Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gir, R. Articles by Xue, J. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

Discovering the economic impact of rapid 3D seismic assessment

Schlumberger, Houston, Texas, U.S.

Corresponding author: gir@houston.oilfield.slb.com

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Limiting risk, reducing capital expenditure, and minimizing time to first commercial production remain priorities in today's oil and gas marketplace. Accordingly, management decisions must be based on sound scientific interpretations as well as valid economic analyses. Retaining quality while reducing time can be a challenge, particularly given the proliferation of project data available to geoscientists and engineers. Innovative methodologies and work processes that streamline the project cycle are in demand.

Among these, a rapid 3D seismic assessment technique, called the QuickSEIS process, enables 3D seismic data to be rapidly screened, evaluated, and interpreted in a period of weeks, rather than the several months typically required for data analysis and risk assessment. The process supports quick identification and definition of targets and optimization of exploration and production (E&P) activities, which positively impact a project's value.

While many of the process steps in this rapid technique are familiar ones already undertaken by oil company staffs, step improvements have resulted from holistically integrating the entire seismic assessment workflow and coupling it with innovative visualization and interpretation aids, such as the 3D distribution of lithology and pore fluids. When used as a prequalifier to rank and identify areas for a more detailed investigation, the rapid seismic assessment technique provides asset managers with better information sooner, allowing them to quickly prioritize drilling prospects and E&P opportunities. Specifically, the process is proving useful for reducing time to first production, optimizing well placement, minimizing risk by integrating multiple data sets, and improving manpower allocation.

The basics of the rapid seismic assessment technique and a look at several economic scenarios using it in a deepwater Gulf of Mexico play are given in detail.

	Phase 1

 
As with any seismic assessment, a rapid 3D seismic assessment begins by gathering available data, including 3D seismic volumes, logs, and engineering data. The seismic . . . [Full Text of this Article]