Grane – Better Seismic Imaging: Low Price for Higher Production!

Unstable shales on Grane causes drilling challenges, which can give reduced well lengths and hence lost income. These shales are often below seismic resolution or are difficult to image due to steeply dipping geological structures.

Seismic reprocessing using modern algorithms gives a much improved imaging, and hence a possibility for planning better wells with more optimal position. The increased value and larger success rate of these new wells together with the increased understanding of older wells, shows that the value of the reprocessed seismic data could be as high as $ 0.2 billion, approximately 100 times the investment.

This case study shows how the reprocessed seismic data enables the placement of a well in a part of the reservoir which two earlier wells had failed to reach due to unexpected shales. This part of the reservoir has reserves worth ∼$45 million. PRM-data (Permanent Reservoir Monitoring) confirms that the reservoir target is reached, that the geological structure is according to the updated interpretation, and that the well is producing from the full length.