Study Investigates Using Borehole Gravity To Improve Reservoir Monitoring
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: April 2021

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 30626, “Brazil Presalt, Santos Basin: Feasibility Study for the Application of Borehole Gravity To Improve Reservoir Monitoring,” by Zhijun Du, Adrian Topham, SPE, and Jeremy C. Lofts, SPE, Silicon Microgravity, et al., prepared for the 2020 Offshore Technology Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Houston, 4-7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.

The complete paper uses a feasibility study to present the potential application of a three-axis gravimeter borehole measurement in the Libra presalt reservoir in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil. The authors’ findings suggest that an annual survey with a limited well stock could be effective in monitoring this type of reservoir and that a wireline-deployed three-axis gravity tool is likely to provide significant additional surveillance to constrain a reservoir production strategy through better appreciation of the direction of water movement.

Introduction

The giant Brazilian presalt reservoirs are in ultradeep water (greater than 2000 m) and buried at a depth surpassing 5000 m. In order to conduct reservoir monitoring and achieve successful reservoir management, borehole-based geophysical technologies are preferred because the measurements can be made closer to the reservoir mass. The development of a borehole gravimeter suit-able for use in deep reservoirs, however, poses significant technical challenges, and breakthroughs have been limited by the sensor form factor (size) and measurement stabilization.

By use of microelectromechanical-system (MEMS) vibrating-beam technology, the authors introduce a borehole gravimeter that enables the recording of gravitational acceleration at very high sensitivity. The new resonant MEMS gravitational sensor is designed to sense mass in the subsurface such that time-lapse wireline-based surveys can be conducted to build a picture of fluid movements at relatively large distances from a wellbore, thereby enabling time-lapse or 4D gravity monitoring. The innovation of the three-axis gravimeter also allows the acquisition of directional information about the spatial movement of fluid, even when acquired from only a single borehole. The principles of measuring gravity in the borehole environment are provided in the complete paper.

Libra Field. The field is one of the largest presalt oil discoveries in the Santos Basin. It was discovered in May 2010 with recoverable resources of approximately 9 billion bbl of oil. The first appraisal well was completed and tested in February 2015. At the time of writing, nine appraisal wells have been drilled. A high-density 3D seismic program was acquired over the Santos and Campos basins, and advanced seismic processing technology has also been applied.

Reservoir Simulation. The geophysics for reservoir characterization and simulation of these carbonate reservoirs is still in its early stages, and little published knowledge about their properties exists. Nonetheless, since their discovery, 2D and 3D seismic technologies have been applied intensively for imaging the region structures and delineating the reservoirs.