Acoustic, elastic and physical properties of overconsolidated sands and reservoir fluids: Experimental measurements, modelling, and implications for reservoir characterization, time-lapse seismic monitoring, and geomechanics

Abstract

Hydrocarbons in easily accessible areas have been explored on the Norwegian continental shelf, with much of it having been tapped out to supply the world’s energy demand. The growing consumption and demand have driven exploration to continue in more challenging areas towards the northern hemisphere. These areas have been known to be affected in its geological history by deglaciation (Isostatic rebound). The methods commonly applied for exploring and developing hydrocarbons in more common areas without such the effect, may not be sufficiently used to apply in the uplifted areas. As rocks have memories, rock properties of the uplifted sediments continue to show an imprint of its stress history in the present day. This study realized a potential to fill in the knowledge gaps with laboratory experiments, required for better understanding stress release affecting rock acoustic and petrophysical properties. The research outcomes are important for basin, seismic and rock physics modelling studies, with extended applications for time-lapse seismic and geomechanics.