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Unconventional Reservoirs Case Study: Niobrara Shale

Characterize Fractures to Optimize Well Placement

Rugged terrain, environmental sensitivities, and structurally complex geology are characteristic of the Niobrara shale extension of northwestern Colorado. This area exemplifies the unique operational and imaging challenges often found in unconventional reservoirs. An E&P operator re-developing in the area wanted to determine optimal well placement and avoid the additional cost and cycle time of hydraulic fracturing. Their objective was to image the reservoir with higher resolution to better characterize lithology and fracturing. No modern seismic data existed and contractors were reluctant to bid on the survey because of the complex topography, mix of environmentally sensitive public and private land, and narrow window imposed by wildlife and hunting restrictions.

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Full-scope Full-wave Seismic Program

Executing under our GeoVentures project management strategy, we coordinated a full-scope of tasks ranging from survey design and planning to overseeing field acquisition, as well as data processing and analysis from our GX Technology group. We proposed the acquisition of a densely sampled, multicomponent seismic survey using INOVA's FireFly cableless recording system, Connex command and control, and VectorSeis digital sensors. GXT processed the data using advanced techniques including offset vector tiling (OVT), a proprietary pre-migration workflow that preserved travel time and amplitude details, and our azimuthal velocity analysis, AZIM.

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Improved Well Productivity

The survey was acquired over 45 days, yielding 9.2 million traces of high-quality seismic data from approximately 10,500 unique receiver points. FireFly's minimal system footprint and survey methods enabled low-touch access to the environmentally sensitive lands, while the advanced command and control software ensured safe and efficient acquisition operations.  The combination of OVT with AZIM processing techniques provided a much clearer image of the reservoir structure and fracture orientation than that of more traditional methods of pre-stack migration and fracture analysis.  Based on the data, the E&P operator drilled and completed a series of three horizontal wells allowing the operator to improve upon comparable area well productivity by 5-10x.

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