Reservoir property prediction from well-logs, VSP and multicomponent seismic data: Pikes Peak heavy oilfield, Saskatchewan

Natalia L. Soubotcheva

Reservoir property estimation plays an important role in the exploitation and successful development of oil and gas fields. In this thesis, well log data, VSP and 2D multicomponent seismic data are combined to predict reservoir properties.

PP and PS synthetic seismograms generated from well logs correlate convincingly with the surface seismic data. The productive formation has a Vp/Vs value noticeably lower (1.7) than the overlying formations (which are around 4.4). The top of the productive interval is interpreted as a PP impedance drop (5010 m/s*g/cc) and PS increase (3066 m/s*g/cc). Inversion and other seismic attributes were used to predict the density and porosity along the seismic line. The Waseca oil sands are characterized as a low-density (2170 kg/m3) and high-porosity (22%) zone. Angle and spectral maps were generated from the PP seismic data to show the dipping angle of the geological structure and the frequency content of the seismic data respectively. A low-frequency anomaly is found below the reservoir and might be used as another indicator of the productive zone.

As a whole, combining different types of data provides a more confident geophysical interpretation.