Thursday, May 7, 2009

Building better maps and models with Geodes

The oil industry is drilling in many areas of complex structure and/or fair-to-poor seismic in which structural interpretation of seismic and well data is often difficult. Structure maps, sections, and 3D models in these areas are often poorly constrained, increasing the risk of costly errors (dry holes, missed opportunities, etc.).

Geodes® users have markedly improved their 3D models despite poor seismic resolution. They have taken advantage of many of the benefits of Geodes, especially Geodes’ ability to predict structure away from the borehole (!) by analyzing how dip and azimuth change along the borehole.

For each horizon, Geodes calculates a structure map extending a few hundred meters from the borehole. Geodes exports these "patch" maps as XYZ grids that can be imported into 3D modeling packages, thereby populating the model with high-resolution, accurate structural control in the vicinity of each borehole. Thus, in addition to forcing models to honor the tops and dips at the borehole, this work flow forces models to honor the structural shape, derived from the in-hole dip data, away from the borehole. 3D modeling packages can then "stitch" the patches together in a way that honors the seismic between the patches. The end result is better maps, sections, and 3D models, reducing the risk of costly errors.

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