A novel 4D methodology by targeting softening responses, a decrease in impedance over time, is described from the Forties Field. It is demonstrated that these anomalies identified areas where oil had re-saturated previously swept rock. When first observed in some of the older vintages of 4D data, softening responses were dismissed as side lobes of underlying water-swept reservoirs. With improved 4D data quality, softening responses were seen to be clearly responding to an acoustic softening effect isolated in the reservoir. Pressure measurements ruled out hypotheses of gas exsolution or geomechanically induced dilatation of the overlying shale.

At the time...