SPE 112853

Seismically Driven Characterization, Simulation, and Underbalanced Drilling of

Multiple Horizontal Boreholes in a Tight Fractured Quartzite Reservoir:
Application to Sabria Field, Tunisia
A. Ouenes, G. Robinson, D. Balogh, A. Zellou, Prism Seismic, D. Umbsaar, H. Jarraya, Winstar, T. Boufares, L.
Ayadi, R. Kacem, ETAP

Copyright 2008, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2008 SPE North Africa Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Marrakech, Morocco, 12–14 March 2008.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
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Abstract
This paper describes the application of the Continuous Fracture Modeling (CFM) workflow to the Sabria field in Tunisia.
This workflow consists of four steps. The first step in the workflow is to interpret key seismic horizons and use them in high
resolution inversion and spectral imaging to create impedance and frequency-dependent seismic attributes. The second step
consists of building seismically constrained geologic models of lithology and other petrophysical properties. The third step
consists of using the derived geologic models along with all the post-stack seismic attributes and additional geomechanical
models to derive high resolution 3D fracture models. The fourth step is to use the derived fracture models in a reservoir
simulator to verify the validity of the models by their ability to match past individual well performances and to design
optimal well trajectories that intercept a large number of fractures and produce economical oil rates. This workflow was
applied to the Sabria field in Tunisia and was followed by actual drilling. The seismic attributes and the appropriate geologic
and geomechanical models were used as input in REFRACT, a fracture modeling software, to create accurate 3D fracture
models. The resulting fracture porosity and permeability were input in a reservoir simulator. All the past individual well
performances were matched, confirming the reliability and accuracy of the derived fracture models. The resulting simulation
and fracture models were used to plan multiple horizontal boreholes, drilled underbalanced from a single platform. The
resulting oil production from the boreholes and the recorded logs confirm the validity of both the fracture and simulation
models.
Introduction
The increasing demand for gas and oil provides the incentive for E&P companies to seriously consider the significant
reserves locked in tight reservoirs. Most of these reservoirs depend heavily on the presence of natural fractures that help bring
the hydrocarbons to the wellbore; hence, the acute need to find the means to derive accurate 3D models of fracture density
and orientation. The mainstream of the E&P industry is still searching for a fracture modeling approach that systematically
delivers answers. The most commonly used fracture modeling approaches have generally been ineffective, as they contain
unrealistic assumptions. An illustration of this problem is the assumption that seismic data used for 3D fracture modeling
must be designed for wide azimuth seismic acquisition, and seismic information on fractures can only be produced from
azimuthal anisotropy studies. The Sabria project described in this paper illustrates that the available post-stack 3D seismic
can be successfully used in the Continuous Fracture Modeling (CFM) workflow. The outcome of this workflow was an
accurate 3D description of the fractures with a vertical resolution of 3-5 meters and dynamic models that predicted accurately
the reservoir performance. Before describing the technologies used to characterize the fractures in the Sabria field, a brief
description of the mainstream methods using seismic data in fracture modeling are given below.

Myths and Realities in Seismically Driven Fracture Modeling

For more than two decades, geophysicists have worked to develop technologies1-5 that use surface seismic data to directly P P

image fractures using azimuthal amplitude and velocity anomalies. The major shortcomings of such approaches have been
described in a previous paper6, but it is only recently that authors started documenting the failures7 of these approaches with
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detailed case studies. A recent study8 shows the trace extracted from interval velocity anisotropy volume overlain with
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various fracture density curves at seven wells. Although it is obvious that there is no correlation between the major fracture
2 SPE 112853

density peaks present in very thin and erratic highly fractured zones and the extracted smooth velocity anisotropy, the
authors8 claim to observe “broad correlation to core and image log data”. Furthermore, such studies do not show the
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predicted fracture density curves at newly drilled wells, presumably because velocity anisotropy seismic attributes lack the
vertical resolution required to find the thin fractured zones responsible for most of the fluid flow. Without the ability to have
a vertical resolution of 1-3 meters and a good correlation to highly fractured zones, the results of azimuthal anisotropy studies
will not be able to accurately image the reservoir fractures at the scale necessary for reservoir engineering.

Alternatively, using a standard 3D seismic survey and the CFM approach (which translates into major savings in terms of
acquiring a wide azimuth survey and special azimuthal anisotropy processing costs) many authors9-11 were able to accurately
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predict the fracture density for newly drilled wells with a vertical resolution of 1-3 meters. Such results may be sufficient
for a geophysicist or a geologist searching for a “sweet spot”; however, a reservoir engineer struggling to numerically
simulate a fractured reservoir needs more than just the location of “sweet spots.” As the CFM approach uses a geocellular
grid, various authors11-13 used these seismically driven fracture models to create dynamic models that were able to match the
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individual well performances in very complex fractured fields. The CFM approach was selected out of all the other fracture
modeling approaches to characterize the tight fractured quartzite reservoir in the Sabria field, as it uses post-stack 3D seismic
data, and produces reliable high resolution fracture models tested with the drill bit, as well as dynamic models that match
most of the individual well performances. A brief description of the key elements of the CFM approach is given in the next
section.

Continuous Fracture Modeling (CFM)

The CFM approach14-16 does not focus on the fractures themselves but rather on the factors that determine where fracturing
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occurs. It is common knowledge that structure, lithology, bed thickness, porosity, faults, and other geologic factors control
the intensity of fracturing within the reservoir. Furthermore, one can derive a very good estimation of these factors, or
drivers, using seismic data. For example, the structure and the faults can be accurately derived from seismic interpretation.
Bed thickness variations can be derived from isochrons or from the tuning frequency spectral attribute. Lithology, porosity,
and other rock properties can be derived from high resolution seismic attributes obtained in pre-stack and post-stack
inversions. These seismic attributes can be generated at a vertical sampling of 1-3 meters, which is close to the thickness of
intervals that control flow in fractured reservoirs. This enables the correlation of the fracture data available at the wells with
the high resolution drivers available in the 3D reservoir volume. Once this correlation is found, it can be applied to any
gridblock, as the input for this relationship are the fracture drivers. This process is accomplished using a neural network that
allows the true integration of seismic, geologic and geomechanical information. Given the complexity of fractured reservoirs,
the use of any a priori model will most likely lead to failures. The main reasons behind the successful use of the CFM
approach in characterizing fractured reservoirs are given below.

High Resolution Seismic Attributes

A major contributing factor to a successful fracture modeling effort is the use of high resolution seismic attributes. The early
adopters of technologies providing high resolution seismic attributes do not rely on the commonly used geophysical software
that does not provide the high resolution needed for reservoir modeling. Since fluid flow in fractured reservoirs is dominated
by thin highly fractured layers, the lack of high resolution seismic attributes makes the fracture modeling effort a useless
exercise. The high resolution seismic attributes usually considered are those derived from pre and post stack inversion and
spectral imaging. These attributes can be related to rock and fluid properties which are both related to fractures. When only
post-stack seismic is available, high resolution inversion and spectral imaging are used to generate the requisite attributes.
The post-stack seismic inversion produces acoustic impedance (the product of velocity and density), and spectral imaging
produces various frequency-dependent seismic attributes. In the Sabria project, the use of these seismic attributes will play a
key role in characterizing the fractures.

A Continuous Rather Than Discrete Description of the Fractures

In fractured reservoirs, fractures are found at many scales, varying from micro fractures to joints. All the fracture scales, from
micro to macro, contribute to the overall fluid flow. Measurement tools are only able to provide limited information in a
narrow scale range; for example, image logs do not provide information on the microfractures. Recent studies17 show that
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processes occurring at the microscopic scale, such as cement precipitation, can play a major role in controlling the opening or
closing of fractures, which in turn has an impact on the reservoir performance. Given the interaction between all the fracture
scales and their combined overall effect on the fluid flow, the question is at which scale one represents the fractures when
building a fracture model? The answer can be found in the 19th century with the Darcy equation. As the complexity of the
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fluid flow cannot be described at the pore level, Darcy proposed an average measure that represents the overall effects
measured in a Representative Equivalent Volume. The same idea is used in the CFM approach, where the value of a fracture
indicator is determined for a representative volume, usually represented by a gridblock of a geocellular grid. The size of the
representative volume or the gridblock will depend on the available fracture data. This approach provides an opportunity to
use any type of fracture indicator – not just image logs. This continuous description of the factures in a representative volume
SPE 112853 3

differs from the discrete approach, which assumes that the flow of oil and gas in a fractured reservoir is dominated by a
limited number of discrete fractures. The literature on discrete fractures networks does not specify at which scale the discrete
fractures are currently modeled, but the use of image logs suggests that these are the very limited fractures seen at the image
log scale. Thus all other important fractures, such as the microfractures, are not accounted for.

Well Test Calibration

Most geophysicists and geologists are mostly concerned with qualitative description of the reservoir fractures. Reservoir
engineers must build a dynamic model that can reproduce individual well performances without the need for a lengthy history
matching process. A reliable dynamic model can be used to make forecasts and develop a recovery strategy that optimizes the
total recovery. The necessity for such models is a major issue, as many fractured reservoirs in the world require some fluid
injection scheme to enhance the production, or are declining because of early water arrival. Such recovery mechanisms and
the consequent rapid breakthrough of gas or water create havoc when not properly accounted for. To avoid or plan for early
breakthrough problems, the dynamic models must be able to correctly reproduce the dynamic behavior and the plumbing of
the reservoir. As the available fracture data from cores and logs may not capture the large-scale effect of the representative
volume, a well test calibration is necessary to transform the arbitrary fracture indicator into an overall permeability of the
representative volume or gridblock. This overall permeability could be specific to the fractures, to account for the fractures at
various scales, or could be the effective permeability of the gridblock. The CFM approach uses a flexible method that
combines the various fracture models derived from any type of fracture indicator and the well test data to derive the fracture
or effective permeability at the gridblock scale. The CFM approach can be used to model any fractured reservoir, including
the Sabria field in Tunisia discussed below.

The Sabria Field in Tunisia

The Sabria field is located in Tunisia (Fig. 1) in the region known as the ‘Sud des Chotts” area. The field produces from the
Ordovician Hamra quartzite. The Sabria concession is owned by Winstar Resources Ltd. (45%) and by the Tunisian National
Oil Company - “ETAP” (55%). The field currently has 7 wells, of which 4 are producers. Prior to drilling the latest producing
well, Sabria 11, the field was producing approximately 550 BOEPD, with most of the production coming from Sabria NW1.
Fig. 2 shows the performance of Sabria NW1 from 1999 to 2007.

According to Winstar public records, the P50 for the OOIP is estimated at 346 MMBO. The cumulative field production
from 1999 to 2007 is 2.9 MMBOE, which is less than 1% of the reserves. These numbers indicate that most of Sabria
reserves remain untapped. As the development of the fractured Hamra quartzite is complicated, a detailed study was
commissioned by the partners to develop models that could be used to predict the optimal drilling locations, ass well as build
a dynamic model that could be used to predict future well performances. The following sections describe in detail the major
steps of the integrated study.

Study Workflow
The Sabria study began in 2004 and was divided into two parts. The first part dealt with the seismically-driven fracture
modeling, and the second part dealt with the reservoir simulation. The fracture modeling work started with the refinement of
a hard to interpret horizon: the Hercynian unconformity. The interpretation of this horizon was refined by using an
impedance cube derived from an initial inversion. The final high resolution inversion was performed with the re-interpreted
Hercynian unconformity. Spectral imaging cubes were generated, with the tuning frequency attribute considered the most
relevant for use in further modeling. A structural framework was built in Petrel in time and depth, and the two key seismic
attributes, impedance and tuning frequency, were resampled to the geocellular grid. Geological models for the porosity,
permeability, water saturation, and shale content provided by the logs were generated in Petrel using sequential Gaussian
simulation, constrained by the impedance.

The four geologic attributes resulting from the geologic modeling in Petrel were used, along with the seismic attributes
(impedance and tuning frequency) and the structural information, as input in REFRACT. The fracture information was
provided by core interpretation from three wells. The ranking of the different drivers indicates the important role played by
the impedance, faults, and the tuning frequency. Various fracture models were generated in REFRACT and an average
model was constructed for the dynamic model.

Three well tests were used to convert the fracture density derived from core interpretations into a fracture permeability that
was used as input into Eclipse. A single porosity system was used to simulate the Sabria field. The past performances of the
existing wells were matched, and the resulting dynamic model was used to plan and test various new drilling locations. The
derived models were used by the partners to better understand the fracture system in Sabria and to plan their new drilling
locations. Sabria 11 was the first well drilled in 2007 and had an initial production of 975 BOEPD (Fig. 3). Four new wells
are planned in 2008 and 2009, as well as a re-entry and a recompletion at two existing wells. In addition to using innovative
technologies to derive fracture models from post-stack seismic data, the partners used multilateral underbalanced drilling to
4 SPE 112853

drill Sabria 11. The drilling aspects are discussed in a separate SPE paper18, and this paper will only discuss the modeling
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aspects described in detail in the following sections.

Seismic Tasks
The cornerstone of the Sabria study is the seismic tasks that provide the necessary high resolution seismic attributes required
for the geologic and fracture modeling tasks. The seismic tasks include the well to seismic ties, structural interpretation,
spectral imaging, and high resolution inversion.

Well Seismic Ties

Well-seismic ties were performed using the sonic and density logs available at five (5) wells within the 3D survey. The ties
are considered to be good, particularly within the Volcanics to El Gassi shale interval. Aligning the Volcanics formation top
in the well (converted to time) with the Volcanics seismic horizon facilitated correlation of the synthetic seismograms with
the seismic traces. Based upon the wavelets determined at the 5 wells, a 32Hz, 15 degree phase Ricker wavelet was used for
the inversion.

Structural Interpretation
A first seismic interpretation of the key seismic horizons and faults was performed on the 3D seismic amplitude volume.
Erosional surfaces, such as the Hercynian Unconformity, were difficult to interpret on the amplitude volume. To facilitate the
interpretation, an initial inversion was performed on the 3D seismic volume. The resulting impedance volume was used to
revise the structural interpretation, and was particularly useful in updating the Hercynian Unconformity horizon. This revised
structural interpretation (Fig. 4) was used for the high resolution inversion.

Spectral Imaging
Spectral imaging was applied to the 3D seismic, producing several seismic attribute volumes. Energy and phase cubes were
generated at 10 Hz, 20 Hz, 30 Hz, 40 Hz, and 50 Hz. A tuning frequency cube was also generated. The tuning frequency
attribute records the frequency that produces the maximum energy at each seismic sample; variations in frequency may be
related to thickness and velocity changes.

The 3D seismic was shot in two separate surveys with different sources - vibroseis and dynamite - resulting in noticeable
bandwith differences in the 2 survey areas. To compensate for these bandwidth variations, a 5-10 50-60 Hz bandpass filter
was applied to the seismic data prior to the spectral imaging. The resulting spectral imaging attributes do not appear to be
affected by the survey bandwidth differences apparent on the input seismic data.

The low frequency spectral attributes, notably the 10 Hz energy, were particularly useful for imaging the major faults. NW-
SE trends on the various attributes in the SW corner of the 3D survey may indicate the location of the pinchout of the Hamra
Formation against the Hercynian Unconformity.
The spectral attribute that correlated best with existing production was the tuning frequency. The average of the tuning
frequency in the Hamra-El Gassi interval is shown in Fig. 5.
Based on the existing literature19 describing the volcanism and its effects on the Hamra quartzite, fractures are expected to be
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found near the faults. In the eastern portion of the field, the fracturing appears to be localized by the NW-SE trending faults.
In the western part of the field, the extensive volcanics that overlay the Hamra reservoir seem to play a major role in the
overall performance of this part of the field.

High Resolution Inversion

Seismic inversion was performed on the 3D seismic data. The data were resampled to 0.5 ms, and an initial model for the
inversion was built at a 0.5 ms sample rate using the sonic and density logs in the 5 wells located within the 3D survey as
well as the new seismic horizons ( Hamra, and El Gassi) refined after using a preliminary inversion. Fig. 6 shows the areal
distribution of maximum impedance in the Hamra-El Gassi interval. The apparent difference between the eastern and western
portions of the field is also apparent in this map.

Seismically Constrained Geologic Modeling

The next step in the workflow is to create geologic models by using the derived seismic attributes as constraints. This effort
requires first building a faulted framework, then populating it with the reservoir properties obtained from logs. The five
properties that were used are porosity, permeability, Vshale, gamma ray, and water saturation.
SPE 112853 5

Faulted Framework
The faulted framework was built by using the interpreted faults, and the depth maps adjusted to the well tops. The faulted
framework (Fig. 7) divided the reservoir into two zones: the El Hamra and El Atchane zones. The isochore map for the
Hamra-El Atchane interval was used to build the El Atchane horizon, which separates the two zones. Each zone was
subdivided into layers using a truncated grid. In the Hamra zone, the layers were 4m thick; in the El Atchane zone the layers
were 12m thick. This layering was able to capture the details of both zones and produced a geocellular grid that contains
944096 gridblocks (181 x 163 x 32). The thickest part of the Hamra zone contains 14 layers. The thickest part of the El
Atchane zone contains 18 layers.
Variograms
Once the faulted framework is available, the impedance and tuning frequency seismic attributes are snapped to the depth grid.
The impedance data were used to build a variogram that has a major axis length of 5000 m, a minor axis length of 2000 m,
and an azimuth of 128 degrees. This variogram, along with the seismic attribute and well log data, is used to generate the
porosity, permeability, Vshale, gamma ray, and water saturation models. The well log data are upscaled in the cells before
being used by the geostatistical algorithms.
Geologic Modeling
A major aspect of this study is the use of seismic data to constrain the geologic models. All the geologic models were
constructed in Petrel using Sequential Gaussian Simulation, and most of the key geologic attributes were constrained to the
impedance. For example, the porosity model was constrained to the impedance and a correlation coefficient of 0.6 was used
in both zones. The dramatic difference between a model that is constrained to the seismic (Fig. 8) versus a model that uses
only the log data and the variogram (Fig. 9) is illustrated with the porosity model data.
Similarly the permeability model built from the core data was generated by using the porosity and impedance as a constraint.
A correlation coefficient of 0.5 was used in both zones. The Vshale model was also constrained to the impedance and a
correlation coefficient of 0.7 was used in both zones. Water saturation and gamma ray models were generated to complete
the list of possible geologic drivers for input to the fracture modeling. All the generated geologic models were used as input
in Prism Seismic fracture modeling software, REFRACT.

Integrated Fracture Modeling

Producing economical rates from quartzite reservoirs such as that found in the Sabria field depends entirely on the presence
of natural fractures. A major objective of this study is to create 3D models of fracture density that can be used both for well
planning and for building a dynamic reservoir model.

Fracture Indicator
A major advantage of the CFM approach is the ability to use any type of fracture indicator. In this study, the fracture
indicator used to quantify the fracture at the wells was derived from 150m of core interpretations available at three wells.
From the interpretation of the cores, a fracture frequency was defined as the number of fractures per unit of length. This
fracture indicator was upscaled in the 3D geocellular grid and the upscaled values were used as an indicator of fracturing in
the corresponding cells. This fracture indicator was generated for the entire reservoir by using REFRACT.

Fracture Drivers
Fifteen drivers were used as input in the fracture modeling process: four slopes in four directions, four curvatures in four
directions, two seismic attributes (impedance and tuning frequency), three geologic attributes constrained to impedance
(porosity, permeability and Vshale) and two geologic attributes constrained only by the variograms (water saturation and
gamma ray).

Ranking, training, and modeling

The ranking of the fifteen drivers (Fig. 10) shows the importance of impedance (100%), the slopes in the E-W and NW-SE
directions (the fault orientations), and tuning frequency (91.5%),. As observed in the previous sections, the tuning frequency
contained important fracture information and the impedance provided a direct indicator of the brittleness of the rock. Thus, it
was expected that these attributes would rank highly as fracture drivers.

Using the fifteen drivers and the limited fracture density available at the three wells with core interpretations, several fracture
models were generated. This process is divided into two major components: training and testing. The training consists of
taking 70% of the available fracture information and using these data to train a neural network. Once the neural network is
trained, the remaining 30% of fracture intensity data are used to test the validity of the model. After generating multiple
realizations, an average model (Fig. 11) was computed. A cross section through the wells (Fig. 12) shows the lateral and
vertical variations of the fracture density across the field. Another way to display the fracture density model is to use a
discrete model (Fig. 13) where each cell contains an average fracture density and orientation estimated from the continuous
6 SPE 112853

model. Another useful way of displaying the fracture density models is to use the anisotropy map (Fig. 14) feature available
in REFRACT, where fracture orientations and clusters become evident.

The performance of all existing wells can be explained with the derived fracture models which show the contrast between the
large fracture network in the west versus the localized trends found in the east. The next step in the workflow is to build
dynamic models.

Dynamic Validation in a Reservoir Simulator

The major difficulty facing fracture modeling technologies is how to convert the fracture density into properties that can be
input into reservoir simulator. Because this study used a continuous approach rather than a discrete one, this is not a problem.
Each gridblock contains an average fracture density that can be calibrated against fracture porosity and permeability.

The porosity estimated from core data was used to calibrate the fracture density to the porosity. This is accomplished by
assuming that the highest recorded porosity corresponds to the highest fracture density. For the permeability, we use the
available well test data that were conducted and interpreted at three (3) wells. In this study, a proprietary technology available
in REFRACT that uses multiple fracture models and the available well test data, was used to create an effective permeability
model. This permeability model was used as input in the Eclipse reservoir simulator.

The Sabria reservoir is assumed to be a single porosity system where the fractures provide the permeability and the storage.
Because of the very tight matrix properties, the contribution of the matrix, if it exists, is minimal. Hence, the permeability
measured with well test data is reflecting mainly the permeability of the fractures. This assumption seems to be the most
reasonable at this time.
The PVT data and the flow functions were measured or estimated and added to the model. An aquifer present in the northern
part of the field was accounted for in the dynamic model, which had an initial saturation computed by assuming a water-oil
contact and an equilibrium.
Using the limited production and pressure from three wells, the end points of the flow functions were estimated by history
matching (Fig. 15). Given the lack of producers and the simple primary recovery mechanism present in the field, the history
matching could have been achieved in many ways, and the unknown reservoir engineering parameters add to the existing
uncertainty. If the fracture density and the subsequent fracture permeability and porosity were not kept fixed due to their
estimation from a highly constrained modeling process, altering the permeability to match the existing production will
increase the uncertainty and will likely lead to erroneous forecasts. Although there are unknowns in this reservoir due to the
lack of producers, the derived model could be used qualitatively to estimate the performance of future wells. The forecasted
values have to be taken in a relative sense rather than an absolute sense, and we are particularly interested in comparing
various drilling locations based on the existing dynamic model .

Well Planning
Given the 3D fracture model and the derived dynamic model, various drilling locations were selected. Scenarios of vertical
and horizontal legs placed at optimal locations were tested and ranked with the dynamic model. From these results, it
appears clear that the use of horizontal wells will be required to develop the Sabria field. Various horizontal trajectories (Fig.
16) were proposed by the partners and tested with the available 3D models.

The first simple test that could be used to compare the various legs is the extraction of the impedance and the tuning
frequency along each borehole. As the existing wells indicate that a high value of impedance and tuning frequency indicates a
highly fractured zone, these seismic attributes were examined along each borehole. Each borehole was ranked based on the
seismic attributes alone.

The 3D fracture density model (Fig. 17) was also used to rank the boreholes based on the fracture density and fracture
connectivity. Based on the various results, the optimal boreholes were drilled in 2006.

Validation with the Drill Bit

The Sabria 11 well spud in the fourth quarter of 2006. The well was drilled vertically to approximately 3,800 meters and then
drilled horizontally parallel to the top of Ordovician Hamra Sandstone, resulting in two diverging legs or drains, with
approximately 900 m of total horizontal wellbore.

During the second quarter of 2007, the well was completed and tied in to the company-operated Sabria central production
facility (“CPF”). The production test, which began on June 30 and ended on July 4, 2007, was designed so that the oil and
gas produced during the test flowed through the pipeline and into the CPF, thereby allowing for conservation and sales of the
produced hydrocarbons.
SPE 112853 7

The well has been placed on full time production following a 4 day shut–in to measure the pressure build-up response of the
well as part of the formal well test procedure. The initial production was in excess of 1100 boepd on a 18/64 in. choke (Fig.
3). The actual oil rate of Sabria 11 is in line with the predicted range of rates forecasted by the dynamic model, thus
confirming the validity of the dynamic model.

Using the newly recorded logs at Sabria 11 (Fig. 18), quantitative comparisons between the actual and predicted reservoir
properties were completed. The comparison between the actual and predicted porosity (Fig. 19) shows good agreement, as
both the actual and predicted values are around 10%. Similarly, the actual and predicted impedance (Fig. 20) shows good
agreement.

Conclusions
The Sabria study produced the following conclusions.
1. The use of high resolution inversion and spectral imaging on post stack seismic data could provide the necessary
seismic attributes needed to accurately characterize a complex fractured reservoir.
2. In the Sabria field, the high values of impedance and tuning frequency correlate well with the best producers, and
thus could serve as a fracture indicator.
3. Seismically constrained geologic models, such as porosity, are required for correctly estimating reserves and for
successful fractured reservoir modeling.
4. Continuous fracture models generated in REFRACT using a fracture frequency derived from limited core
interpretations provide useful results.
5. The fracture density models were successfully calibrated with well test data to provide the fracture permeability
needed for the dynamic model.
6. The dynamic model was successfully used to rank various reservoir management scenarios and to predict the range
of oil rates expected from horizontal boreholes.
7. The drilling of two boreholes confirmed the validity of the models and the use of the impedance, tuning frequency
and fracture density models to rank various boreholes, as the predicted key reservoir properties agree well with the
actual measured logs.
8. The use of the CFM approach and post stack seismic data provides a bottom line answer to E&P companies seeking
to develop their fractured reservoirs.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the management of Winstar and ETAP for permission to publish this work. The authors
would also like to thank the following geoscientists for their valuable technical contributions to the Sabria project. Udo
Araktingi, Mongi Gharbi, Anders Ekern, Tony Kirkham, Nora Ayari, and Kaouther Abbasi

REFRACT and CRYSTAL are Trademarks of Prism Seismic.

Petrel and Eclipse are Trademarks of Schlumberger

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Ouenes, A.: “Integrated Fractured Reservoir Characterization and Simulation: Application to Sidi El Kilani Field, Tunisia.”, Journal of
Petroleum Technology, August 2004, and paper SPE 84455 presented at the 2003 SPE ATCE, Denver.
12. Ouenes, A., Klepacki, D., Royer, T., Boufrioua, A., Mouhouche, E., Hamoud, M., Djermouni, K., Harhad, H.: “Integrated Property and
Fracture Modeling Using 2D Seismic Data: Application to an Algerian Cambrian Field” paper SPE 109272, presented at the 2007 SPE
ATCE, Anaheim.
13. Ouenes, A., Zellou, A., Robinson, G., Balogh, D., Araktingi, U., “Improved reservoir simulation with seismically derived fracture
models”, SPE 90822, presented at the 2004 SPE ATCE.
14. Ouenes, A., Richardson, S., Weiss, W.: “Fractured reservoir characterization and performance forecasting using geomechanics and
artificial intelligence,” paper SPE 30572 presented at the 1995 SPE ATCE.
15. Ouenes, A.: “Practical application of fuzzy logic and neural networks to fractured reservoir characterization,” Computers and
Geosciences, Shahab Mohagegh (Ed.) v. 26, no 7
16. Zellou, A., Ouenes, A: “Integrated Fractured Reservoir Characterization Using Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic: Three case studies “,
Soft Computing and Intelligent Data Analysis in Oil Exploration, Elsevier, Amsterdam
17. Marrett, R., Laubach, S., Olson, J.: “Anisotropy and beyond: Geologic perspectives on geophysical prospecting for natural fractures”
The Leading Edge, 26, No 9, 1106–1111 (2007).
18. REFRACT, Integrated Fracture Modeling Software. www.prismseismic.com/software/refract/index.htm, Prism Seismic
HTU UTH

19. Al Heureiti, W., Arnone, M.A., McMechan, R., Beaudry, J., MacKenzie, H.M., Chopty, J.R., Vieira, P.:”First Multilateral Well Drilled
With Underbalanced Drilling Technology in Sabria Field, Tunisia,” paper SPE 112915 presented at 2008 North Africa Technical
Conference & Exhibition, March 12-14, Marrakech, Morocco.
20. CRYSTAL: Integrated Geomodeling Software, www.prismseismic.com/software/crystal/index.htm. Prism Seismic
HTU UTH

21. Kebaier, D., Laridhi Ouazaa, N., Hamouda, F. : “Volcanic Intrusions in Southern Tunisia – Characterization and Development
Mechanism” paper presented at the 1st North Africa/ Mediterranean Petroleum & Geoscience Conference & Exhbition, Tunis, 6-9 October
P P

2003.

Fig. 1: Location maps and tectonic elements from Kebaier21 P P Fig. 2: Performance of well Sabria NW1 from 1999 to 2007.
showing the area where the Sabria field is located

Fig. 3: Initial performance of Sabria 11 Fig. 4: El Gassi Depth Map showing the Silurian, Hamra, and
Reservoir pinch-out
SPE 112853 9

Fig. 5: Average Tuning Frequency in the Hamra-Gassi interval. Fig. 6: Areal distribution of maximum Impedance in the
Notice the correlation with the fault trends in the East and the Hamra-El Gassi interval. Notice the large body in the
large geobody in the west west and the correlation of the maximum impedance
with the fault trends in the east

Fig. 7: Faulted framework for the Sabria field. Fig. 8: Porosity model constrained by the impedance

Fig. 9: Porosity model estimated from well data only

Fig. 10: Ranking of the drivers used in the fracture modeling.

Notice the importance of the impedance and tuning frequency.
10 SPE 112853

Fig. 11: Average fracture density model Fig. 12: Cross section showing the lateral and vertical
variations of the fracture density

Fig. 13: Average fracture density model displayed as a discrete fracture network.
SPE 112853 11

Fig. 14: Anisotropy map showing the fracture directions and fracture clusters in one of the layers.

Fig. 15a: History Match of Well WSAB1 Fig. 15b: History Match of Well SABN3

Fig. 15c: History Match of Well SABNW1 Fig. 16: Potential horizontal wells considered for drilling.
12 SPE 112853

Fig. 17: Using the fracture anisotropy map to rank the various legs. Fig. 18: Actual trajectories of the two legs of well
Sabria 11drilled after this study.

Fig. 19: Comparison between actual and predicted porosity Fig 20: Comparison between actual and predicted impedance
in Sabria 11 in Sabria 11