IP Library Granted Patent US 12,461,268
Granted Patent B2
US 12,461,268 · App. 17/897,917 · Granted Nov 4, 2025

Determining hydrocarbon production zones in a subterranean reservoir

Inventors: Waheed Syed Arshad (Mississauga, CA); Otto E. Meza Camargo (Dhahran, SA)
Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
G01V1/50E21B43/26E21B47/07E21B47/103E21B47/107E21B49/00G01V1/46G01V20/00E21B2200/20G01V2210/646
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,461,268
App. No.
17/897,917
Granted
Nov 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques for determining one or more hydrocarbon production zones in a subterranean reservoir include generating a 3D natural fracture model that includes a 3D discrete fracture network and a brittleness model for a subterranean formation into which a wellbore is formed; converting the 3D discrete fracture network into a 2D model to determine a continuous fracture density property; predicting a plurality of fluid-flow pathways using the continuous fracture density property modeled for each brittleness; hydraulic fracturing the wellbore to create one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation; subsequent to the hydraulic fracturing, logging the wellbore to determine one or more logged properties; identifying one or more fracture flow zones based on the one or more logged properties; and validating the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones.

Claims (69)

1 . A method for determining one or more hydrocarbon production zones in a subterranean reservoir, comprising:

generating, with one or more hardware processors of a control system, a 3D natural fracture model that includes a 3D discrete fracture network and a brittleness model for a subterranean formation into which a wellbore is formed;

converting, with the one or more hardware processors, the 3D discrete fracture network into a 2D model to determine a continuous fracture density property;

predicting, with the one or more hardware processors, a plurality of fluid-flow pathways using the continuous fracture density property modeled for each brittleness;

hydraulically fracturing the wellbore to create one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation;

subsequent to the hydraulic fracturing, logging the wellbore to determine one or more logged properties;

identifying, with the one or more hardware processors, one or more fracture flow zones based on the one or more logged properties;

validating, with the one or more hardware processors, the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones; and

in response to validating, producing hydrocarbon fluid from the subterranean formation through one or more perforation clusters associated with the identified one or more fracture flow zones.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean formation comprises a plurality of natural fractures, and the 3D discrete fracture network comprises the plurality of natural fractures.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein logging the wellbore to determine one or more logged properties comprises:

performing at least one high precision temperature (HPT) logging run to generate at least one HPT log of the wellbore; and

performing at least one spectral noise logging (SNL) run to generate at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein performing at least one spectral noise logging (SNL) run to generate at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore comprises:

performing a first SNL run at flowing conditions of the wellbore to generate a first spectral noise log of the wellbore; and

performing a second SNL run at shut-in conditions of the wellbore to generate a second spectral noise log of the wellbore.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating a composite log that includes a fracture density index, the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways, the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore; and

comparing, with the one or more hardware processors, the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with portions of the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log associated with the one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein comparing the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with portions of the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log associated with the one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation comprises:

matching, with the one or more hardware processors, wellbore depths of the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with wellbore depths on at least one of the HPT log or the spectral noise log that are associated with fluid flow through the one or more hydraulic fractures of the wellbore.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways are marked as tadpoles on the composite log.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising calibrating, with the one or more hardware processors, the plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones.

9 . A computer-implemented method performed with one or more hardware processors, comprising:

generating, with one or more hardware processors of a control system, a 3D natural fracture model that includes a 3D discrete fracture network and a brittleness model for a subterranean formation into which a wellbore is formed;

converting, with the one or more hardware processors, the 3D discrete fracture network into a 2D model to determine a continuous fracture density property;

predicting, with the one or more hardware processors, a plurality of fluid-flow pathways using the fracture density property modeled for each brittleness;

generating, with the one or more hardware processors, one or more logs of one or more logged properties of the wellbore from a completed hydraulic fracturing and logging operation of the wellbore;

identifying, with the one or more hardware processors, one or more fracture flow zones based on the one or more logged properties;

validating, with the one or more hardware processors, the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones; and

in response to validating, determining one or more perforation clusters associated with the identified one or more fracture flow zones for production of hydrocarbon fluid from the subterranean formation therethrough.

10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the subterranean formation comprises a plurality of natural fractures, and the 3D discrete fracture network comprises the plurality of natural fractures.

11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more logs comprise:

at least one high precision temperature (HPT) log of the wellbore such that a first logged property is wellbore fluid temperature; and

at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore such that a second logged property is wellbore fluid spectral noise.

12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore comprises:

a first spectral noise log of the wellbore at wellbore flowing fluid conditions; and

a second spectral noise log of the wellbore at wellbore shut-in conditions.

13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:

generating, with the one or more hardware processors, a composite log that includes a fracture density index, the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways, the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore; and

comparing, with the one or more hardware processors, the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with portions of the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log associated with the one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation.

14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein comparing the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with portions of the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log associated with the one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation comprises:

matching, with the one or more hardware processors, wellbore depths of the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with wellbore depths on at least one of the HPT log or the spectral noise log that are associated with fluid flow through the one or more hydraulic fractures of the wellbore.

15 . The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways are marked as tadpoles on the composite log.

16 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprises calibrating, with the one or more hardware processors, the plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones.

17 . A computing system, comprising:

one or more memory modules that store instructions; and

one or more hardware processors communicably coupled to the one or more memory modules and configured to execute the instructions to perform operations, comprising:

generating a 3D natural fracture model that includes a 3D discrete fracture network and a brittleness model for a subterranean formation into which a wellbore is formed;

converting the 3D discrete fracture network into a 2D model to determine a continuous fracture density property;

predicting a plurality of fluid-flow pathways using the fracture density property modeled for each brittleness;

generating one or more logs of one or more logged properties of the wellbore from a completed hydraulic fracturing and logging operation of the wellbore;

identifying one or more fracture flow zones based on the one or more logged properties;

validating the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones; and

in response to validating, determining one or more perforation clusters associated with the identified one or more fracture flow zones for production of hydrocarbon fluid from the subterranean formation therethrough.

18 . The computing system of claim 17 , wherein the subterranean formation comprises a plurality of natural fractures, and the 3D discrete fracture network comprises the plurality of natural fractures.

19 . The computing system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more logs comprise:

at least one high precision temperature (HPT) log of the wellbore such that a first logged property is wellbore fluid temperature; and

at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore such that a second logged property is wellbore fluid spectral noise.

20 . The computing system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore comprises:

a first spectral noise log of the wellbore at wellbore flowing fluid conditions; and

a second spectral noise log of the wellbore at wellbore shut-in conditions.

21 . The computing system of claim 19 , wherein the operations further comprise calibrating the validated plurality of fluid-flow pathways based on the identified one or more fracture flow zones.

22 . The computing system of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a composite log that includes a fracture density index, the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways, the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log of the wellbore; and

comparing the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with portions of the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log associated with the one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation.

23 . The computing system of claim 22 , wherein the operation of comparing the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with portions of the at least one HPT log, and the at least one spectral noise log associated with the one or more hydraulic fractures in the subterranean formation comprises:

matching wellbore depths of the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways with wellbore depths on at least one of the HPT log or the spectral noise log that are associated with fluid flow through the one or more hydraulic fractures of the wellbore.

24 . The computing system of claim 22 , wherein the predicted plurality of fluid-flow pathways are marked as tadpoles on the composite log.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 30, 2022
From: ARSHAD, WAHEED SYED; MEZA CAMARGO, OTTO E.
To: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Reel/Frame 060936/0625 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240069238A1 · Feb 29, 2024
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