R E S E R V O I R M A N A G E M E N T

SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY
IN RESERVOIR SIMULATION
The Meren oil field, offshore Nigeria,
is approximately 110 miles south-
east of Lagos. To improve waterflood
conformance and recovery, an inte-
grated study of the E-01/MR-05
reservoir was proposed. Simulation
complexity is the result of uncertain-
ty in the magnitude of cross-commu-
nication between individual sand-
stone units of the reservoir. Also, the
original oil in place is uncertain
because the original oil/water con-
tact was not penetrated.
A new method was used to assem-
ble stratigraphic grids and honor the
normally qualitative interpretation
of the sequence stratigraphy in a
quantitative sense. The flooding sur-
faces were mapped at distinct single-
layer boundaries within the earth
and scaled-up simulation models.
INTRODUCTION
The E-01/MR-05 reservoir started produc-
ing in 1968, was shut in in 1985 because of
declining pressure and production, and
returned to production in 1989. In 1991, a
waterflood was initiated. Although the
waterflood was successful overall, limited
response was observed in some reservoir
units. The structure is a faulted anticline,
downthrown to a major northwest-/south-
east-trending structure-building fault. The
Meren field is divided into 3 blocks, shown
in Fig. 1, and contains several producing
horizons. The E-01/MR-05 reservoir in
Block 1, the light blue area in Fig. 1, is the
focus of this study. Block 1 also contains
two major internal faults.
Fig. 1—Meren field top structure.
DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT
FROM CORE AND WELL LOGS
Gamma ray curves through the E-01/MR-
05 reservoir intervals indicate a series of
upward-coarsening shoreface successions
(progradational parasequence set) capped
by an overall upward-fining shoreface suc-
cession (retrogradational parasequence
set). Only one core, shown in Fig. 2, was
available through the reservoir intervals.
Unfortunately, the retrogradational parase-
quence set was not cored completely.
MAPPING OF PARA SEQUENCES
After correlating all well logs in the field
and correcting the misties revealed by loop
tying, three maps were made of each
parasequence in the progradational-to-ret-
rogradational succession. Given that a
parasequence represents a package of con-
formable strata separated by flooding sur-
faces, the following maps were made.
1. Isopach map of the parasequence
(flooding surface to flooding surface);
2. Sand-quality map at the limit of
progradation of the parasequence;
3. “Seal-” or “baffle-” quality map at the
limit of flooding.
INCORPORATING SEQUENCE
STRATIGRAPHY
Reservoir-characterization efforts have
focused on building geological models con-
ditioned to various data sources. A simula-
tion model can be constrained by a certain
data source with history matching, either
manual or assisted by an automatic process,
and geostatistics. Generally, history match-
ing is favored when matching dynamic data.
Unfortunately, some history-matching algo-
rithms result in gross pseudoization of reser-
voir properties. Geostatistics constrain the
model more directly. Models honor point-
located (well) data and the underlying corre-
lation structure binding the point-data.

This article is a synopsis of paper SPE

51892, “Incorporating Sequence
Stratigraphy in Reservoir Simulation: an
Integrated Study of the Meren E-01/MR-
05 Sands in the Niger Delta,” by Gerald
Cook, SPE, Adwait Chawathé, SPE,
David Larue, and Henry Legarre,
Chevron Petroleum Technology Co., and
Ebenezer Ajayi, SPE, Chevron Nigeria
Ltd., originally presented at the 1999
SPE Reservoir Simulation Symposium, Fig. 2—Core analysis for sequence stratigraphy showing evidence of an erosional surface.
Houston, 14–17 February.

60 DECEMBER 1999 •
 R E S E R V O I R
Creating Stratigraphic Grids. A 3D-seis-
mic survey was available in the Meren area,
and structure tops were available over the
Meren E-01 sand and a comparable surface
in the Malu area. These structures, seismic
data, and top-flooding-surface picks at the
wells were used to pick the structure top.
With this structure top, isopach maps of
the parasequence (flooding surface to
flooding surface), and markers at the wells,
ten triangulated surfaces were created to
align with the distinct flooding surfaces and
sequence boundary as shown in Fig. 3.
With each of these surfaces as guide layers,
stratigraphic grids were created that con-
formed to the pair of surfaces representing
a specific parasequence.
Gamma ray, bulk-density, neutron-poros-
ity, and some modern well logs were avail-
able on most of the wells, along with inter-
preted logs of shale volume and effective
porosity. One advantage to constructing the
geological model on the basis of parase-
quences is that each stratigraphic grid can
be modeled by individual data-specific var-
iograms that are derived from data extract-
ed within the interval that specifically rep-
resents that parasequence.
After populating the grids with the effec-
tive porosity, the grids were populated with
the shale volume obtained from the gamma
ray logs, an indicator of permeability. The
shale-volume values were available across
the field because the gamma ray log was
present for each well.
The process of populating the strati-
graphic grids was repeated for every parase-
quence identified between the flooding sur-
faces. Care was taken to ensure that the top
of each stratigraphic grid matched the bot-
tom of the overlying stratigraphic grid
exactly and that the grids honored the
flooding-surface boundaries for all wells.
The nine stratigraphic grids created
between the ten flooding surfaces were
stacked and fused to form a composite grid
for all lobes of the E-01/MR-05 reservoir.
Vertical Permeability. Vertical permeabili-
ty at the flooding surfaces was key in deter-
mining the degree of interlayer communi-
cation. In general, vertical permeability was
estimated at 10% of the horizontal perme-
ability in the geostatistical model.
At the flooding-surface boundaries, hori-
zontal permeability is low because of high
shale content. However, vertical permeabili-
ty will be significantly lower than horizontal
permeability. The baffle-quality maps give an
assessment of the vertical permeability at the
flooding surfaces, but other data, including
dynamic production data, can contribute to
• DECEMBER 1999
M A N A G E M E N T
Fig. 3—Meren flooding surface picked
from well-log data.
this assessment. Preserving the cross-com-
munication accurately between the sands at
specific well locations demanded that local
barriers/baffles seen on the well logs and
inferred from production logs, differential
water-front movement, and other produc-
tion performance be honored explicitly.
The need for an accurate assessment of
vertical permeability underscores a distinct,
practical advantage to conforming the
stratigraphic grids to the flooding surfaces
exactly. In the simulator, each flooding sur-
face is aligned exactly with the same simu-
lator layer throughout the model. Vertical-
permeability (transmissibility) reductions
at flooding surfaces can be applied easily.
SC ALING UP THE MODEL
To simulate a 14.5 million-cell composite
earth model for the E-01/MR-05 sands
would require weeks of serial-computation
time for a 30-year history. Therefore, the
model must be scaled up by at least one
order of magnitude. This process requires
mapping the fine geological model on a
coarser, more-manageable level without sac-
rificing the geological integrity of the model
or the anticipated reservoir performance.
Scale-Up Process. The primary focus was
to simulate Meren Block 1. The Malu gas
field acts like pressure bellows, cushioning
pressure changes and the aquifer is an ener-
gy source. Therefore, a coarse gridding
scheme was used in the northwest part of
the field. This process ensured that the var-
iogram-derived reservoir continuity in the
aquifer and Malu regions were not obliter-
ated by the lateral upscaling.
Once the Block 1 upscaling was complet-
ed, the upscaling template was preserved
and applied to the Malu and aquifer
regions. This method ensured that the
whole model was upscaled consistently.
The model was upscaled from 100 layers to
21 layers vertically, while attempting to pre-
serve the salient vertical heterogeneity. The
final upscaled model comprised approxi-
mately 250,000 cells.
HISTORY MATCHING
Several pieces of information were available
to determine the cross communication,
including static information, such as seal-
or baffle-quality maps developed by the
stratigrapher and the detailed barriers/baf-
fles seen on well logs at specific well loca-
tions. Dynamic information was inferred
from production logs, differential water-
front movement, and other production per-
formance. Because the flooding surfaces
were maintained through scaleup and into
the simulation grid, each flooding surface is
aligned exactly with the same simulator
layer throughout the model. Vertical-per-
meability reductions at the flooding sur-
faces can be applied easily and accurately.
In practice, multipliers of 0.0001 were
applied at major boundaries. Multipliers
ranging from 0.1 to 0.0001 were used for
the flooding surfaces within these intervals.
The areal permeability, determined from
the shale-volume distribution, required
global adjustments. Generally, the areal
adjustments were tuned by matching pres-
sures and water-arrival times at the wells.
Advanced seismic analysis indicated the
presence of a meandering channel delta in
the central part of Block 1, which, in turn,
indicates an area of reduced permeability.
This feature appears to enhance gas and
water migration downdip toward the
southeastern part of the reservoir and was
modeled by reducing the original perme-
ability distribution in the area.
CONCLUSIONS
The key to understanding the reservoir per-
formance of the Meren E-01/MR-05 sands
and obtaining a history-matched model, is
the degree of cross communication
between the various sand lobes. Because
the flooding-surface boundaries were main-
tained in the simulator at distinct layer
boundaries, the communication between
layers could be tuned to honor production
and other reservoir-performance data.
Then, an excellent history match was
obtained with relatively minor local
changes to the model. A high degree of
confidence exists in the performance pre-
dictions because the final model maintains
and honors the stratigraphic framework
and geological features, and it matches the
historical performance.
Please read the full-length paper for
additional detail, illustrations, and ref-
erences. The paper from which the
synopsis has been taken has not been
peer reviewed.
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