Brazilian oil firm Petrobras is set to kick off the first of the two seismic acquisitions of the Sapinhoá field monitoring project, in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil.
"Seismic acquisition is an important tool for managing the deposit (reservoirs) and optimizing production systems, seeking to maximize the value of the assets by increasing the recovery factor of the deposits," Petrobras said. The project is slated to begin on Sunday, June 13.
The contract signed with the company Seabed Geosolutions do Brasil includes 3D and 4D geophysical acquisition and processing, with total investments of about US$ 118 million.
Base seismic (3D), with an area of 575 km², is set to start this month, and monitor seismic acquisition (4D), with an area of 478 km², is scheduled to begin in 2024.
The surveys will use Ocean Bottom Nodes (OBN), which allow for better collection of the deposit´s information from sensors installed on the ocean floor to obtain a better seismic response in geologically complex areas such as the pre-salt.
"The survey of 3D geophysical data at different times, or 4D acquisition, allows reservoir geoscientists and engineers to follow fluid displacement, observe oil and water saturation variation and identify effects of rock-fluid interaction and the geomechanical behavior of reservoirs, contributing to better management of oil recovery from the deposit and production development," Petrobras said.
Petrobras is the operator of the concession where the Sapinhoá field is located, with a 45% stake, in partnership with Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda. (30%) and Repsol Sinopec Brasil S.A. (25%).
Seabed GeoSolutions in November last year announced it had secured the Sapinhoa survey contract. It at the time said the baseline survey would use the Subsea Viking vessel, equipped with Manta nodes deployed by remotely operated vehicles, as well as a marine source vessel.