SG11201911682WA - Reservoir materiality bounds from seismic inversion - Google Patents

Abstract

INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (43) International Publication Date 21 February 2019 (21.02.2019) WIP0 I PCT mu Ol oimIE (10) International Publication Number WO 2019/036135 Al (51) International Patent Classification: GO1V 1/30 (2006.01) GO1V 99/00 (2009.01) (21) International Application Number: PCT/US2018/042286 (22) International Filing Date: 16 July 2018 (16.07.2018) (25) Filing Language: English (26) Publication Language: English (30) Priority Data: 62/545,748 15 August 2017 (15.08.2017) US (71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RESEARCH COMPA- NY [US/US]; (EMHC-N1-4A-608), 22777 Springwoods Village Parkway, Spring, TX 77389 (US). (72) Inventors; and (71) Applicants (for US only): WHEELOCK, Brent [US/US]; 9 Prospect Street #203, Morristown, NJ 07960 (US). SCHMEDES, Jan [DE/US]; 6914 Ferris Street, Bellaire, TX 77401 (US). SAIN, Ratnanabha [IN/US]; 129 Water- cress Circle, Houston, TX 77064 (US). (74) Agent: BAEHL, Stephen et al.; ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, (EMHC-Nl-4A-608), 22777 Spring- woods Village Parkway, Spring, TX 77389 (US). (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BN, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DJ, DK, DM, DO, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IR, IS, JO, JP, KE, KG, KH, KN, KP, KR, KW, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PA, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW, SA, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, ST, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, RU, TJ, TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, KM, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). Declarations under Rule 4.17: as to applicant's entitlement to apply for and be granted a patent (Rule 4.17(ii)) as to the applicant's entitlement to claim the priority of the earlier application (Rule 4.17(iii)) Published: with international search report (Art. 21(3)) (54) Title: RESERVOIR MATERIALITY BOUNDS FROM SEISMIC INVERSION (57) : A method including: obtaining geophysical data for a subsurface region; generating, with a computer, at least two subsurface property models of the subsurface region for at least two subsurface properties by performing an inversion that minimizes a misfit between the geophysical data and forward simulated data subject to one or more constraints, the inversion including generating updates to the at least two subsurface property models for at least two different scenarios that both fit the geophysical data with a same likelihood but have different values for model materiality, with the model materiality being posed as an equality constraint in the inversion, wherein the model materiality is a functional of model parameters that characterize hydrocarbon potential of the subsurface region; analyzing a geophysical data misfit curve or geophysical data misfit likelihood curve, over a predetermined range of values of the model materiality to identify the at least two subsurface property models that correspond to a high-side and low-side, respectively, O for each of the at least two subsurface properties, with the high-side and low-side quantifying uncertainties in the subsurface properties; and prospecting for hydrocarbons in the subsurface region with the at least two models that correspond to the high-side and the low- O side for each of the at least two subsurface properties. O