US 12,222,464 B2
Concurrent oil saturation and porosity imaging using completion-based on-demand electrodes
Hsieh Chen, Cambridge, MA (US); and Martin E. Poitzsch, Cambridge, MA (US)
Assigned to SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by ARAMCO SERVICES COMPANY, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on May 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/325,731.
Prior Publication US 2024/0402380 A1, Dec. 5, 2024
Int. Cl. E21B 43/26 (2006.01); E21B 47/12 (2012.01); G01V 3/20 (2006.01); G01V 3/38 (2006.01)
CPC G01V 3/38 (2013.01) [E21B 43/26 (2013.01); E21B 47/12 (2013.01); G01V 3/20 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining at least one electrical characteristic in a subsurface region, the method comprising:
during completion of a first hydrocarbon well, installing at least one first electrically insulating spacer between a plurality of well liners in the first hydrocarbon well to form at least one on-demand electromagnetic source electrode;
during completion of a second hydrocarbon well, installing at least one second electrically insulating spacer between the plurality of well liners in the second hydrocarbon well to form at least one on-demand electromagnetic receiver electrode;
performing an electrical survey using the at least one on-demand electromagnetic source electrode and the at least one on-demand electromagnetic receiver electrode to determine at least one measured apparent electrical characteristic;
determining, using a computer processor, a map of the at least one electrical characteristic in the subsurface region surrounding the at least one on-demand electromagnetic source electrode and the at least one on-demand electromagnetic receiver electrode based, at least in part, on the electrical survey,
wherein determining the map of the at least one electrical characteristic comprises:
obtaining a candidate map of the at least one electrical characteristic,
simulating at least one apparent electrical characteristic using the candidate map,
forming an objective function based, at least in part, on the at least one simulated apparent electrical characteristic and the at least one measured apparent electrical characteristic, and
determining the map of the at least one electrical characteristic by updating the candidate map based on finding an extremum of the objective function;
determining, using a computer processor, a map of at least one formation property based, at least on part, on the map of the at least one electrical characteristic in the subsurface region; and
updating, using a computer processor, a hydrocarbon reservoir production plan based, at least in part, on the map of the at least one formation property.