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An Analytical Workflow to Predict Geomechanical Well Behaviour from Seismic
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, Fourth EAGE Workshop on Rock Physics, Nov 2017, Volume 2017, p.1 - 5
Abstract
The successful exploitation of unconventional resource plays requires an understanding of the subsurface geology, natural fracture network and present day stress regime. Each play has its own unique combination of these factors that control the response to fracture stimulation and ultimately impact productivity. New borehole datasets and interpretation techniques have provided methods to appraise target formations at well locations. However, seismic reflection data remains the most viable source of spatial information away from well locations. We describe an analytical geomechanical workflow that is constructed using elastic property volumes from a pre-stack seismic inversion. The seismic inversion used in the workflow is an innovative Bayesian pre-stack approach that simultaneously inverts for both impedances and facies. The inversion is grounded in a comprehensive well-based rock physics analysis of the formations’ elastic properties. The geomechanical analysis uses the seismic property volumes from the inversion to generate an analytical prediction of the horizontal stresses. The stress field is then solved around a vertical cylindrical borehole to make predictions of the fracture initiation pressure. The results can be used to understand fracture behavior - including stress anisotropy, initiation pressures, fracture barriers, and potential height growth – at any potential well location within the data volume.