Time-Lapse Seismic Monitoring and Dynamic Reservoir Characterization, Central Vacuum Unit, Lea County, New Mexico

Abstract

Summary This article presents the results of a multidisciplinary, four-dimensional (4D) (time-lapse), three-component (3C) (multicomponent) seismic study of a CO2 injection project in vacuum field, New Mexico. The ability to sense bulk rock/fluid properties with 4D, 3C seismology enables characterization of the most important transport property of a reservoir, namely, permeability. Because of the high volume resolution of the 4D, 3C seismology, we can monitor the sweep efficiency of a production process to see if reserves are bypassed by channeling around lower permeability parts of the reservoir and the rate at which the channeling occurs. In doing so, we can change production processes to sweep the reservoir more efficiently.