Deep sea

Engineering

Deep water

Petroleum engineering

Ocean bottom

Seismology

Geology

Oceanography

Electronic engineering

Sensitivity (control systems)

Casing

Gravimeter

This paper presents a preliminary feasibility study of ocean-bottom 4D gravimetry survey focused on oil production monitoring.We have conducted numerical simulations by computing the vertical component of the gravitational attraction exerted by a synthetic petroleum reservoir.Three parameters were tested regarded a detectability limit of 3 µGal: oceanic tides, reservoir depth and reservoir density changes simulating oil production.For this value, tides with a magnitude of few centimeters can affect the data, even at great distances from the measurement points.A 25 m thick reservoir could be detected even at 7 km depth.Differences in density could be detected after 20% of oil to salt water substitution in a reservoir at 3 km depth.

The sensitivity of ocean-bottom gravimeters at deep waters to mass changes in a synthetic hydrocarbon reservoir