360-degree core photo image integration and interpretation in a 3D petrophysical modeling environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9483871-B2
Application number	US-201414224815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2014
Priority date	Mar 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

The present disclosure describes methods and systems, including computer-implemented methods, computer-program products, and computer systems, for providing 360-degree well core sample photo image integration, calibration, and interpretation for modeling of reservoir formations and lithofacies distribution. One computer-implemented method includes receiving a 360-degree well core sample photo image, geospatially anchoring, by a computer, the received 360-degree well core sample photo image, decomposing, by a computer, the geospatially-anchored 360-degree well core sample photo image into a color numerical array, transforming, by a computer, the color numerical array into a formation image log, calibrating, by a computer, the formation image log for consistency with additionally available data, and generating, by a computer, 3D lithofacies interpretation and prediction data using the formation image log.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image;
geospatially anchoring, by a computer, the received dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image by enhancing the dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image with three-dimensional geospatial positioning data;
decomposing, by a computer, the geospatially-anchored 360-degree well core sample photo image along strips at a particular depth measurement into a set of color numerical array samples as a first intermediate data set, wherein higher color complexity along a strip results in a higher number of color numerical array samples for the particular depth measurement;
transforming, by a computer, the set of color numerical array samples into a formation image log as a secondary intermediate data set;
calibrating, by a computer, the formation image log for consistency with additionally available data; and
generating, by a computer, 3D lithofacies interpretation and prediction data using the calibrated formation image log.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein geospatially anchoring the dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image includes using at least one of compass direction, latitude/longitude, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, or depth reference data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of color numerical array samples comprises data for at least one of blue, green, grayscale, or red.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formation image log is in borehole image log format.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additionally available data includes at least one of wellbore azimuth data, borehole image log data, or 3D seismic data.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing data associated with the formation image log to the additionally available data; and
determining that the formation image log needs to be calibrated because a result of the comparison exceeds a threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating 3D models of lithofacies distributions using the 3D lithofacies interpretation and prediction data.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions executable by a computer and configured to:
receive a dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image;
geospatially anchor the received dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image by enhancing the dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image with three-dimensional geospatial positioning data;
decompose the geospatially-anchored 360-degree well core sample photo image along strips at a particular depth measurement into a set of color numerical array samples as a first intermediate data set, wherein higher color complexity along a strip results in a higher number of color numerical array samples for the particular depth measurement;
transform the set of color numerical array samples into a formation image log as a secondary intermediate data set;
calibrate the formation image log for consistency with additionally available data; and
generate 3D lithofacies interpretation and prediction data using the calibrated formation image log.

9. The medium of claim 8 , wherein geospatially anchoring the dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image includes using at least one of compass direction, latitude/longitude, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, or depth reference data.

10. The medium of claim 8 , wherein the set of color numerical array samples comprises data for at least one of blue, green, grayscale, or red.

11. The medium of claim 8 , wherein the formation image log is in borehole image log format.

12. The medium of claim 8 , wherein the additionally available data includes at least one of wellbore azimuth data, borehole image log data, or 3D seismic data.

13. The medium of claim 8 , further comprising instructions configured to:
compare data associated with the formation image log to the additionally available data; and
determine that the formation image log needs to be calibrated because a result of the comparison exceeds a threshold value.

14. The medium of claim 8 , further comprising instructions configured to generate 3D models of lithofacies distributions using the 3D lithofacies interpretation and prediction data.

15. A computer system, comprising:
at least one computer interoperably coupled with a memory storage and configured to:
receive a dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image;
geospatially anchor the received dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image by enhancing the dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image with three-dimensional geospatial positioning data;
decompose the geospatially-anchored 360-degree well core sample photo image along strips at a particular depth measurement into a set of color numerical array samples as a first intermediate data set, wherein higher color complexity along a strip results in a higher number of color numerical array samples for the particular depth measurement;
transform the set of color numerical array samples into a formation image log as a secondary intermediate data set;
calibrate the formation image log for consistency with additionally available data; and
generate 3D lithofacies interpretation and prediction data using the calibrated formation image log.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein geospatially anchoring the dimensionless 360-degree well core sample photo image includes using at least one of compass direction, latitude/longitude, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, or depth reference data.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the formation image log is in borehole image log format.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the additionally available data includes at least one of wellbore azimuth data, borehole image log data, or 3D seismic data.

19. The system of claim 15 , further comprising instructions configured to:
compare data associated with the formation image log to the additionally available data, the additionally available data including at least one of wellbore azimuth data, borehole image log data, or 3D seismic data; and
determine that the formation image log needs to be calibrated because a result of the comparison exceeds a threshold value.

20. The system of claim 15 , further comprising instructions configured to generate 3D models of lithofacies distributions using the 3D lithofacies interpretation and prediction data.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Sung Roger R
• Li Yunsheng

Classifications

• E21B47/002

  by visual inspection · CPC title

• E21B25/00

  Apparatus for obtaining or removing undisturbed cores, e.g. core barrels or core extractors (core bits E21B10/02) · CPC title

• G06T17/05 Primary

  Geographic models · CPC title

• G01V8/02 Primary

  Prospecting · CPC title

• G06T17/00 Primary

  Three-dimensional [3D] modelling for computer graphics · CPC title