Multicomponent seismic characterization and monitoring of the
CO2 flood at Weyburn Field, Saskatchewan
THOMAS L. DAVIS, MARTIN J. TERRELL, and ROBERT D. BENSON, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, U.S.
REYNALDO CARDONA, ChevronTexaco, Houston, Texas, U.S.
ROBERT R. KENDALL and ROBERT WINARSKY, Veritas, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Downloaded 07/22/17 to 128.227.24.141. Redistribution subject to SEG license or copyright; see Terms of Use at http://library.seg.org/
High-resolution, time-lapse (4D), multicomponent (9C) seis-
mic monitoring of a tertiary oil recovery project is being con-
ducted by the Reservoir Characterization Project of the
Colorado School of Mines. The project involves a miscible CO2
flood in a thin (30 m) carbonate reservoir at 1450 m depth in
Weyburn Field, Saskatchewan. Multicomponent time-lapse
seismic images illustrate the influence of fracture zones on the
flood. These fracture zones are very important to character-
ize and monitor in order to manage the flood successfully and
to achieve the desired improved recovery efficiency. The mon-
itoring project offers insights into the future of dynamic reser-
voir characterization with 4D, 9C seismic technology.
Weyburn Field. Weyburn Field is a 1.4 billion bbl field located
on the northeast flank of the Williston Basin in southeast
Saskatchewan, Canada. The Midale carbonate reservoir con-
sists of two distinct zones at a depth of approximately 1450
m. The upper unit, the Marly, is low permeability (10 md),
high porosity (26%), and ranges in thickness from 7 to 10 m.
The lower unit, the Vuggy, is higher permeability (15 md) and
lower porosity (11%) than the upper unit, and ranges in thick-
ness from 15 to 20 m. The lower Vuggy unit has a much larger
flow capacity relative to the upper Marly unit resulting in low
oil recovery efficiency in the Marly unit.
The field was discovered in 1955 and went on a conven-
tional waterflood 10 years after its discovery. Production
through primary depletion and conventional waterflooding
achieved approximately 25% oil recovery. EnCana, the field
operator, started an enhanced oil recovery project during
October 2000. Initially, 19 horizontal well patterns were con-
verted into a CO2 miscible flood with CO2 injection rates of
3-7 mmcf/day/well. It is anticipated that this project will
recover an additional 15% of the original oil in place. This flood
is designed to target the unswept reserves in the upper Marly
unit of the reservoir.
Rock and fluid physics modeling. Rock and fluid physics
measurements and modeling suggested that carbon dioxide
would cause a 4-6% decrease in P-wave velocity with a cor-
responding 15-20% change in reflection amplitude. These
results were considered optimistic as the rock physics work
showed the Marly would give the greatest changes due to its
high porosity but it is also the thinnest unit in the reservoir.
Shear-wave velocity modeling suggested that in the presence
of fracture zones interval shear wave velocity anisotropy could
change by 5-10%.
Data acquisition and processing. To assist in monitoring CO2
flood performance, a time-lapse (4D), multicomponent (9C)
seismic monitoring project was implemented by the Reservoir
Characterization Project. A baseline seismic survey was
acquired in October 2000 prior to CO2 injection. This survey
was repeated in October 2001 and again in October 2002.
The 4D, 9C seismic surveys at Weyburn were designed
for a uniform azimuth and offset distribution and to provide
high-resolution coverage over four CO2 injection patterns.
Useable fold in the middle of the survey is approximately 400
696 THE LEADING EDGE JULY 2003
Figure 1. P-wave rms amplitude difference map derived from the reservoir
interval (2000 Survey-2001 Survey). The red “forked” lines are the hori-
zontal CO2 injectors.
for the P-wave data and 140 for the S-wave data. Triaxial
vibrators provided expeditious acquisition of the three source
components; one P-wave and two orthogonal shear dis-
placement modes.
All components were processed to preserve the consistency
between surveys and to enhance the time-lapse analyses of
the data. The excellent data quality, along with its repeatabil-
ity, enabled successful monitoring of the CO2 flood.
Interpretation. Initial interpretation of the seismic data demon-
strates the presence of an east-trending fracture zone in the
reservoir. Natural fractures associated with this zone may act
as a conduit for fluid movement both vertically and laterally
in the reservoir. Devonian Prairie Evaporite salt dissolution
has occurred below the reservoir in the southern portion of
the survey area and has caused fracturing within the overly-
ing Mississippian reservoir interval.
Time-lapse analyses show numerous anomalies related to
the progression of the CO2 flood in the reservoir interval.
Figure 1 is a map of the P-wave rms amplitude difference
extracted from the reservoir interval (2000 Survey-2001 Survey)
between the baseline and the first monitor survey. The P-
wave amplitude anomalies spread out from the injection wells
and show a preference for movement along the fracture zone
within the reservoir. Because the reservoir is thin (30 m) rela-
tive to the seismic wavelength it is necessary to use seismic
amplitudes to characterize and monitor this reservoir, a low
acoustic impedance medium due to its high porosity. The dif-
ference in rms amplitude is over a ±2 ms window centered
on the reservoir reflection. Areas of increased amplitude cor-
respond to a decrease in P–wave acoustic impedance.
The S-wave data show a large anomaly located in the
vicinity of the south injection pattern. S-wave rms amplitude
differences extracted from the reservoir interval (2000 Survey-
2001 Survey) are presented in Figure 2. By utilizing comple-
mentary data from both the P- and S-wave data volumes we
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Figure 2. S-wave rms amplitude difference map derived from the reservoir
interval (2000 Survey – 2001 Survey). The red “forked” lines are the
horizontal CO2 injectors.
Figure 3. Time lapse changes in the amplitude-derived shear splitting.
Arrows and line segments indicate the fast S-wave polarization and fast
P-NMO azimuth respectively.
concluded that an east-west oriented fracture zone exists in
the southern part of the reservoir. This fracture zone provides
a conduit for CO2 to move out of pattern and possibly out of
zone.
Monitoring is necessary because CO2 is highly mobile and
can move downward into the Vuggy from horizontal injec-
tors in the Marly. Fracture zones promote downward mobil-
ity and channeling of CO2 out of pattern. Time-lapse, 9C
seismology can facilitate important reservoir management
decisions early in the history of the tertiary flood project.
Shear wave splitting or anisotropy also detects the CO2
flood progress over time especially in the vicinity of the pre-
viously identified fracture zone. The splitting map illustrates
the difference in anisotropy between the baseline and first mon-
itor survey (Figure 3). Based on this map, a fracture trend may
be opening in the vicinity of the east injector with a different
dominant fracture orientation. The salt dissolution swings
from east-west to north-south in the vicinity of the east injec-
tor. This different fracture orientation causes a positive split-
ting change to occur.
Dynamic reservoir characterization. Dynamic reservoir char-
acterization refers to monitoring changes in reservoir response
by repeated monitoring to detect the spatial distribution of
Figure 4. Anisotropy classification within the seismic survey area. The
red hashed line represents the salt dissolution edge.
rock/fluid properties and their changes due to production and
injection in the reservoir. In this reservoir the areas of response
to shear waves in particular correspond to fracture zones that
have opened under high fluid pressures associated with the
flood. It is important to identify these dynamic, high perme-
ability zones early in the life of the flood and to decide what
to do about these conductive zones, if anything. Monitoring
these fracture zones is critical to achieving the targeted 15%
incremental production set for this flood.
To predict the existence of these fracture zones, anisotropy
was interpreted from the baseline survey and used to classify
the reservoir (Figure 4). A low-order symmetry corresponds
to a fracture network with oblique orientation exhibiting mon-
oclinic or triclinic symmetry. In Figure 4 the area of low sym-
metry coincides with the area of structural downwarping and
resultant fracturing related to underlying Prairie Evaporite salt
dissolution. This area has the highest permeability and great-
est response to the CO2 flood. Horizontal producers in this
area responded in a few months with production rates increas-
ing from 10m3/d to 100m3/d.
Conclusion. The monitoring of the miscible CO2 flood at
Weyburn Field shows that fracture zones are important to char-
acterize and monitor. The fracture zones are potential conduits
for CO2 to move out of pattern or escape out of zone.
Multicomponent seismology provides the fundamental basis
for forecasting dynamic reservoir behavior. Characterization,
monitoring, and forecasting are important elements of opti-
mum reservoir management.
Time-lapse multicomponent seismic surveys show
dynamic changes in a four-pattern area in Weyburn Field due
to CO2 injection. Monitoring shear wave anisotropy can help
characterize fracture zones and networks and their changes
over time. Dynamic reservoir characterization is an important
and essential process in improving reservoir recovery. TLE
Acknowledgments: The authors gratefully acknowledge industry sponsors
of the Colorado School of Mines Reservoir Characterization Project who enthu-
siastically support this research. We thank the Petroleum Technology Research
Centre, which directs the IEA Weyburn CO2 Monitoring Project, for their
major sponsorship of RCP.
Corresponding author: tdavis@mines.edu
JULY 2003 THE LEADING EDGE 697