Subsurface Injection Optimization

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Modern methods for defining injection rates to maintain correct reservoir pressure are based on Large-Scale Models of subsurface geology. Computational grids with 10 to 100 million cells are built from seismic data and rock properties available from bore samples. However, the accuracy of the models is highly dependent on the quality of the input parameters, and the models do not give well-specific information or knowledge about well interdependencies. They require labour intensive manual calculations and pose a serious computational challenge to numerical simulators. The high complexity of the models means that they require significant time and resources to be activated, and are therefore only used for injection planning of new IOR-campaigns and periodical updates of existing campaigns. Geomec proposes a completely new approach to obtain information about reservoir response to well-specific changes in injection parameters in real-time. Instead of focusing on a high spatial resolution of the reservoir that gives a single image in time of the reservoir, we reduce the spatial resolution in order to obtain a continuously updated image (movie) of the changing reservoir response. Geomec's solution offers conversion and analysis of continuously extracted data from existing well sensors, e.g. downhole pressure and volume flow rates in producing wells, and surface pressure and volume flow rates in injection wells. There is no need to install new sensors or hardware.