Seismic Attributes For Prospect Identification And Reservoir Characterization

Introducing the physical basis, mathematical implementation, and geologic expression of modern volumetric attributes including coherence, dip/azimuth, curvature, amplitude gradients, seismic textures, and spectral decomposition, the authors demonstrate the importance of effective colour display and sensitivity to seismic acquisition and processing.

"Seismic attributes are a descriptive and quantifiable characteristic of seismic data, and so they represent subsets of the total information contained in the original seismic data. Consequently, seismic attrjbutes can be important qualitative and quantitative predictors of physical reservoir properties. Seismic attribute analysis began with the search for bright spots in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Subsequent work in the last decades has established seismic attribute analysis as a valuable tool in reservoir characterization studies. I present in this thesis two seismic attribute analyses for the interpretation of the characteristics of the seismic trace to predict significant geological features (e.g., lithology, rock properties and/or fluid content). The first study is an example of the applicability of seismic attributes to predict geologic controls on production data in a coal bed methane reservoir. Based on the calibration of log data with seismic data procedure, I defined a window of analysis, from which I computed amplitude, frequency and phase related attributes. Then, I used a quantitative multiattribute analysis to derive a seismic attribute-based model that predicts coal thickness. Thereafter, I used with a curvature attribute analysis with the objective to map subtle structural features and predict areas with enhanced permeability. The integration of production data with results achieved from both attribute analyses indicates that best production is associated with thicker coal and the immediate vicinity to seismically defined structures. [...]" --

There are many tools and techniques for characterizing oil and gas reservoirs. Seismic-reflection techniques include conventional 2D and 3D seismic, 4D time-lapse seismic, multicomponent seismic, crosswell seismic, seismic inversion, and seismic attribute analysis, all designed to enhance stratigraphy/structure detection, resolution, and characterization. These techniques are constantly being improved. Drilling and coring a well provides the “ground truth” for seismic interpretation. Rock formations are directly sampled by cuttings and by core and indirectly characterized with a variety of conventional and specialized well logs. To maximize characterization and optimize production, many of these tools as possible should be employed. It is often less expensive to utilize a wide variety of tools that directly image or measure reservoir properties at different scales than to drill one or two dry holes.

We are poised to embark on a new era of discovery in the study of geomorphology. The discipline has a long and illustrious history, but in recent years an entirely new way of studying landscapes and seascapes has been developed. It involves the use of 3D seismic data. Just as CAT scans allow medical staff to view our anatomy in 3D, seismic data now allows Earth scientists to do what the early geomorphologists could only dream of - view tens and hundreds of square kilometres of the Earth's subsurface in 3D and therefore see for the first time how landscapes have evolved through time. This volume demonstrates how Earth scientists are starting to use this relatively new tool to study the dynamic evolution of a range of sedimentary environments.

3-D seismic data have become the key tool used in the petroleum industry to understand the subsurface. In addition to providing excellent structural images, the dense sampling of a 3-D survey makes it possible to map reservoir quality and the distribution of oil and gas. Topics covered in this book include basic structural interpretation and map-making; the use of 3-D visualisation methods; interpretation of seismic amplitudes, including their relation to rock and fluid properties; and the generation and use of AVO and acoustic impedance datasets. This new paperback edition includes an extra appendix presenting new material on novel acquisition design, pore pressure prediction from seismic velocity, elastic impedance inversion, and time lapse seismics. Written by professional geophysicists with many years' experience in the oil industry, the book is indispensable for geoscientists using 3-D seismic data, including graduate students and new entrants into the petroleum industry.

This book introduces practical seismic analysis techniques and evaluation of interpretation confidence, for graduate students and industry professionals - independent of commercial software products.

The interest in seismic stratigraphic techniques to interpret reflection datasets is well established. The advent of sophisticated subsurface reservoir studies and 4D monitoring, for optimising the hydrocarbon production in existing fields, does demonstrate the importance of the 3D seismic methodology. The added value of reflection seismics to the petroleum industry has clearly been proven over the last decades. Seismic profiles and 3D cubes form a vast and robust data source to unravel the structure of the subsurface. It gets nowadays exploited in ever greater detail. Larger offsets and velocity anisotropy effects give for instance access to more details on reservoir flow properties like fracture density, porosity and permeability distribution, Elastic inversion and modelling may tell something about the change in petrophysical parameters. Seismic investigations provide a vital tool for the delineation of subtle hydrocarbon traps. They are the basis for understanding the regional basin framework and the stratigraphic subdivision. Seismic stratigraphy combines two very different scales of observation: the seismic and well-control. The systematic approach applied in seismic stratigraphy explains why many workers are using the principles to evaluate their seismic observations. The here presented modern geophysical techniques allow more accurate prediction of the changes in subsurface geology. Dynamics of sedimentary environments are discussed with its relation to global controling factors and a link is made to high-resolution sequence stratigraphy. ‘Seismic Stratigraphy Basin Analysis and Reservoir Characterisation’ summarizes basic seismic interpretation techniques and demonstrates the benefits of intergrated reservoir studies for hydrocarbon exploration. Topics are presented from a practical point of view and are supported by well-illustrated case histories. The reader (student as well as professional geophysicists, geologists and reservoir engineers) is taken from a basic level to more advanced study techniques. * Overview reflection seismic methods and its limitations. * Link between basic seismic stratigraphic principles and high resolution sequence stratigraphy. * Description of various techniques for seismic reservoir characterization and synthetic modelling. * Overview nversion techniques, AVO and seismic attributes analysis.