Reservoir Architecture Modeling at Sub-Seismic Scale for a Depleted Carbonate Reef Reservoir for CO2 Storage in Sarawak Basin, Offshore Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract It is still a challenge to build a numerical static reservoir model, based on limited data, to characterize reservoir architecture that corresponds to the geological concept models. The numerical static reef reservoir model has been evolving from the oversimplified tank-like models, simple multi-layer models to the complex multi-layer models that are more realistic representations of complex reservoirs. A simple multi-layer model for the reef reservoir with proportional layering scheme was applied in the CO2 Storage Development Plan (SDP) study, as the most-likely scenario to match the geological complexity. Model refinement can be conducted during CO2 injection phase with Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) technologies for CO2 plume distribution tracking. The selected reservoir is a Middle to Late Miocene carbonate reef complex, with three phases of reef growth: 1) basal transgressive phase, 2) lower buildup phase, and 3) upper buildup phase. Three chronostratigraphic surfaces were identified on 3D seismic reflection data as the zone boundaries, which were then divided into sub-zones and layers. Four layering methods were compared, which are ‘proportional’, ’follow top’, ‘follow base’ and ‘follow top with reference surface’. The proportional layering method was selected for the base case of the 3D static reservoir model and the others were used in the uncertainty analysis. Based on the results of uncertainty and risk assessment, a risk mitigation for CO2 injection operation were modeled and three CO2 injection well locations were optimized. The reservoir architecture model would be updated and refined by the difference between the modeled CO2 plume patterns and The MMV results in the future.