Cross-well seismic monitoring of carbon dioxide injection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10876395-B2
Application number	US-201615563801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

Methods are provided for tracking carbon dioxide (CO2) migration in a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir located under a cap rock in a formation. In one embodiment, at least one seismic source and a plurality of receivers are located in spaced boreholes in the formation with the sources and receivers located near or at the reservoir so that direct paths from the sources to the receivers extend through the reservoir. CO2 is injected from the borehole containing the seismic sources into the reservoir, and the sources are activated multiple times over days and seismic signals are detected at the receivers. From the detected signals, time-lapse travel delay of direct arrivals of the signals are found and are used to track CO2 in the reservoir as a function of time. In another embodiment, the sources and receivers are located above the reservoir, and reflected waves are utilized to track the CO2.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of tracking carbon dioxide migration in a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir located in a formation traversed by two boreholes spaced from each other, the method comprising:
locating at least one seismic source in a first of the two boreholes and a plurality of receivers in a second of the two boreholes, wherein the at least one seismic source and the plurality of receivers arranged such that direct paths from the at least one seismic source to the plurality of receivers extend through the reservoir, wherein the at least one seismic source comprises a plurality of seismic sources that each provide source signals that are substantially parallel to one another and wherein each source signal travels from a first height to a second height that is lower than the first height;
injecting carbon dioxide from the first of the two boreholes into the reservoir;
activating the at least one seismic source multiple times over multiple days and detecting seismic signals at the plurality of receivers;
from the seismic signals detected at the plurality of receivers, finding travel time delay of direct arrivals of the seismic signals over time; and
using the travel time delays to track a carbon dioxide front in the reservoir as a function of time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tracked carbon dioxide front includes a radial distance of the front from the injection well as a function of depth.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein: the radial distance of the front is determined according to d rg =x g sin α, where d rg is the radial distance, x g is a distance a seismic signal travels through a carbon dioxide invaded portion of the reservoir, and α is an angle between an acoustic ray relative and a reference point, and where

x
g

=

V
g

⁢

V
o

⁢
τ

V
o

-

V
g

,

V g is an effective sound speed in a CO 2 flooded reservoir, V o is an effective sound speed in the initial oil reservoir and τ is a measured travel time delay.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: estimating an arrival time of carbon dioxide at the second borehole.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the at least one seismic source comprises a plurality of seismic sources with at least two seismic sources located above the reservoir, and the plurality of receivers include at least one receiver located beneath the reservoir.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the at least one seismic source comprises a plurality of seismic sources with at least one seismic source located at a depth of the reservoir, and the plurality of receivers include at least one receiver located beneath the reservoir.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the at least one seismic source comprises a plurality of seismic sources with a plurality of seismic sources located above the reservoir, at least one seismic source located at the depth of the reservoir, and the plurality of receivers include a plurality of receivers located beneath the reservoir and at least one receiver located at the depth of the reservoir.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the locating comprises placing the at least one seismic source in the first of the two boreholes and the plurality of receivers in the second of the two boreholes a first time, and activating the at least one seismic source a first time, and detecting the seismic signals a first time to obtain a baseline, and repeating the activating and the detecting a plurality of times over multiple days.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: between repetitions of the activating and the detecting, removing the plurality of receivers from the second of the two boreholes and then locating the plurality of receivers in the second of the two boreholes again at substantially identical locations.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: between repetitions of the activating and the detecting, removing the at least one source from the first of the two boreholes and then locating the at least one source in the first of the two boreholes again at a substantially identical location.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: from the seismic signals detected at the plurality of receivers determining at least one of an amplitude change and a seismic waveform change of reflected signals, wherein at least a first of the at least one seismic source is located above the reservoir, and at least a first plurality of the plurality of seismic receivers are located above the reservoir; and using the at least one of an amplitude change and a waveform change to track carbon dioxide migration at the top of the reservoir as a function of time.

12. A method of tracking carbon dioxide migration in a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir located in a formation traversed by two boreholes spaced from each other, the method comprising:
locating a plurality of seismic sources in a first of the two boreholes and a plurality of receivers in a second of the two boreholes, the plurality of seismic sources located above the reservoir, and the plurality of receivers located above the reservoir, wherein the plurality of seismic sources each provide source signals that are substantially parallel to one another and wherein each source signal travels from a first height to a second height that is lower than the first height;
injecting carbon dioxide from the first of the two boreholes into the reservoir;
activating the plurality of seismic sources multiple times over multiple days and detecting seismic signals that reflect off the top of the reservoir at the plurality of receivers;
from the seismic signals detected at the plurality of receivers, finding at least one of waveform change and amplitude change of the seismic signals over time;
using the at least one of waveform change and amplitude change to track carbon dioxide at the top of the reservoir as a function of time.

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein: changes in amplitudes are calculated according to

C
A

=

max

T
w

⁢



d
n

⁡

(

x
s

,

x
r

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Altundas Yusuf Bilgin
• Li Jiyao
• Chugunov Nikita
• Ramakrishnan Terizhandur S

Classifications

• G01V1/308 Primary

  Time lapse or 4D effects, e.g. production related effects to the formation (fluid flow per se E21B47/00) · CPC title

• G01V2210/612

  Previously recorded data, e.g. time-lapse or 4D · CPC title

• E21B47/107 Primary

  using acoustic means · CPC title

• G01V2210/163

  Cross-well · CPC title

• G01V2210/6122

  Tracking reservoir changes over time, e.g. due to production · CPC title