Dynamic Reservoir Monitoring

Challenge

The ability to accurately and continually measure, analyze and predict reservoir conditions (temperature, pressure, production and injection rates) is critical to the overall production optimization process. The monitoring and control of the steam chamber is the primary production operations objective for steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operators. But using conventional methods does not meet their needs and many operators are unable to acquire the data required to analyze and optimize their production operations. Consequently, operators are constantly searching for better performing and more cost effective technologies to provide this valuable information.

Solution

Halliburton's innovative systems provide accurate and effective reservoir monitoring and help achieve the following:

• Steam flow measurement and 3D imaging throughout the reservoir
• Improved understanding of steam chamber growth and distributed production along the length of SAGD wellbores
• Optimized downhole pump performance through accurate pressure and temperature readings
• Better history matches for reservoir simulations
• Quick identification of steam and injection oil production (conformance) issues at specific locations along each SAGD pair
• Improving operator understanding of reservoir performance in the near wellbore area.

Halliburton’s monitoring technologies are provided through Pinnacle (a Halliburton service) and employ three approaches—satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), surface and downhole tiltmeters, and differential global positioning systems (GPS). These methods can acquire deformation data in near-real-time (NRT) or real-time. This capability enables developing 3D flow images of steam placement in the reservoir including abnormal flows to identify bypassed oil.