Introduction

Fundamentals of Seismic Acquisition and Processing

Overall Learning Objectives

1. Understand seismic fundamentals as they affect the interpretation of seismic data. 2. Understand the concepts involved in imaging geologic structures and properties through seismic data acquisition and processing. 3. Comprehend the parameters that can seriously affect seismic data quality and costs. 4. Determine if seismic data has been recorded and processed in a technically correct manner for subsurface objectives. 5. Apply quality assurance steps in acquisition and processing.
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Introduction

Jeff Johnson
3 years Schlumberger

NExT Director of Training: Geoscience/Petrophysics - Tulsa 22 years Experience with Amoco/BP Applied Seismic Technology New Orleans Manager, Geophysical Technology, Amoco International General Manager, Geoscience Research and Technology Tulsa/Houston

Academics Stanford Boston College University of Oklahoma Geophysics Degrees Prof. Geophysics Adjunct Research Associate

Introduction

Fundamentals of Seismic Acquisition and Processing

Course Overview
Seismic Wave Propagation and Reflection Principles Signal Analysis Methods Acquisition
Principles Design Operations Quality Control Objectives Signal Corrections Velocity Statics Imaging Quality Assurance

Data Processing

Acquisition/Processing for:
Attributes, Inversion, and AVO Multicomponent
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Introduction

Learning Methodologies

Modular Why modules are important Powerpoints, short problems, workshops, flip chart Interactive
Discussion questions Share experiences/problems Learn from each other

Ask Questions Daily feedback

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Introduction

NExT

Network of Excellence in Training

Commercial Joint-Venture: E&P Training 150 Short Courses/Programs University and SLB Instructors Computer-Based Training Global Presence Global Presence Texas A&M University The University of Oklahoma
Well Engineering, Geoscience / Petrophysics Centers of Excellence.

Petroleum Engineering Center of Excellence

www.nexttraining.ie
Heriot-Watt University Distance Learning in Petroleum Engineering Center of Excellence
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Introduction

Module 1 Introduction
Learning objectives
Awareness Level: Various geophysical methods Seismic trace, record, section, cube History of seismic method Seismic reflection basics Role of seismic in reservoir life cycle

Introduction

Geophysical Surveying Methods

Most geophysical surveying methods can be used either on land or offshore. Each of these methods measures a parameter that relates to a physical property of the subsurface. List of different methods, the parameters they measure, and the related rock properties are indicated in the table 1

Table 1 Geophysical
METHOD SEISMIC

SurveyingMEASURED PARAMETER Methods

PHYSICAL PROPERTY MEASURED OR DERIVED

TRAVEL TIME AND AMPLITUDE OR ELASTIC MODULI, PROPAGATION REFLECTED/REFRACTED SEISMIC WAVES VELOCITY, DENSITY? SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN THE STRENGTH OF DENSITY THE EARTHS GRAVITATIONAL FIELD SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN THE STRENGTH OF MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD EARTH RESISTANCE FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT GROUND RESISTANCE ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY ELECTRICAL CAPACITANCE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY AND INDUCTANCE

GRAVITY MAGNETIC ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY INDUCED POLARIZATION SELF-POTENTIAL

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RESPONSE TO ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

Introduction

Types of Seismic Applications

2D land 3D land 2D marine 3D marine Long offset Transition zone Borehole Multicomponent land Ocean bottom multicomponent Time lapse/4D
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Introduction

Seismic Interpretation

Objective of seismic acquisition and processing is the accurate interpretation of seismic data
Travel times Amplitudes Attributes Tied to subsurface control

Introduction

Seismic Interpretation

3D Seismic Cube
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Introduction

What Do We Desire?

Structure Lithology Pore fluid Fractures Pressure

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Introduction

Predict and Characterize Subsurface Reservoirs

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Introduction

Seismic Interpretation

Basic Seismic Data Concerns

Travel time distortions Amplitude fidelity Noise and artifacts Resolution Spatial positioning Cost

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Introduction

Todays Major Problems

Backscattered noise Complex near-surface Multiples Anisotropy Parameters for model driven processing
Velocity Q Anisotropy

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Introduction

The Seismic Experiment

S R

Measure: Travel time Amplitude Particle motion Infer: Velocity

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Introduction

Basic Seismic Measurements

Particle Velocity Pressure Particle Displacement

Time

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Introduction

The Seismic Trace

The basic unit of seismic data

Travel Time

Amplitude 0

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Introduction

Recording Seismic Data

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Introduction

Typical Scales of Reservoir Investigation

Simulation Seismic Logs Lab 100 - 500 feet 10s 100s of feet Inches - feet Fractions of inch

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Introduction

Scales of Geological Reservoir Heterogeneity

Well
Determined From Well Logs, Seismic Lines, Statistical Modeling, etc. 1-10 km Interwell Area

Well
100's m

Interwell

Field Wide

Reservoir Sandstone
100's m

10's m

Well-Bore

10-100's mm

10-100's mm

1-10's m

Petrographic or Scanning Electron Microscope

Hand Lens or Binocular Microscope 20

Unaided Eye

(modified from Weber, 1986)

Introduction

Subsurface Reservoirs

Can seismic predict some key characteristics and properties? - Depth - Geologic Setting - Origin of Rocks/Fluids - Geologic Structure - Geometry thickness, areal extent, volume, seals - Rock Type - Heterogeneity Layering, Faults/Fractures, Compartments - Porosity - Fluid Content/Distribution - Pressure Distribution - Mechanical Strength - Permeability - Drive Mechanisms - Temperature
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Introduction

Earth Properties
as seen by seismic waves

Inhomogeneous Attenuative Anisotropic Porous Fluid filled

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Introduction

Characteristics of Seismic Data

Band Limited Low End 5-10 Hz High End 50-100 Hz Spatial Coverage Redundant yet Incomplete Large Data Volumes (up to 10s of terabytes) 2000-4000 time samples per trace Record length 6-12 sec 100,000 - 1,000,000 spatial locations 12-1000 fold redundancy
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Introduction

Exploration Seismic

Most seismic reflection techniques uses only compressional waves

Easier to acquire Resolution, data quality generally better More sensitive to fluid properties

Use of shear and converted wave data is increasing

May give a good image where compressional data cannot Sensitive to porosity; insensitive to pore fluid Combined with compressional data, tells more about rock and fluid properties -- Poissons Ratio
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Introduction

Seismic Trace, Record and Section

Distance

A seismic trace, or "wiggle trace" is the response of a seismic detector to the earth's movement due to seismic energy. Direct arrival Refraction Reflection Noise Excursions of the trace from the central line appear as peaks and troughs; the peaks represent "positive" signal voltages, and the troughs represent "negative" signal voltages. A seismic record, or common shot record, is a side by side display of all the wiggle traces that were recorded simultaneously from a number of detectors for a single shot point. The "peaks" are toward the right side of the display and are filled in with black to make patterns more visible. Zero time is at the top of the record, with time increasing downward . This display is a raw image of the subsurface over a limited area, and it contains noise and other signal distortions. 25

Seismic Trace and Record

Introduction

Stacking A CMP (Common Midpoint) Gather

S5 S4 S3 S2 S1 C M P R1 R2 R3 R4 R5

Collect all data with the same source-receiver midpoint

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Introduction

Some Terms Common Midpoint Common Depth Point Common Reflection Point

CMP CDP CRP -

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably (and erroneously). Individual traces are summed (stacked) to form a single trace trace at each CMP surface location Much in seismic acquisition and processing is based on assumptions of horizontal beds and homogeneous media.
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Introduction

Seismic Reflection Exploration Overview

Moving the spread (source plus receivers) one-half spread length between shots produced continuous subsurface coverage
First
Receiver

First
Receiver

Last
Receiver

Last First
Receiver

Last
Receiver

Shot 1

Shot 2

Shot 3

Receiver

Surface

Subsurface Reflector Subsurface Coverage

Continuous or Single-Fold Subsurface Coverage

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Introduction

Seismic Reflection Exploration Overview

Later, a method called multi-fold or common mid-point (CMP) shooting was developed In this method, the spread is moved less than one-half spread length resulting in more over-lap in coverage Moving 1/4 spread length means that the same reflections are recorded by two different shots at two different receivers at two different shot-to-receiver distances but the midpoint between shots and receivers is the same! This is called 2-fold shooting S S M R R Increasing the overlap, increases the fold Surface Move-up of 1/6 spread gives 3-fold Move-up of 1/8 spread gives 4-fold Reflector Move-up of 1/12 spread gives 6-fold, etc S = 1st Source S = 2nd Source M
1 2 2 1 1 2

= Midpoint R1 = 1st Receiver R2 = 2nd Receiver

CMP Shooting.

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Introduction

Seismic Reflection Exploration Overview

Multi-fold Coverage

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Introduction

Stacked Trace After Geometry Correction

CMP
0

Two-Way Travel Time

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Introduction

Seismic Trace, Record and Section

A seismic survey generates a large number of shot records to cover the area under study. Many steps of processing are applied to the data to enhance the signal, to minimize noise, and to increase resolution. All the traces corresponding to a surface midpoint are combined into a single trace, called a common mid point stack. Seismic section When processing is complete, all the common depth point stacks are displayed side by side to make a seismic section, which is the final output of a 2D seismic survey.

A Seismic Section
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Introduction

3-D Seismic

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Introduction

3-D Prospect Layout Example

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Introduction

Major Steps in Seismic Reflection Exploration

Pre-planning Data Acquisition Data Processing Interpretation

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Introduction

Pre-Planning

Primary & secondary targets Survey main objectives Document objectives and priorities Allocate acquisition & processing budgets Set data quality specifications Establish reasonable schedules and deadlines Locate & modify lines of survey Specify methods & equipment types Determine acquisition parameters

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Introduction

Geologic Objective

Trap type - structural, stratigraphic or combination Depth, thickness and areal extent Maximum dip expected Regional dip Modeling
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Introduction

Acquisition Parameters

Receiver group spacing Receiver group arrays Number of receiver groups Line spacing/bin size Number of lines/bins Maximum and minimum source-to-receiver distances (offsets) Source spacing Source type/arrays Recording geometry
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Introduction

Processing Parameters

Amplitude scaling parameters to compensate for signal variation in time and space Filter frequencies to suppress noise Deconvolution parameters to expand signal bandwidth and shape the wavelet Surface wave and refraction velocities for noise suppression Near-surface velocities to correct for static shifts Velocity fields for stacking CMP data and migrating reflections to their proper position
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Introduction

Reservoir Life Cycle and Business Value

Exploration

Appraisal

Development
Maximize Production

Maturity

+
Cash Flow

Accelerate Production

Maximize Recovery

Time Minimize Opex Optimized Development Defer Abandonment Traditional Development

Minimize Capex

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Introduction

Seismic in the Reservoir Cycle

Exploration increasing 3D but sometimes still 2D Appraisal 3-D Development High Resolution 3D, Borehole Management 4D/Time-lapse

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Introduction

Discussion

Is 2-D seismic ever done today? If so, what is its role? How does your company perceive the value of seismic methods?

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Introduction

Business Success Depends on Technology Integration Focused on the Reservoir

Prediction Description

Geophysics Petrophysics Reservoir Drilling Computing Engineering Geology

Performance Optimization

Characterization

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Introduction

Seismic Today
Quantitative seismic images have become critical for business success in all subsurface reservoir projects.

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Introduction

Critical Capabilities for Seismic Reservoir Prediction

Imaging

Rock Physics
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Attributes

Introduction

A Technical Vision
Seismic data will be routinely transformed to depth images Volume image processing and multi-volume picking will provide accurate reservoir / trap frameworks Attribute analysis, multi-component inversion, and petrophysical calibration will provide reliable estimates of 3D subsurface rock and fluid properties throughout the reservoir exploration / production cycle. Every geophysical prediction will be qualified by its uncertainty / risk.

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Introduction

Seismic to Reservoir Transformation

Amoco, RIP - 1997 Idealized Multidimensional Process

Vector Seismic Data Coherency P Rock / Fluid Physics Modeling Calibration S Multiple Attribute Volumes AVO

Geological / Rock Physics Constraints

Multidimensional Depth Images Angle

Detection Visualization Classification

AI Geostatistical Interpretations

Reservoir Models

Rates Volumes Uncertainty

Frequency

Rock / Fluid Physics Modeling Calibration

Simulation Iterations

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Introduction

Summary

What have we learned? Objectives of seismic and overall role in reservoir cycle Basics of CMP seismic Steps in seismic projects Role of seismic in E&P business

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