致密砂岩气藏裂隙-孔隙型弹性岩石物理模板研究:以川西坳陷A区为例

相对于常规砂岩,致密砂岩在岩石物理性质、力学性质等方面具有明显差异,并呈现出很强的非均质性.岩石物理模型能将储层参数与地震特性信息联系起来,因此可以作为致密砂岩储层参数与地震特性信息转换的桥梁.常规的岩石物理模型通常只考虑单一因素(例如非均匀性,单一孔隙,单一尺度等),建立的岩石物理模板并不适用于致密砂岩.本文针对高饱和气、微裂隙发育、非均质性强的致密砂岩储层,利用Voigt-Reuss-Hill模型计算混合矿物的弹性模量,采用微分等效介质(DEM)模型描述含裂隙、孔隙岩石的骨架弹性模量,基于Biot-Rayleigh波动方程构建了岩石物理弹性模板,给出了致密砂岩储层弹性参数与物性的关系.基于测井数据和实验数据对岩石物理弹性模板进行校正,并将校正后的岩石物理弹性模板结合叠前地震资料应用于川西地区储层孔隙度与裂隙含量预测.结果显示,反演裂隙含量、孔隙度与储层试气报告、测井孔隙度基本吻合,表明该模板能够较合理地应用于致密砂岩储层孔隙度及裂隙含量解释中.     

Azimuthal anisotropy analysis of walkaround vertical seismic profiling vertical seismic profiling: a case study from Saudi Arabia

Understanding fracture orientations is important for optimal field development of fractured reservoirs because fractures can act as conduits for fluid flow. This is especially true for unconventional reservoirs (e.g., tight gas sands and shale gas). Using walkaround Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) technology presents a unique opportunity to identify seismic azimuthal anisotropy for use in mapping potential fracture zones and their orientation around a borehole. Saudi Aramco recently completed the acquisition, processing and analysis of a walkaround VSP survey through an unconventional tight gas sand reservoir to help characterize fractures. In this paper, we present the results of the seismic azimuthal anisotropy analysis using seismic traveltime, shear‐wave splitting and amplitude attenuation. The azimuthal anisotropy results are compared to the fracture orientations derived from dipole sonic and image logs. The image log interpretation suggests that an orthorhombic fracture system is present. VSP data show that the P‐wave traveltime anisotropy direction is NE to SW. This is consistent with the cemented fractures from the image log interpretation. The seismic amplitude attenuation anisotropy direction is NW to SE. This is consistent with one of the two orientations obtained using transverse to radial amplitude ratio analysis, with the dipole sonic and with open fracture directions interpreted from image log data.     

Detection of multiple fracture sets using observations of shear‐wave splitting in microseismic data

The hydrocarbon industry is moving increasingly towards tight sandstone and shale gas resources – reservoirs that require fractures to be produced economically. Therefore, techniques that can identify sets of aligned fractures are becoming more important. Fracture identification is also important in the areas of coal bed methane production, carbon capture and storage (CCS), geothermal energy, nuclear waste storage and mining. In all these settings, stress and pore pressure changes induced by engineering activity can generate or reactivate faults and fractures. P‐ and S‐waves are emitted by such microseismic events, which can be recorded on downhole geophones. The presence of aligned fracture sets generates seismic anisotropy, which can be identified by measuring the splitting of the S‐waves emitted by microseismic events. The raypaths of the S‐waves will have an arbitrary orientation, controlled by the event and geophone locations, meaning that the anisotropy system may only be partly illuminated by the available arrivals. Therefore to reliably interpret such splitting measurements it is necessary to construct models that compare splitting observations with modelled values, allowing the best fitting rock physics parameters to be determined. Commonly, splitting measurements are inverted for one fracture set and rock fabrics with a vertical axis of symmetry. In this paper we address the challenge of identifying multiple aligned fracture sets using splitting measured on microseismic events. We analyse data from the Weyburn CCS‐EOR reservoir, which is known to have multiple fracture sets, and from a hydraulic fracture stimulation, where it is believed that only one set is present. We make splitting measurements on microseismic data recorded on downhole geophone arrays. Our inversion technique successfully discriminates between the single and multiple fracture cases and in all cases accurately identifies the strikes of fracture sets previously imaged using independent methods (borehole image logs, core samples, microseismic event locations). We also generate a synthetic example to highlight the pitfalls that can be encountered if it is assumed that only one fracture set is present when splitting data are interpreted, when in fact more than one fracture set is contributing to the anisotropy.     

三维地震与地面微地震联合校正方法

由于地面微地震监测台站布设在地表,会受到地表起伏、低降速带厚度和速度变化的影响,降低了微地震事件的识别准确度和定位精度,限制了地面微地震监测技术在复杂地表地区的应用.因此,将三维地震勘探技术的思路引入到地面微地震监测中,提出了三维地震与地面微地震联合校正方法,将油气勘探和开发技术更加紧密地结合在一起.根据三维地震数据和低降速带测量数据,通过约束层析反演方法建立精确的近地表速度模型,将地面微地震台站从起伏地表校正到高速层中的平滑基准面上,有效消除复杂近地表的影响.其次,根据射孔数据和声波测井速度信息,通过非线性反演方法建立最优速度模型,由于已经消除复杂近地表的影响,在进行速度模型优化时不需要考虑近地表的影响,因而建立的速度模型更加准确.最后,在精确速度模型的基础上,通过互相关方法求取剩余静校正量,进一步消除了复杂近地表和速度模型近似误差的影响.三维地震与地面微地震联合校正方法采用逐步校正的思路,能够有效消除复杂近地表的影响,提高微地震数据的品质和速度模型的精确度,保证了微地震事件的定位精度,具有良好的应用前景.     

水力压裂对速度场及微地震定位的影响

水力压裂是页岩气开发过程中的核心增产技术,微地震则广泛用于压裂分析、水驱前缘监测和储层描述.微地震反演过程中,用于反演的速度模型往往基于测井、地震或标定炮资料构建,忽略了压裂过程中裂缝及孔隙流体压力变化对地层速度的影响.本文首先基于物质守恒、渗流理论和断裂力学模拟三维水力压裂过程,得到地下裂缝发育特征和孔隙压力分布.继而根据Coates-Schoenberg方法和裂缝柔量参数计算裂缝和孔隙压力对速度场的影响,得到压裂过程中的实时速度模型.最后利用三维射线追踪方法正演微地震走时和方位信息,并采用常规微地震定位方法反演震源位置及进行误差分析.数值模拟结果表明,检波器空间分布影响定位精度,常规方法的定位误差随射线路径在压裂带中传播距离增加而变大,且不同压裂阶段的多点反演法与单点极化法精度相当.     

Imaging pre‐existing natural fractures using microseismic data

In hydraulic fracturing treatments, locating not only hydraulic fractures but also any pre‐existing natural fractures and faults in a subsurface reservoir is very important. Hydraulic fractures can be tracked by locating microseismic events, but to identify the locations of natural fractures, an additional technique is required. In this paper, we present a method to image pre‐existing fractures and faults near a borehole with virtual reverse vertical seismic profiling data or virtual single‐well profiling data (limited to seismic reflection data) created from microseismic monitoring using seismic interferometry. The virtual source data contain reflections from natural fractures and faults, and these features can be imaged by applying migration to the virtual source data. However, the imaging zone of fractures in the proposed method is strongly dependent on the geographic extent of the microseismic events and the location and direction of the fracture. To verify our method, we produced virtual reverse vertical seismic profiling and single‐well profiling data from synthetic microseismic data and compared them with data from real sources in the same relative position as the virtual sources. The results show that the reflection travel times from the fractures in the virtual source data agree well with travel times in the real‐source data. By applying pre‐stack depth migration to the virtual source data, images of the natural fractures were obtained with accurate locations. However, the migrated section of the single‐well profiling data with both real and virtual sources contained spurious fracture images on the opposite side of the borehole. In the case of virtual single‐well profiling data, we could produce correct migration images of fractures by adopting directional redatuming for which the occurrence region of microseismic events is divided into several subdivisions, and fractures located only on the opposite side of the borehole are imaged for each subdivision.     

Determining the microseismic event source parameters from the surface seismic array data with strong correlated noise and complex focal mechanisms of the source

The world experience shows that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is an efficient tool for increasing oil and gas production of low-permeable reservoirs in hydrocarbon fields. The fracking-induced fractures in the rock, which are hydrodynamically connected with the wells, significantly enhance the volumes of extracted hydrocarbons. Controlling the processes of fracture formation and propagation is a vital question in the oil and gas reservoir management. A key means to implement this control is provided by microseismic monitoring of fracking, which makes it possible to promptly reconstruct the geometry of the fractures from the data on seismic waves from the microearthquakes induced by the formation and propagation of fractures.     

Efficient volumetric extraction of most positive/negative curvature and flexure for fracture characterization from 3D seismic data

Most positive/negative curvature and flexure are among the most useful seismic attributes for detecting faults and fractures in the subsurface based on the geometry of seismic reflections. When applied to fracture characterization and modelling of a fractured reservoir, their magnitude and azimuth help quantify both the intensity and orientation of fracturing, respectively. However, previous efforts focus on estimating only the magnitude of both attributes, whereas their associated azimuth is ignored in three‐dimensional (3D) seismic interpretation. This study presents an efficient algorithm for simultaneously evaluating both the magnitude and azimuth of most positive/negative curvature and flexure from 3D seismic data. The approach implemented in this study is analytically more accurate and computationally more efficient compared with the existing approach. The added value of extracting most positive/negative curvature and flexure is demonstrated through the application to a fractured reservoir at Teapot Dome (Wyoming). First, the newly extracted attributes make computer‐aided fault/fracture decomposition possible. This allows interpreters to focus on one particular component for fracture characterization at a time, so that a composite fractured reservoir could be partitioned into different components for detailed analysis. Second, curvature/flexure azimuth allows interpreters to plot fracture histogram and/or rose diagram in an automatic and quantitative manner. Compared with the conventional plotting rose diagram based on manual measurements, automatic plotting is more efficient and offers unbiased insights into fracture systems by illuminating the most likely orientations of natural fractures in fractured reservoirs.     

Interpretation of Microseismicity Resulting from Gel and Water Fracturing of Tight Gas Reservoirs

We provide a comparative analysis of the spatio-temporal dynamics of hydraulic fracturing-induced microseismicity resulting from gel and water treatments. We show that the growth of a hydraulic fracture and its corresponding microseismic event cloud can be described by a model which combines geometry- and diffusion-controlled processes. It allows estimation of important parameters of fracture and reservoir from microseismic data, and contributes to a better understanding of related physical processes. We further develop an approach based on this model and apply it to data from hydraulic fracturing experiments in the Cotton Valley tight gas reservoir. The treatments were performed with different parameters such as the type of treatment fluid, the injection flow rate, the total volume of fluid and of proppant. In case of a gel-based fracturing, the spatio-temporal evolution of induced microseismicity shows signatures of fracture volume growth, fracturing fluid loss, as well as diffusion of the injection pressure. In contrast, in a water-based fracturing the volume creation growth and the diffusion controlled growth are not clearly separated from each other in the space-time diagram of the induced event cloud. Still, using the approach presented here, the interpretation of induced seismicity for the gel and the water treatments resulted in similar estimates of geometrical characteristics of the fractures and hydraulic properties of the reservoir. The observed difference in the permeability of the particular hydraulic fractures is probably caused by the different volume of pumped proppant.     

3D waveform inversion of downhole microseismic data for transversely isotropic media

3D anisotropic waveform inversion could provide high-resolution velocity models and improved event locations for microseismic surveys. Here we extend our previously developed 2D inversion methodology for microseismic borehole data to 3D transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis. This extension allows us to invert multicomponent data recorded in multiple boreholes and properly account for vertical and lateral heterogeneity. Synthetic examples illustrate the performance of the algorithm for layer-cake and ‘hydraulically fractured’ (i.e. containing anomalies that simulate hydraulic fractures) models. In both cases, waveform inversion is able to reconstruct the areas which are sufficiently illuminated for the employed source-receiver geometry. In addition, we evaluate the sensitivity of the algorithm to errors in the source locations and to band-limited noise in the input displacements. We also present initial inversion results for a microseismic data set acquired during hydraulic fracturing in a shale reservoir.     

部分饱和砂岩储层地震物理模拟及含气饱和度预测分析

含气饱和度预测是天然气储层地震解释工作的重要目标.本文将岩石物理分析与地震物理模拟技术相结合,构建了部分;饱和砂岩储层物理模型并进行含气饱和度预测分析.物理模型中设置了高孔渗常规砂岩和低孑孔渗致密砂岩两种模拟储层,每种储层都是由具有不同含水饱和度的气-水双相饱和砂体组成.岩石物理分析结果显示在低孔渗致密砂岩中气-水混合流体更加倾向于非均匀的斑块分布,而结合了Brie等效流体公式的Gassmann流体替换理论可以更准确地描述纵波速度随含水饱和度的变化趋势.对物理模型进行地震资料采集处理后,对比了AVO特征和叠前同步反演结果对两种砂岩储层含气饱和度预测能力的差异.AVO特征结果显示,对于混合流体均匀分布的高孔渗砂岩储层,AVO响应曲线和属性变化很难对含气饱和度进行估算;对于混合流体斑块分布的致密砂岩储层,AVO特征可以定性地分辨出储层是否为高、中、低含气情况.反演结果显示,密度及纵横波速度比分别对高孔渗及致密砂岩储层的含气饱和度有着较好的指示能力.     

Influence of Bedding and Mineral Composition on Mechanical Properties and Its Implication for Hydraulic Fracturing of Shale Oil Reservoirs

The premise of hydraulic fracturing is to have an accurate and detailed understanding of the rock mechanical properties and fracture propagation law of shale reservoirs. In this paper, a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical properties of the shale oil reservoir in the south of Songliao Basin is carried out. Based on the experiments and the in-situ stress analysis, the fracture propagation law of three types of shale reservoirs is obtained, and the suggestions for fracturing are put forward. The results have shown that the fracture propagation of pure shale and low mature reservoir is easy to open along the bedding plane under compression loading, which is greatly influenced by the bedding. Sand-bearing shale is slightly better, the fractures of which are not easy to open along the bedding plane. The mechanical experimental results show that all the samples have the characteristics of low compressive strength, low Young''s modulus and strong anisotropy, indicating that the shale oil reservoir is certain plastic, which is related to its high clay mineral content and controlled by the bedding development. Compared with pure shale and low mature shale, the sand-bearing shale has less clay content and less developed bedding, which maybe the main reason for its slightly better brittleness. Overall, the expansion of hydraulic fracture is controlled by in-situ stress and bedding. Because of the development of bedding, it is easy to form horizontal fractures. Thus it is not suitable for horizontal well fracturing. Because of the high content of clay minerals, the applicability of conventional slick hydraulic fracturing fluid is poor. It is suggested to use vertical well or directional well to carry out volume fracturing. In this way, the effect of bedding can be effectively used to open and connect the bedding and form a larger fracture network.     

致密砂岩衰减岩石物理图板分析:储层微裂隙预测

致密砂岩储层普遍具有孔隙度低、微裂隙发育的特点,岩石内部常含有强烈的结构非均质性.致密砂岩发育的微裂隙使储层具有良好的连通性,促成高饱和气的天然气成藏.针对川西某探区须家河组高含气饱和度致密砂岩,本文选取致密砂岩岩心样本,进行了不同围压下的超声波实验测量.考虑储层完全饱气情况下的粒间孔隙、微裂隙双重孔隙结构,采用Biot-Rayleigh双重孔隙方程,构建致密砂岩岩石物理模型,进而分析了裂隙含量对纵波频散和衰减的影响.基于地震波衰减,构建了致密砂岩多尺度岩石物理图板.采用谱比法和改进频移法估算致密砂岩样本及储层衰减,对超声和地震频带下的图板进行校正.将校正后的图板应用到研究工区,选取二维测线和三维区块,进行储层孔隙度和裂隙含量的定量预测.对比实际资料进行分析,结果显示,本文预测的孔隙度和裂隙含量与三口测井的孔隙度曲线和实际产气情况基本吻合,基于孔隙-裂隙衰减岩石物理模型有效地预测了优质储层的分布区域.     

Characterization of fractured reservoirs using a consistent stiffness‐permeability model: focus on the effects of fracture aperture

In this paper we propose a method for the characterization of naturally fractured reservoirs by quantitative integration of seismic and production data. The method is based on a consistent theoretical frame work to model both effective hydraulic and elastic properties of fractured porous media and a (non‐linear) Bayesian method of inversion that provides information about uncertainties as well as mean (or maximum likelihood) values. We model a fractured reservoir as a porous medium containing a single set of vertical fractures characterized by an unknown fracture density, azimuthal orientation and aperture. We then look at the problem of fracture parameter estimation as a non‐linear inverse problem and try to estimate the unknown fracture parameters by joint inversion of seismic amplitude versus angle and azimuth data and dynamic production data. Once the fracture parameters have been estimated the corresponding effective stiffness and permeability tensors can be estimated using consistent models. A synthetic example is provided to clearly explain and test the workflow. It shows that seismic and production data complement each other, in the sense that the seismic data resolve a non‐uniqueness in the fracture orientation and the production data help to recover the true fracture aperture and permeability, because production data are more sensitive to the fracture aperture than the seismic data.     

Fluid identification based on P-wave anisotropy dispersion gradient inversion for fractured reservoirs

Fluid identification in fractured reservoirs is a challenging issue and has drawn increasing attentions. As aligned fractures in subsurface formations can induce anisotropy, we must choose parameters independent with azimuths to characterize fractures and fluid effects such as anisotropy parameters for fractured reservoirs. Anisotropy is often frequency dependent due to wave-induced fluid flow between pores and fractures. This property is conducive for identifying fluid type using azimuthal seismic data in fractured reservoirs. Through the numerical simulation based on Chapman model, we choose the P-wave anisotropy parameter dispersion gradient (PADG) as the new fluid factor. PADG is dependent both on average fracture radius and fluid type but independent on azimuths. When the aligned fractures in the reservoir are meter-scaled, gas-bearing layer could be accurately identified using PADG attribute. The reflection coefficient formula for horizontal transverse isotropy media by Rüger is reformulated and simplified according to frequency and the target function for inverting PADG based on frequency-dependent amplitude versus azimuth is derived. A spectral decomposition method combining Orthogonal Matching Pursuit and Wigner–Ville distribution is used to prepare the frequency-division data. Through application to synthetic data and real seismic data, the results suggest that the method is useful for gas identification in reservoirs with meter-scaled fractures using high-qualified seismic data.     

有效应力变化对致密砂岩孔隙结构及弹性波响应的影响规律

致密砂岩气藏具有裂缝发育和有效应力高的特征,研究不同有效压力下孔、裂隙介质地震波传播特征,有利于地震解释与地下储层的识别.但是前人的研究较少考虑岩石内部微观孔隙结构特征与孔隙、裂隙间流体流动的关系.本文首先通过选取四川盆地典型致密砂岩岩样,在不同有效压力下对岩石样本进行超声波实验测量.然后基于实验测得的纵、横波速度进行裂隙参数反演,得到不同有效压力下致密砂岩样本的裂隙孔隙度.再将裂隙孔隙度和样本岩石物理参数代入双重孔隙介质模型,模拟得到不同有效压力下饱水致密砂岩样本纵横波速度频散和衰减的变化规律.结果表明模型预测的速度频散曲线与纵波速度实验测量结果能够较好的吻合.最后统计分析了致密砂岩裂隙参数,得到了致密砂岩储层裂隙参数随有效压力及孔隙度变化特征.依据实际岩石物理参数建立模型,其裂隙参数三维拟合结果能够较好描述致密砂岩裂隙结构与孔隙度、应力的关联,可为实际地震勘探中预测储层裂缝性质提供基础依据.     

Modelling frequency-dependent seismic anisotropy in fluid-saturated rock with aligned fractures: implication of fracture size estimation from anisotropic measurements

Measurements of seismic anisotropy in fractured rock are used at present to deduce information about the fracture orientation and the spatial distribution of fracture intensity. Analysis of the data is based upon equivalent-medium theories that describe the elastic response of a rock containing cracks or fractures in the long-wavelength limit. Conventional models assume frequency independence and cannot distinguish between microcracks and macrofractures. The latter, however, control the fluid flow in many subsurface reservoirs. Therefore, the fracture size is essential information for reservoir engineers. In this study we apply a new equivalent-medium theory that models frequency-dependent anisotropy and is sensitive to the length scale of fractures. The model considers velocity dispersion and attenuation due to a squirt-flow mechanism at two different scales: the grain scale (microcracks and equant matrix porosity) and formation-scale fractures. The theory is first tested and calibrated against published laboratory data. Then we present the analysis and modelling of frequency-dependent shear-wave splitting in multicomponent VSP data from a tight gas reservoir. We invert for fracture density and fracture size from the frequency dependence of the time delay between split shear waves. The derived fracture length matches independent observations from borehole data.     

Seismic characterization of reservoirs with multiple fracture sets using velocity and attenuation anisotropy data

Knowledge about the spatial distribution of the fracture density and the azimuthal fracture orientation can greatly help in optimizing production from fractured reservoirs. Frequency-dependent seismic velocity and attenuation anisotropy data contain information about the fractures present in the reservoir. In this study, we use the measurements of velocity and attenuation anisotropy data corresponding to different seismic frequencies and azimuths to infer information about the multiple fracture sets present in the reservoir. We consider a reservoir model with two sets of vertical fractures characterized by unknown azimuthal fracture orientations and fracture densities. Frequency-dependent seismic velocity and attenuation anisotropy data is computed using the effective viscoelastic stiffness tensor and solving the Christoffel equation. A Bayesian inversion method is then applied to measurements of velocity and attenuation anisotropy data corresponding to different seismic frequencies and azimuth to estimate the azimuthal fracture orientations and the fracture densities, as well as their uncertainties. Our numerical examples suggest that velocity anisotropy data alone cannot recover the unknown fracture parameters. However, an improved estimation of the unknown fracture parameters can be obtained by joint inversion of velocity and attenuation anisotropy data.