Creating detailed subsurface models using predictive image-guided well-log interpolation

Abstract

Integration of well-log data and seismic data to predict rock properties is an essential but challenging task in reservoir characterization. The standard methods commonly used to create subsurface model do not fully honor the importance of seismic reflectors and detailed structural information in guiding the spatial distribution of rock properties in the presence of complex structures, which can make these methods inaccurate. To overcome initial model accuracy limitations in structurally complex regimes, we have developed a method that uses the seismic image structures to accurately constrain the interpolation of well properties between well locations. A geologically consistent framework provides a more robust initial model that, when inverted with seismic data, delivers a highly detailed yet accurate subsurface model. An application to field data from the North Sea demonstrates the effectiveness of our method, which proves that incorporating the seismic structural framework when interpolating rock properties between wells culminates in the increased accuracy of the final inverted result compared with the standard inversion workflows.