Geomodeling while Geosteering with smartSECTION/smartSTRAT

Fast and accurate geosteering is only half the story.  Using smartSTRAT, the horizontal well correlation and geosteering extension to GeoGraphix smartSECTION, allows the geoscientist to geomodel while geosteering and do it near real-time within the  project.

There are a number of stand-alone geosteering applications out there today that do what they do very well – geosteer the well. That is all well and good for the current well, but how do you take advantage of all the effort expended in geosteering the well to make the next well better than the last one?  To get the interpretation out of these stand-alone geosteering applications and into the project database and geomodel is very difficult, time consuming, and prone to errors. Since horizontal wells are really 3D objects, wouldn’t it make more sense to do the geosteering in a robust 3D geomodeling environment so that the very act of geosteering is actually part of the overall project geomodeling workflow?

smartSTRAT is the horizontal well correlation and geosteering extension to smartSECTION, the Geographix geomodeling application. The smartSTRAT vertical section is within the smartSECTION geomodel so the geosteering activity is updating the project database and refining the geomodel as you go. Once the well is correlated within the geology, a target line is drawn to generate the drilling parameters so the drilling engineers can keep the well bore on target and in the zone. The final result is that the project geomodel is kept  up-to-date with the latest information, so that the next well will be designed within the best geomodel possible.

smartSTRAT also has the advantage of an available depth converted seismic backdrop to help validate the geomodel and reveal any seismic scale faults or other geohazards ahead of the borehole.

We are very enthusiastic about the ability to geomodel while geosteering with smartSTRAT.  I welcome feedback on your experiences with smartSTRAT to help us to continue its development and make it the best it can be.

Geomodeling while geosteering with smartSECTION and smartSTRAT solves two problems at once.  Firstly, as you correlate the drilling well to the geology, you are updating your geomodel with the latest drilling data combining both geological and seismic information in the interpretation.  Secondly, you can provide the driller with accurate targeting parameters so they can keep the well in the pay zone.  Simply put, smartSECTION / smartSTRAT is the most efficient and accurate way to correlate and geosteer your horizontal wells all the while keeping the project and geomodel updated with the latest drilling information.