lapse
survey data were interpolated.
Although the DeepLook-EM
images indicate successful
movement of a large volume of
swept water, which is consistent
with the injection and production
volumes, they also suggest areas
of remaining oil, and the injection
strategy and infill drilling can be
tailored to extract the previously
unknown bypassed pay.
Case Studies
The DeepLook-EM resistivity profile between observation Wells B and A in the steamflooded San Joaquin field images an
abrupt boundary midway, where the resistivity changes from 2 ohm.m in the depleted zone to more than 50 ohm.m.
The DeepLook-EM images after water injection confirm that large volumes of water
are swept within and outside of the injection interval.
Tracking cyclic
steam injection
The complex, steeply dipping
geology and variety of reservoirs
complicated determining the
affected volume around each
cyclic steam injector in a field in
the San Joaquin Valley, California,
USA. Because the DeepLook-EM
system directly measures resistivity,
which is sensitive to changes in
fluid saturation and temperature,
it is the ideal technique for track-
ing distribution of the injected
steam volumes and the resulting
swept zone.
In the resistivity profile, the abrupt
boundary midway between
Wells A and B marks a resistivity
change from 2 ohm.m to more than
50 ohm.m over a short interval. The
blue colors denoting lower resis-
tivity identify the depleted zone
resulting from the replacement of
oil by formation water and steam
condensate, which matches the
log in Well A. The orange and
red colors are characteristic of
unswept oil sands. From this
accurate boundary placement,
the operator could appropriately
position the steam-saturated vol-
ume in the section for optimizing
extraction.
Finding bypassed pay in
complex channel sands
China Petroleum & Chemical
(Sinopec Corp.) wanted to better
understand the configuration
of reservoir sands in Gudao field
in central China. The reservoirs
are in both discrete channels
and continuous deltaic sheets,
but numerous faults prevent
straightforward interpretation
between wells.
DeepLook-EM reservoir-scale
resistivity surveys confirmed the
continuity of the three producing
zones between the wells and
imaged thickness variations
related to compaction. With this
information Sinopec Corp. can
optimize flood sweep efficiency,
which is indicated by decreased
resistivity where injected water
has replaced hydrocarbon.
Significant bypassed reserves
revealed by the higher resistivity
section on the DeepLook-EM
images were confirmed by
correlation to the resistivity log
of a subsequently drilled offset
well to the survey area.
DeepLook-EM crosswell resistivity images between three wells in Gudao field show consistent, continuous producing
zones, with the higher resistivity in Zone 5 indicating bypassed oil.
Confirming water
sweep dimensions
A prolific UAE field operated by
Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore
Oil Operations (ADCO) was
experiencing uneven sweep. But
lateral coverage with conventional
logs and the vertical resolution of
subsurface seismic survey were
insufficient for monitoring interwell
fluid flow and led to unanswered
questions in the stochastic flow
simulation.
DeepLook-EM time-lapse resistivity
surveys indicate successful
waterflooding from the injector
well to the observer well, confirmed
by RST* reservoir saturation
tool measurements. Surveys at
6-month intervals are planned to
verify the continuing direction and
coverage of water movement.
From the between-well imaging,
ADCO can fine-tune injection
management to avoid both water
override and bypass.
Time-lapse DeepLook-EM crosswell resistivity surveys at a 6-month interval show a large water sweep preferentially from east
to west between Wells 1 and 3.
Case Studies
In the top panel, the baseline model inferred from conventional resistivity logs indicates that the reservoir between the wells has watered out,
with conductive injected fluid (blue) sweeping the reservoir. The inverted DeepLook-EM resistivity survey in the bottom panel indicates other-
wise, with a higher resistivity range (green to yellow) in the same, high-porosity section of the reservoir.
Revealing waterflood
distribution
For 30 years, Saudi Aramco has
been continuously pumping
seawater into peripheral water
injectors to maintain pressure in
a giant oil field. However, the
distribution of the injected water
is not fully known because of
reservoir complexity. Conventional
resistivity measurements indicate
that two producing wells had
watered out, but the resistivity
distribution between the wells
was unknown.
Crosswell DeepLook-EM
measurements were collected
between the two producing
wells 2,772 ft [845 m] apart on
the west flank of the reservoir.
The DeepLook EM survey revealed
variable sweep efficiency,
potentially leaving hydrocarbons
in place.
www.slb.com/deeplook
*Mark of Schlumberger
Copyright 2009 Schlumberger. All rights reserved. 09-FE-0052
DeepLook-EM Interwell Distances
Transmitter Well Receiver Well Well spacing, ft [m]
Open hole Open hole 3,280 [1,000]
Open hole Steel casing 1,640 [500]
Open hole Chromium casing 2,953 [900]
Chromium casing Chromium casing 1,312 [400]
Chromium casing Steel casing 984 [300]
Specifications
DeepLook-EM
Transmitter
DeepLook-EM
Receiver
Temperature rating, degC [degF] 150 [302] 150 [302]
Pressure rating, MPa [psi] 138 [20,000] 103 [15,000]
Well sizemin., cm [in]
Open hole 11.5 [4.5] 6.5 [2.5]
Cased hole 11.5 [4.5] 6.5 [2.5]
Well sizemax., cm [in]
Open hole No limit No limit
Cased hole 35 [13.75] No limit
Outside diameter, cm [in] 8.5 [3.375] 5.5 [2.125]
Length, m [ft] 9.88 [32.4] Four receivers:
22.5 [73.8]
Mud type or weight limitations No fluid restrictions No fluid restrictions
Well deviation 020 020
Frequency range, Hz 51,000 51,000