Estimation of fracture weaknesses and integrated attenuation factors from azimuthal variations in seismic amplitudes

Geophysics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. R711-R723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huaizhen Chen ◽  
Kristopher A. Innanen

Seismic wave propagation in fractured reservoirs exhibits anisotropy and attenuation, which are in turn related to fracture properties (e.g., fracture density) and fluid parameters (e.g., moduli and viscosity). Based on the linear slip theory, stiffness parameters can be determined for fractured and dissipative rocks, from which integrated attenuation factors involving host-rock intrinsic attenuation and fracture-induced attenuation emerge. Using a simplified mathematical form for these stiffness parameters, a linearized mathematical relationship directly relating the reflection coefficient to fracture weaknesses and integrated attenuation factors is available. A two-step inversion approach, involving (1) an iterative damped least-squares algorithm to predict P- and S-wave moduli using seismic angle gathers along the fracture orientation azimuth and (2) an iterative inversion method to estimate fracture weaknesses and integrated attenuation factors from azimuthal amplitude differences, is examined. The objective function for the second step is constructed based on a Bayesian framework. Synthetic testing confirms that fracture weaknesses and integrated attenuation factors are stably determined from seismic amplitudes exhibiting a moderate signal-to-noise ratio. The approach is applied to a field data set from a fractured carbonate reservoir. We observe that geologically reasonable results of fracture weaknesses and integrated attenuation factors are obtained. We conclude that this estimation procedure provides a reliable tool in fracture prediction and inverted attenuation factors appear as additional proofs to identify fluid type in fractured reservoirs.

Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. R163-R175
Author(s):  
Huaizhen Chen ◽  
Junxiao Li ◽  
Kristopher A. Innanen

Based on a model of attenuative cracked rock, we have derived a simplified and frequency-dependent stiffness matrix associated with (1) a rock volume containing aligned and partially saturated cracks and (2) a new indicator of oil-bearing fractured reservoirs, which is related to pressure relaxation in cracked rocks and influenced by fluid viscosity and saturation. Starting from the mathematical form of a perturbation in this stiffness matrix across a reflecting interface separating two attenuative cracked media, we set up a linearized P-wave to P-wave reflection coefficient as an azimuthally and frequency-dependent function of dry rock elastic properties, dry fracture weaknesses, and the new indicator. By varying this reflection coefficient with azimuthal angle, we derive a further expression referred to as the quasidifference in elastic impedance, or [Formula: see text], which is primarily affected by the dry fracture weaknesses and the new indicator. An inversion approach is established to use differences in frequency components of seismic amplitudes to estimate these weaknesses and the indicator based on the derived [Formula: see text]. In synthetic inversion tests, we determine that the approach produces interpretable parameter estimates in the presence of data with a moderate signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). Testing on a real data set suggests that reliable fracture weakness and indicator are generated by the approach; fractured and oil-bearing reservoirs are identified through a combination of the dry fracture weakness and the new indicator.


Geophysics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1172-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Scott Leaney ◽  
Colin M. Sayers ◽  
Douglas E. Miller

Multioffset vertical seismic profile (VSP) experiments, commonly referred to as walkaways, enable anisotropy to be measured reliably in the field. The results can be fed into modeling programs to study the impact of anisotropy on velocity analysis, migration, and amplitude versus offset (AVO). Properly designed multioffset VSPs can also provide the target AVO response measured under optimum conditions, since the wavelet is recorded just above the reflectors of interest with minimal reflection point dispersal. In this paper, the multioffset VSP technique is extended to include multioffset azimuths, and a multiazimuthal multiple VSP data set acquired over a carbonate reservoir is analyzed for P-wave anisotropy and AVO. Direct arrival times down to the overlying shale and reflection times and amplitudes from the carbonate are analyzed. Data analysis involves a three‐term fit to account for nonhyperbolic moveout, dip, and azimuthal anisotropy. Results indicate that the overlying shale is transversely isotropic with a vertical axis of symmetry (VTI), while the carbonate shows 4–5% azimuthal anisotropy in traveltimes. The fast direction is consistent with the maximum horizontal stress orientation determined from break‐out logs and is also consistent with the strike of major faults. AVO analysis of the reflection from the top of the carbonate layer shows a critical angle reduction in the fast direction and maximum gradient in the slow direction. This agrees with modeling and indicates a greater amplitude sensitivity in the slow direction—the direction perpendicular to fracture strike. In principle, 3-D surveys should have wide azimuthal coverage to characterize fractured reservoirs. If this is not possible, it is important to have azimuthal line coverage in the minimum horizontal stress direction to optimize the use of AVO for fractured reservoir characterization. This direction can be obtained from multiazimuthal walkaways using the azimuthal P-wave analysis techniques presented.


Geophysics ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 1-59
Author(s):  
Fucai Dai ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Xiangyang Li

SS-waves (SV-SV waves and SH-SH waves) are capable of inverting S-wave velocity ( VS) and density ( ρ) because they are sensitive to both parameters. SH-SH waves can be separated from multicomponent data sets more effectively than the SV-SV wave because the former is decoupled from the PP-wave in isotropic media. In addition, the SH-SH wave can be better modeled than the SV-SV wave in the case of strong velocity/impedance contrast because the SV-SV wave has multicritical angles, some of which can be quite small when velocity/ impedance contrast is strong. We derived an approximate equation of the SH-SH wave reflection coefficient as a function of VS and ρ in natural logarithm variables. The approximation has high accuracy, and it enables the inversion of VS and ρ in a direct manner. Both coefficients corresponding to VS and ρ are “model-parameter independent” and thus there is no need for prior estimate of any model parameter in inversion. Then, we developed an SH-SH wave inversion method, and demonstrated it by using synthetic data sets and a real SH-SH wave prestack data set from the west of China. We found that VS and ρ can be reliably estimated from the SH-SH wave of small angles.


Geophysics ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. R1-R10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Hafslund Veire ◽  
Martin Landrø

Elastic parameters derived from seismic data are valuable input for reservoir characterization because they can be related to lithology and fluid content of the reservoir through empirical relationships. The relationship between physical properties of rocks and fluids and P-wave seismic data is nonunique. This leads to large uncertainties in reservoir models derived from P-wave seismic data. Because S- waves do not propagate through fluids, the combined use of P-and S-wave seismic data might increase our ability to derive fluid and lithology effects from seismic data, reducing the uncertainty in reservoir characterization and thereby improving 3D reservoir model-building. We present a joint inversion method for PP and PS seismic data by solving approximated linear expressions of PP and PS reflection coefficients simultaneously using a least-squares estimation algorithm. The resulting system of equations is solved by singular-value decomposition (SVD). By combining the two independent measurements (PP and PS seismic data), we stabilize the system of equations for PP and PS seismic data separately, leading to more robust parameter estimation. The method does not require any knowledge of PP and PS wavelets. We tested the stability of this joint inversion method on a 1D synthetic data set. We also applied the methodology to North Sea multicomponent field data to identify sand layers in a shallow formation. The identified sand layers from our inverted sections are consistent with observations from nearby well logs.


Geophysics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arild Buland ◽  
Henning Omre

A new linearized AVO inversion technique is developed in a Bayesian framework. The objective is to obtain posterior distributions for P‐wave velocity, S‐wave velocity, and density. Distributions for other elastic parameters can also be assessed—for example, acoustic impedance, shear impedance, and P‐wave to S‐wave velocity ratio. The inversion algorithm is based on the convolutional model and a linearized weak contrast approximation of the Zoeppritz equation. The solution is represented by a Gaussian posterior distribution with explicit expressions for the posterior expectation and covariance; hence, exact prediction intervals for the inverted parameters can be computed under the specified model. The explicit analytical form of the posterior distribution provides a computationally fast inversion method. Tests on synthetic data show that all inverted parameters were almost perfectly retrieved when the noise approached zero. With realistic noise levels, acoustic impedance was the best determined parameter, while the inversion provided practically no information about the density. The inversion algorithm has also been tested on a real 3‐D data set from the Sleipner field. The results show good agreement with well logs, but the uncertainty is high.


Author(s):  
László Balázs

AbstractBefore performing the inversion process, the original measured data set is often transformed (corrected, smoothed, Fourier-transformed, interpolated etc.). These preliminary transformations may make the original (statistically independent) noisy measurement data correlated. The noise correlation on transformed data must be taken into account in the parameter fitting procedure (inversion) by proper derivation of likelihood function. The covariance matrix of transformed data system is no longer diagonal, so the likelihood based metrics, which determines the fitting process is also changed as well as the results of inversion. In the practice, these changes are often neglected using the “customary” estimation procedure (simple least square method) resulting wrong uncertainty estimation and sometimes biased results. In this article the consequence of neglected correlation is studied and discussed by decomposing the inversion functional to “customary” and additional part which represents the effect of correlation. The ratio of two components demonstrates the importance and justification of the inversion method modification.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. SN101-SN118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Clochard ◽  
Bryan C. DeVault ◽  
David Bowen ◽  
Nicolas Delépine ◽  
Kanokkarn Wangkawong

The Kevin Dome [Formula: see text] storage project, located in northern Montana, attempted to characterize the Duperow Formation as a potential long-term storage zone for injected [Formula: see text]. A multicomponent (9C) seismic survey was acquired for the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership over a portion of the Kevin Dome using P- and S-wave sources. Prestack migrated PP, PS, SH, and SV data sets were generated. We then applied several stratigraphic inversion workflows using one or several kinds of seismic wavefield at the same time resulting in joint inversions of each data set. The aim of our study is to demonstrate the benefits of doing quadri-joint inversion of PP-, PS-, SH-, and SV-wavefields for the recovery of the elastic earth parameters, especially the S-wave impedance and density. These are crucial parameters because they can help determine lithology and porefill in the reservoir characterization workflow. Because the inversion workflow always uses the original seismic data recorded in its own time domain, it is necessary to compute registration laws between PP-PS-, PP-SH-, and PP-SV-wavefields using a time shift computation procedure (warping) based on inverted S-wave impedances from inversion of a single wavefield. This generated a significant improvement over methods that rely on attempting to match trace waveforms that may have a different phase, frequency content, and polarity. Finally, we wanted to investigate the reliability of the quadri-joint inversion results in the Bakken/Banff Formations, which have less lateral geologic variation than the underlying Duperow target. This interval shares many of the geophysical characterization challenges common to shale reservoirs in other North American basins. We computed geomechanical parameters, such as Poisson’s ratio and Young’s modulus, which are a proxy for brittleness. Comparison of these results with independent laboratory measurements in the Bakken interval demonstrates the superiority of the quadri-joint inversion method to the traditional inversion using P-wave data only.


Geophysics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 1460-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gislain B. Madiba ◽  
George A. McMechan

Acoustic and simultaneous elastic impedance inversions of a 2D land seismic data set are performed to characterize a carbonate reservoir of Mississippian age in the Turner Valley Formation, in the Rocky Mountain foothills of western Canada. The inversions produce P‐wave and S‐wave impedance sections (Ip and Is, respectively), from which Lamé parameter × density (λρ and μρ) sections are derived. The Ip data provide a separation between the clastics and carbonates. The μρ data provide an estimate of porosity distribution within the dolomitized limestone target. Deviations from baseline curves for water‐saturated carbonates, of λρ versus porosity, λ/μ versus porosity, and Is versus Ip, are interpreted as indicators of gas potential. These indicators all provide similar spatial patterns of areas of high gas potential and are consistent with the gas occurence observed in a well.


Geophysics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. D553-D560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-Da Su ◽  
Can Jiang ◽  
Chun-Xi Zhuang ◽  
Song Xu ◽  
Xiao-Ming Tang

We have developed a joint inversion method for logging-while-drilling (LWD) multipole acoustic data processing to simultaneously determine the formation of P- and S-wave velocities. The presence of the LWD tool strongly influences the dispersion characteristics of quadrupole and monopole leaky-P-waves, especially in unconsolidated slow formations. We have verified that an equivalent-tool theory can be adequately used to model the LWD multipole wave dispersion characteristics and can therefore be used to do forward modeling for the inversion. A major advantage of jointly inverting the multipole data sets, as compared with separately inverting each individual data set, is the reduction of uncertainties in the estimated formation of P- and S-wave velocities. We have applied the method to field data processing. The results found that the method not only corrected the dispersion effect in the quadrupole and leaky-P-wave data but also simultaneously obtained the formation of P- and S-wave velocities.


KURVATEK ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-31
Author(s):  
Fatimah Miharno

ABSTRACT*Zefara* Field formation Baturaja on South Sumatra Basin is a reservoir carbonate and prospective gas. Data used in this research were 3D seismik data, well logs, and geological information. According to geological report known that hidrocarbon traps in research area were limestone lithological layer as stratigraphical trap and faulted anticline as structural trap. The study restricted in effort to make a hydrocarbon accumulation and a potential carbonate reservoir area maps with seismic attribute. All of the data used in this study are 3D seismic data set, well-log data and check-shot data. The result of the analysis are compared to the result derived from log data calculation as a control analysis. Hydrocarbon prospect area generated from seismic attribute and are divided into three compartments. The seismic attribute analysis using RMS amplitude method and instantaneous frequency is very effective to determine hydrocarbon accumulation in *Zefara* field, because low amplitude from Baturaja reservoir. Low amplitude hints low AI, determined high porosity and high hydrocarbon contact (HC).  Keyword: Baturaja Formation, RMS amplitude seismic attribute, instantaneous frequency seismic attribute


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document