7
Linking to Physical Measurements
Reservoir data are intricate and varied, represent-
ing significant investment. The equally sophisticated
technologies that acquire and use such data are
developed within Schlumberger by 15 individual
product lines organized in three distinct groups—
Reservoir Characterization, Drilling, and Production.
These product groups provide the glue between the oil-
field technical disciplines, and their combined breadth
provides unique industry differentiation by covering
almost every aspect of the exploration, drilling, and
production cycle.
The Reservoir Characterization Group combines
seismic, wireline logging, and well testing technologies
for linkage to the digital world with commercially avail-
able software from Schlumberger Information
Solutions. The Group also includes Schlumberger
PetroTechnical Services, the industry’s largest commu-
nity of experts dedicated to efficient and effective data
interpretation and process-based workflows. The major
competitive advantage afforded by Schlumberger’s
industry leadership in this particular domain has been
developed over the past 30 years.
The Schlumberger Reservoir Characterization port-
folio includes many novel measurement technologies
that deliver the high-quality measurements required
for successful data integration. WesternGeco’s unique
IsoMetrix* marine isometric seismic technology, for
example, overcomes the limitations of conventional
marine seismic sampling techniques. Conventional
techniques can acquire high volumes of 3D subsurface
data, but their streamer spacing does not capture the
whole wavefield, which prevents accurately imaging
the subsurface. IsoMetrix technology accurately recon-
structs the crossline seismic wavefield to enable reli-
able, continuous measurement of the full upgoing and
downgoing wavefield. The resulting step change in
image quality and repeatability offers new opportuni-
ties to mitigate E&P risk for complex reservoirs and
reduce overall finding and development costs. Market
acceptance has been rapid, and IsoMetrix technology
has already been deployed on four continents, with
operations in the North Sea, Barents Sea, and offshore
South Africa, Canada, and Australia.
Wireline logging is a characterization technology
that harkens back to the company’s founding in 1926.
A current cornerstone is a family of rock and fluid char-
acterization services, including Rt Scanner* triaxial
Unraveling the complexity of the reservoir to optimize production
and increase recovery requires the integration of measurements
across several dimensions. The first dimension uses different probing
physics such as electromagnetics, acoustics, nuclear, nuclear
magnetic resonance, and production data that maximize overall
sensitivity to all pertinent static and dynamic reservoir fluid and
rock properties. The second integrates data at multiple scales,
from measurements on cores or from well logs to reservoir-scale
measurements from seismic surveys or production tests. The third
dimension integrates measurements across different methods of
conveyance such as wireline, logging while drilling, coiled tubing,
and slickline with surface-based laboratory measurements conducted
at various times during the life cycle of a reservoir. The ultimate
objective is to enhance the predictive capacity of the reservoir model,
hence reducing uncertainty, which enables taking the right decisions
to manage the field correctly.
Integration of Multiple Measurements
SDR Research Scientist Marcus Donaldson prepares to image a
saturated reservoir rock sample in a high-field magnetic resonance
apparatus. Magnetic resonance images provide information on
rock porosity and permeability.
The Schlumberger-Doll Research Center (SDR) in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, USA, is engaged in developing the scientific
fundamentals behind the multiple facets of reservoir measurement
integration. The center is one of six Schlumberger research centers
located close to academia or to major hubs of scientific and
technological innovation and is in proximity to other
institutions working at the forefront of relevant disciplines.
Five major scientific groups in SDR reflect the company’s
historical strength in subsurface measurements.
