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ROSE – ROck Physics and SEismic Research at the
Geology
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
a report by
Martin Landrø, Rune M Holt and Bjørn Ursin
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The ROck SEismic (ROSE) consortium at the Norwegian University of given by David Lumley and Martin Landrø. These courses are popular
Science and Technology (NTNU) was launched in 2004 with basic with both students and industry. The topic for next year will be seismic
funding from the Norwegian Research Council. Six industrial imaging. In this article, we will give a few examples of recent research
partners (BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, StatoilHydro, Shell and that was presented at the ROSE consortium in April 2009.
Total) joined the consortium during the first few years, and this
industrial influence has been and still is a crucial part of the The Effect of a Rigid Layer Below a
consortium. Today, the consortium has 20 sponsors in addition to Compacting Reservoir
the Norwegian Research Council. PhD student Pamela Tempone has extended the analytical
geomechanical model derived by Geertsma to include a rigid
One major focal point is rock physics and rock mechanics, with an basement below a compacting reservoir layer (shown in blue in Figure
emphasis on implications for seismic applications. The second focal 1). She found that the vertical displacements and the 4D vertical time-
area is geophysical reservoir characterisation including amplitude shifts increase when the rigid basement is included in the
versus offset (AVO) studies and time-lapse seismics. Seismic imaging geomechanical modelling, as shown in Figure 1. Based on these
and inversion is the third discipline to which we pay special attention. observations, it should be expected that a soft overburden layer will
Currently, 10 PhD students, one post-doctorate candidate and have similar effects on the overburden time-shifts, but this has not
five professors are engaged in the consortium. In addition, several been studied so far. Ms Tempone’s future plans include a case study
adjunct professors contribute with supervision and research activities. for the Kristin Field offshore Norway, which is a deep, high-pressure
Each year 80 researchers and students attend two-day consortium field where compaction of the sandstone reservoir is expected.
meetings, which serve as an excellent opportunity for our PhD
students and regular students to meet with the industry and receive Clay and Shale Physics
feedback. We have also established a tradition of inviting professors Clays and shales are the predominant overburden sediments and
and researchers from foreign universities and research institutions to sedimentary rocks. It is important to recognise and be able to
contribute keynote talks to our meetings. The two-day consortium characterise such formations from seismic data in order to drill safe
meeting is followed by a two-day short course covering selected topics and stable wells, detect seal capacity and, possibly, identify source
relevant to the consortium. In 2008, Tapan Mukerji and Per Avseth rocks. 4D seismic data have shown that stress changes in the
presented a course on rock physics, and in 2009 a 4D course was overburden (and underburden, as discussed above) lead to
observable time-shifts that help to identify depleting reservoir zones.
Within the ROSE programme, we focus on experimental and
Martin Landrø is a Professor of Geophysics at the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
theoretical analysis of stress sensitivity of clays and shales, in
(NTNU) in Trondheim in Norway and is leader of the
particular, the role of bound versus free water in nanometer-scale
institution’s ROck SEismic (ROSE) consortium. Professor
inter- and intra-granular pore space.
Landrø’s main research interests are reservoir geophysics
and geophysical reservoir monitoring methods, including
geophysical monitoring of CO
2
storage.
Experiments within the ROSE programme are performed in
E:
martin.landro@ntnu.no collaboration with the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research
(SINTEF) petroleum research, and include measurements of
Rune M Holt is a Professor of Petroleum Technology and
multidirectional P- and S-wave velocities along different stress paths
Applied Geophysics at the Norwegian University of
Science and Technology (NTNU), and also holds a part-
corresponding to different depletion/inflation scenarios in reservoir/
time position with the Foundation for Scientific and surrounding formations. As an example, Figure 2 shows how axial
Industrial Research (SINTEF) Petroleum Research. His
P-wave velocity is reduced in a sample of compacted clay when axial
main research interests are rock physics and rock
mechanics for petroleum applications.
stress is reduced along a stress path that mimics the stress alteration in
the overburden above a depleting reservoir. This kind of experiment
permits quantification of the expected 4D seismic time-shift. As part of
Bjørn Ursin is StatoilHydro Research Professor at the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
the same experiment, measured strain in hydrostatic constant net stress
His main fields of interest are modelling, migration and conditions permits an estimate of the bulk modulus of the solid grain
inversion of seismic and electromagnetic data in
material, or rather the immobile constituents of the sample. The
anisotropic media. Professor Ursin received the
Norwegian Geophysical Award in 1985, the Conrad
estimated solid bulk modulus for this particular case is 6GPa, which is
Schlumberger Award in 1993, the Statoil Researcher Prize
much lower than the value expected for a normal solid. A plausible
in 2003 and the Desiderius Erasmus Award in 2008.
explanation is that water adsorbed or bound to the clay particle
surfaces contributes to reducing the stiffness of the pure solid. As a
© TOUCH BRIEFINGS 2009
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