A time-lapse case study in West Africa: Integrating disciplines for a complete reservoir study and field management

Abstract

Development and management of deepwater oil fields requires material investment and must be supported by application of quality technological solutions and tools. To maximize the advantages that can derive from these, it is essential to integrate technologies and disciplines throughout the field cycle. This integration makes it possible to identify and fix issues early and seize business opportunities quickly. We describe the activity carried out on a field characterized by a high-quality oil-bearing clastic reservoir located in a deepwater belt along a West African continental passive margin. We highlight how geoscience specialists from both geologic and geophysical branches have contributed to construction of the static and dynamic reservoir model, field monitoring, model updating, and operations optimization. The wide geologic and geophysical experience in the area made it possible to build a petroelastic model and a sedimentological model that were integrated in the population of a geocellular model. Seismic data also were used to support reservoir monitoring of the producing field. A dedicated 4D seismic project helped our understanding of fluid movement and fault behaviors in the field. The 4D information was interpreted and shared within the integrated team with the goal of identifying further business opportunities and driving decision making over our area of interest.