METHOD FOR PREDICTING TIME-LAPSE SEISMIC TIMESHIFTS BY COMPUTER SIMULATION

摘要

A method for predicting time-lapse seismic timeshifts in a three-dimensional geomechanical system is provided In one aspect, the method includes defining physical boundaries for the geomechanical system One or more reservoir characteristics such as pore pressure and/or temperature history are acquired from multiple wells within the physical boundaries, determining whether a formation in the geomechanical system is in an elastic regime or a plastic regime, and obtaining first and second seismic data sets for the geomechanical system, taken at first and second times The method also includes running a geomechanical simulation to simulate the effects of changes in pore pressure or other reservoir characteristic on time-lapse seismic timeshifts in the formation In one aspect, running a geomechanical simulation comprises calculating incremental timeshifts for a plurality of layers within the formation, and calculating a cumulative timeshift value from a summation of the incremental timeshifts in the formation.