4D Planning and execution strategies for Australian reservoir monitoring projects

Time-lapse (4D) reservoir monitoring is in its infancy in Australia, but is on the verge of becoming a mainstream pursuit. We describe the 4D seismic acquisition and processing strategies that have been developed and proven elsewhere in the world, and customise those strategies for Australasian applications. We demonstrate how a multidisciplinary pursuit of real-time acquisition and processing Quality Control (QC) is an integral component of any 4D project. The acquisition and processing geophysicists must be able to understand all the factors contributing to the 4D seismic signal as they happen. Such an understanding can only arise through rigorous project QC and management using interactive visualisation technology. In turn, the production geologists and reservoir engineers will then receive 4D seismic products that can be robustly and confidently used for the construction of accurate reservoir models and the pursuit of reliable reservoir simulations and forecasts.