Quantitative gas saturation estimation by frequency‐dependent amplitude‐versus‐offset analysis

Seismic amplitudes contain important information that can be related to fluid saturation. The amplitude‐versus‐offset analysis of seismic data based on Gassmann's theory and the approximation of the Zoeppritz equations has played a central role in reservoir characterization. However, this standard technique faces a long‐standing problem: its inability to distinguish between partial gas and “fizz‐water” with little gas saturation. In this paper, we studied seismic dispersion and attenuation in partially saturated poroelastic media by using frequency‐dependent rock physics model, through which the frequency‐dependent amplitude‐versus‐offset response is calculated as a function of porosity and water saturation. We propose a cross‐plotting of two attributes derived from the frequency‐dependent amplitude‐versus‐offset response to differentiate partial gas saturation and “fizz‐water” saturation. One of the attributes is a measure of “low frequency”, or Gassmann, of reflectivity, whereas the other is a measure of the “frequency dependence” of reflectivity. This is in contrast to standard amplitude‐versus‐offset attributes, where there is typically no such separation. A pragmatic frequency‐dependent amplitude‐versus‐offset inversion for rock and fluid properties is also established based on Bayesian theorem. A synthetic study is performed to explore the potential of the method to estimate gas saturation and porosity variations. An advantage of our work is that the method is in principle predictive, opening the way to further testing and calibration with field data. We believe that such work should guide and augment more theoretical studies of frequency‐dependent amplitude‐versus‐offset analysis.     

Elastic‐impedance analysis constrained by rock‐physics bounds†

By applying seismic inversion, we can derive rock impedance from seismic data. Since it is an interval property, impedance is valuable for reservoir characterization. Furthermore, the decomposition of the impedance into two fundamental properties, i.e. velocity and density, provides a link to the currently available rock‐physics applications to derive quantitative reservoir properties. However, the decomposition is a challenging task due to the strong influence of noise, especially for seismic data with a maximum offset angle of less than 30°. We present a method of impedance decomposition using three elastic impedance data derived from the seismic inversion of angle stacks, where the far‐stack angle is 23.5°. We discuss the effect of noise on the analysis as being the most significant cause of making the decomposition difficult. As the result, the offset‐consistent component of noise mostly affects the determination of density but not the velocities (P‐ and S‐wave), whereas the effect of the random component of noise occurs equally in the determination of the velocities and density. The effect is controlled by the noise enhancement factor 1/A, which is determined by a combination of stack angles. Based on the results of the analysis, we show an innovative method of decomposition incorporating rock‐physics bounds as constraints for the analysis. The method is applied to an actual data set from an offshore oilfield; we demonstrate the result of analysis for sandbody detection.     

平均入射角道集PP波与PS波联合反演

在界面两侧地层的弹性参数弱反差的假设难以成立的情况下,本文提出用平均入射角道集进行PP波与PS波的联合反演.首先,在PP波与PS波AVA(amplitude versus angle,振幅随入射角变化)道集的基础上,分别选择小入射角范围与大入射角范围的AVA道集进行局部加权叠加,以获得由两个角度组成的平均入射角道集,并作为后续反演的输入数据.然后,再通过最小二乘原理建立了PP波与PS波联合反演目标函数,推导了模型修改量的向量公式,建立了平均入射角道集联合反演的流程.模型数据与实际数据的测试结果表明:在信噪比较低、地层弹性参数反差较大、层厚较薄的情况下,该反演方法的精度在很大程度上超过了基于近似反射系数的反演方法,为复杂油气藏勘探提供了新的思路.     

3D simultaneous joint PP‐PS prestack seismic inversion at Schiehallion field,United Kingdom Continental Shelf

A workflow for simultaneous joint PP‐PS prestack inversion of data from the Schiehallion field on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf is presented and discussed. The main challenge, describing reasonable PS to PP data registration before any prestack or joint PP‐PS inversion, was overcome thanks to a two‐stage process addressing the signal envelope, then working directly on the seismic data to estimate appropriate time‐variant time‐shift volumes. We evaluated the benefits of including PS along with PP prestack seismic data in a joint inversion process to improve the estimated elastic property quality and also to enable estimation of density compared with other prestack and post‐stack inversion approaches. While the estimated acoustic impedance exhibited a similar quality independent of the inversion used (PP post‐stack, PP prestack or joint PP‐PS prestack inversion) the shear impedance estimation was noticeably improved by the joint PP‐PS prestack inversion when compared to the PP prestack inversion. Finally, the density estimated from joint PP and PS prestack data demonstrated an overall good quality, even where not well‐controlled. The main outcome of this study was that despite several data‐related limitations, inverting jointly correctly processed PP and PS data sets brought extra value for reservoir delineation as opposed to PP‐only or post‐stack inversion.     

Sensitivity of the elastic anisotropy and seismic reflection amplitude of the Eagle Ford Shale to the presence of kerogen

The Eagle Ford Shale of Central and South Texas is currently of great interest for oil and gas exploration and production. Laboratory studies show that the Eagle Ford Shale is anisotropic, with a correlation between anisotropy and total organic carbon. Organic materials are usually more compliant than other minerals present in organic‐rich shales, and their shapes and distribution are usually anisotropic. This makes organic materials an important source of anisotropy in organic‐rich shales. Neglecting shale anisotropy may lead to incorrect estimates of rock and fluid properties derived from inversion of amplitude versus offset seismic data. Organic materials have a significant effect on the PP and PS reflection amplitudes from the Austin Chalk/Upper Eagle Ford interface, the Upper Eagle Ford/Lower Eagle Ford interface, and the Lower Eagle Ford/Buda Limestone interface. The higher kerogen content of the Lower Eagle Ford compared with that of the Upper Eagle Ford leads to a negative PP reflection amplitude that dims with offset, whereas the PS reflection coefficient increases in magnitude with increasing offset. The PP and PS reflection coefficients at the Austin Chalk/Upper Eagle Ford interface, the Upper Eagle Ford/Lower Eagle Ford interface, and the Lower Eagle Ford/Buda Limestone interface all increase in magnitude with increasing volume fraction of kerogen.     

Rock physics modeling of heterogeneous carbonatereservoirs： porosity estimation and hydrocarbon detection

In heterogeneous natural gas reservoirs, gas is generally present as small patch-like pockets embedded in the water-saturated host matrix. This type of heterogeneity, alsocalled ＂patchy saturation＂, causes significant seismic velocity dispersion and attenuation. Toestablish the relation between seismic response and type of fluids, we designed a rock physicsmodel for carbonates. First, we performed CT scanning and analysis of the fluid distributionin the partially saturated rocks. Then, we predicted the quantitative relation between the waveresponse at different frequency ranges and the basic lithological properties and pore fluids.A rock physics template was constructed based on thin section analysis of pore structuresand seismic inversion. This approach was applied to the limestone gas reservoirs of the rightbank block of the Amu Darya River. Based on poststack wave impedance and prestack elasticparameter inversions, the seismic data were used to estimate rock porosity and gas saturation.The model results were in ~ood a~reement with the production regime of the wells.     

Analysis of time‐lapse travel‐time and amplitude changes to assess reservoir compartmentalization

Fluid depletion within a compacting reservoir can lead to significant stress and strain changes and potentially severe geomechanical issues, both inside and outside the reservoir. We extend previous research of time‐lapse seismic interpretation by incorporating synthetic near‐offset and full‐offset common‐midpoint reflection data using anisotropic ray tracing to investigate uncertainties in time‐lapse seismic observations. The time‐lapse seismic simulations use dynamic elasticity models built from hydro‐geomechanical simulation output and a stress‐dependent rock physics model. The reservoir model is a conceptual two‐fault graben reservoir, where we allow the fault fluid‐flow transmissibility to vary from high to low to simulate non‐compartmentalized and compartmentalized reservoirs, respectively. The results indicate time‐lapse seismic amplitude changes and travel‐time shifts can be used to qualitatively identify reservoir compartmentalization. Due to the high repeatability and good quality of the time‐lapse synthetic dataset, the estimated travel‐time shifts and amplitude changes for near‐offset data match the true model subsurface changes with minimal errors. A 1D velocity–strain relation was used to estimate the vertical velocity change for the reservoir bottom interface by applying zero‐offset time shifts from both the near‐offset and full‐offset measurements. For near‐offset data, the estimated P‐wave velocity changes were within 10% of the true value. However, for full‐offset data, time‐lapse attributes are quantitatively reliable using standard time‐lapse seismic methods when an updated velocity model is used rather than the baseline model.     

Seismic Rheological Model and Reflection Coefficients of the Brittle–Ductile Transition

It is well established that the upper—cooler—part of the crust is brittle, while deeper zones present ductile behaviour. In some cases, this brittle–ductile transition is a single seismic reflector with an associated reflection coefficient. We first develop a stress–strain relation including the effects of crust anisotropy, seismic attenuation and ductility in which deformation takes place by shear plastic flow. Viscoelastic anisotropy is based on the eigenstrain model and the Zener and Burgers mechanical models are used to model the effects of seismic attenuation, velocity dispersion, and steady-state creep flow, respectively. The stiffness components of the brittle and ductile media depend on stress and temperature through the shear viscosity, which is obtained by the Arrhenius equation and the octahedral stress criterion. The P- and S-wave velocities decrease as depth and temperature increase due to the geothermal gradient, an effect which is more pronounced for shear waves. We then obtain the reflection and transmission coefficients of a single brittle–ductile interface and of a ductile thin layer. The PP scattering coefficient has a Brewster angle (a sign change) in both cases, and there is substantial PS conversion at intermediate angles. The PP coefficient is sensitive to the layer thickness, unlike the SS coefficient. Thick layers have a well-defined Brewster angle and show higher reflection amplitudes. Finally, we compute synthetic seismograms in a homogeneous medium as a function of temperature.     

基于贝叶斯理论的叠前多波联合反演弹性模量方法

AVO反演可以获得地层岩性和流体信息,而叠前反演问题都是高维的和非适定的,因此获得可靠稳定的解对叠前反演至关重要. 本文给出了一种基于贝叶斯理论的纵波和转换波联合反演密度比和模量比的方法. 鉴于剪切模量比、体积模量比可以更好地指示油气,基于岩石物理中速度比与模量比之间的关系,将此关系式代入Zoeppritz方程的近似形式Aki-Richards公式中,得到与模量比有关的反射系数近似公式. 联合纵波和转换波,利用最小二乘准则构建目标函数,最终反演出密度比、剪切模量比、体积模量比三个参数. 在反演过程中引入贝叶斯理论,假定先验信息服从高斯分布,待求参数服从改进的Cauchy分布,并去除待求参数之间的相关性. 利用模型数据和实际数据对本文方法进行测试,并与常规的单独利用纵波数据来反演方法进行比较,结果表明联合反演稳定性更好、精度更高、抗噪音能力更强,验证了本文方法的可行性和有效性.     

Unification of single-configuration seismic imaging processes

In this paper we derive an integral formula that encompasses all linear processes on seismic data. These include migration, demigration and residual migration, as well as data mapping procedures such as transformation to zero offset, inverse transformation to zero offset, residual transformation to zero offset and offset continuation. The derivation of the equation is different from all previous approaches to unification. Here we do not use a cascaded operation between two operators, but rather the superposition principle. In this regard, the derivation is not only more fundamental, but also simpler and more general. We study the kinematics and the dynamics of these processes and show that the signals can be reconstructed asymptotically either by finding the envelope of particular surfaces or by stacking energy along “adjoint” surfaces. For example, in the case of migration, the first set of surfaces are isochrons, while the “adjoint” surfaces are diffraction responses. In practice, the distinction between these two types of surfaces is equivalent to choosing the order of the computational loops with regard to the input and output seismic traces.     

ATTENUATION OF COHERENT NOISE IN MARINE SEISMIC EXPLORATION USING VERY LONG ARRAYS *

The use of arrays to separate primary reflections from unwanted coherent seismic events is common practice in land seismic surveys. Very long source and receiver arrays have been used recently to reduce the effects of waterbottom multiples on marine seismic data. The source array consists of five uniformly spaced identical subarrays, each with five different airguns, where the distance between the subarrays may vary from 20 m56 m. The volume of each subarray is 10.3 1 (630 cu.in.) which gives a total volume of the array of 51.5 1 (3150 cu.in.) operated at a pressure of 14 MPa (2000 psi). In order to have a flexible receiver system it was decided to implement the extended receiver array in data processing by computing a weighted sum of two to five traces. The hydrophone cable consists of fifty-four channels with a group length of 50 m. Data shot with the superlong airgun array are processed by a combination of standard techniques and special procedures. In particular, the quality of the stack section is improved by using a weighted stack. The stack weights are computed by a program which takes into account the primary-to-multiple ratio. Comparisons with conventional data show significant improvements in data quality obtained by using the superlong airgun array. Examples show that the waterbottom multiples have been strongly attenuated and the deep seismic events have been enhanced. The combined array response function for dipping events is given in an appendix.     

Tracking the amplitude versus offset (AVO) by using orthogonal polynomials1

Inversion for S-wave velocities from the amplitude variation with offset of P-wave data is far from being a standard routine in the seismic processing sequence. However, the need for tracking the amplitude versus offset (AVO) occurs in several situations, for example in order to estimate the zero-offset amplitude, to reveal areas with particular AVO characteristics, or to compress the AVO so that it is more easily obtainable at a later stage of the seismic processing. Furthermore, weak reflections can occasionally, due to the effect of the angle-dependent reflectivity, have a polarity-shift with offset, resulting in a very poor, or even vanishing, stack response. In such cases, the reflection event has to be represented by some other property than its mean amplitude or stack value. We outline how the AVO of seismic data may be extracted and classified by the use of orthogonal polynomials. The main advantage of this method compared to a general polynomial fit is that the AVO may be classified by a unique Spectrum of polynomial coefficients. This is in analogy to Fourier coefficients where the orthogonal basis is harmonic functions. The set of orthogonal polynomials is constructed entirely from the set of offset coordinates, and these polyno-mials are defined only on the offset window considered. Compared to a Fourier transform, this is a major advantage since there is no effect of a limited spatial bandwidth. The AVO of normal-moveout corrected data may be represented by a data gather where the orthogonal polynomial coefficients are given as time traces with each trace revealing a certain AVO characteristic. For instance, the stack is proportional to the zeroth-order coefficient, the mean gradient is given by the firstorder coefficient, while the second-order coefficient indicates whether the AVO increases and then decreases, or vice versa.     

A new seismic attribute for ambiguity reduction in hydrocarbon prediction

Hydrocarbon prediction from seismic amplitude and amplitude‐versus‐offset is a daunting task. Amplitude interpretation is ambiguous due to the effects of lithology and pore fluid. In this paper, we propose a new attribute “J” based on a Gassmann–Biot fluid substitution to reduce ambiguity. Constrained by seismic and rock physics, the J attribute has good ability to detect hydrocarbons from seismic data. There are currently many attributes for hydrocarbon prediction. Among the existing attributes, far‐minus‐near times far and fluid factor are commonly used. In this paper, the effectiveness of these two existing attributes was compared with the new attribute. Numerical modelling was used to test the new attribute “J” and to compare “J” with the two existing attributes. The results showed that the J attribute can predict the existence of hydrocarbon in different porosity scenarios with less ambiguity than the other two attributes. Tests conducted with real seismic data demonstrated the effectiveness of the J attribute. The J attribute has performed well in scenarios in which the other two attributes gave inaccurate predictions. The proposed attribute “J” is fast and simple, and it could be used as a first step in hydrocarbon analysis for exploration.     

莺歌海盆地“暗点”型气藏地震识别技术研究

莺歌海盆地乐东区深层与东方区具有类似的成藏条件,是高温高压领域获取下一个重大勘探突破的最现实区域.但是该区已钻遇的“亮点”型储层物性差,普遍表现为低孔-特低渗特征,而区域基础规律研究表明,区域潜在甜点储层在地震上应该表现为“暗点”型特征.但是,“暗点”型储层在叠后地震资料上无法有效识别,如何准确预测“暗点”型储层是乐东区勘探新突破的重点攻关方向.本文针对“暗点”识别难的问题,提出了基于叠前地震资料的储层预测技术.从岩石物理出发系统性地梳理该区“暗点”型储层的地球物理特征,总结出其具有“叠加无反射、近道弱波峰、远道弱波谷、道集极性反转”的规律,根据该规律建立了Fstack属性重构算法,利用该算法开展甜点储层筛选并进行“暗点”储层预测,结合道集资料、反演结果等地球物理信息,最终确定潜在“暗点”型气层的分布范围.钻井结果证实该技术对乐东区深层潜在“暗点”型储层具有很好的预测效果.     

基于各向异性岩石物理的缝隙流体因子AVAZ反演

裂缝型储层表现出较强的各向异性特征.缝隙中充填不同流体时,裂缝储层的地震响应特征也不相同.本文从各向异性岩石物理模型出发,引入可有效识别缝隙流体的指示因子,并研究缝隙充填流体类型、饱和度以及缝隙纵横比与流体因子的相互关系,进而分析不同流体充填时介质的地震响应特征,并基于AVAZ反演方法估测缝隙流体指示因子.首先对缝隙流体因子的敏感性进行了分析,讨论当缝隙充填不同流体时,缝隙流体因子值的变化特征,同时研究了不同流体类型充填时裂缝储层反射系数随方位角和入射角的变化特征.某工区测井数据和复杂裂缝模型应用表明,基于各向异性岩石物理的缝隙流体因子AVAZ反演方法合理、可靠,且具有良好的抗噪性,即当对合成地震记录添加信噪比不小于1/2的随机噪声时,利用AVAZ反演方法估测所得流体因子值与真实值仍然吻合较好.     

Seismic inversion for underground fractures detection based on effective anisotropy and fluid substitution

Underground fractures play an important role in the storage and movement of hydrocarbon fluid. Fracture rock physics has been the useful bridge between fracture parameters and seismic response. In this paper, we aim to use seismic data to predict subsurface fractures based on rock physics. We begin with the construction of fracture rock physics model. Using the model, we may estimate P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity and fracture rock physics parameters. Then we derive a new approximate formula for the analysis of the relationship between fracture rock physics parameters and seismic response, and we also propose the method which uses seismic data to invert the elastic and rock physics parameters of fractured rock. We end with the method verification, which includes using well-logging data to confirm the reliability of fracture rock physics effective model and utilizing real seismic data to validate the applicability of the inversion method. Tests show that the fracture rock physics effective model may be used to estimate velocities and fracture rock physics parameters reliably, and the inversion method is resultful even when the seismic data is added with random noise. Real data test also indicates the inversion method can be applied into the estimation of the elastic and fracture weaknesses parameters in the target area.     

GEOMETRICAL OPTICS AND WAVE THEORY OF CONSTANT OFFSET SECTIONS IN LAYERED MEDIA*

Constant offset sections can be mapped to a fixed offset and compared in order to provide a method of velocity analysis. The direct mapping to zero offset prior to stack might provide an alternative processing procedure to NMO and stack. The main advantage of such a procedure would lie in the correct treatment of cross-dips, but interpretational advantages might also follow from the performance of partial stacks biased to either high or low offset information.     

转换波AVO近似及其在PP/PS联合反演中的应用(英文)

多分量勘探相比常规纵波勘探而言有许多的优势,PP/PS联合AVO分析和反演是强而有效的储层识别方法。在本文中,我们推导了更精确的转换波AVO反射系数公式;并在入射角小于30度时进行了进一步简化,其对于转换波AVO分析和反演而言更加简单有效。基于该近似,我们进行了PP/PS联合AVO反演。实际资料的实例表明,反演得到的纵横波速度比可很好地识别岩性及油气。反演得到的流体因子和泊松比等其他属性在储层处也显示出明显异常,效果显著。     

Integrating basin modeling with seismic technology and rock physics

We explore the link between basin modelling and seismic inversion by applying different rock physics models. This study uses the E‐Dragon II data in the Gulf of Mexico. To investigate the impact of different rock physics models on the link between basin modelling and seismic inversion, we first model relationships between seismic velocities and both (1) porosity and (2) effective stress for well‐log data using published rock physics models. Then, we build 1D basin models to predict seismic velocities derived from basin modelling with different rock physics models, in a comparison with average sonic velocities measured in the wells. Finally, we examine how basin modelling outputs can be used to aid seismic inversion by providing constraints for the background low‐frequency model. For this, we run different scenarios of inverting near angle partial stack seismic data into elastic impedances to test the impact of the background model on the quality of the inversion results. The results of the study suggest that the link between basin modelling and seismic technology is a two‐way interaction in terms of potential applications, and the key to refine it is establishing a rock physics models that properly describes changes in seismic signatures reflecting changes in rock properties.     

Optimal use of PP and PS time-lapse stacks for fluid–pressure discrimination

The combined use of time‐lapse PP and PS seismic data is analysed for optimal discrimination between pressure and saturation changes. The theory is based on a combination of the well‐known Gassmann model and the geomechanical grain model derived by Hertz and Mindlin. A key parameter in the discrimination process is the opening angle between curves representing constant changes in PP and PS reflectivity plotted against pressure and saturation changes. The optimal discrimination angle in the pressure–saturation space is 90° and this is used to determine optimal offset ranges for both PP and PS data. For typical production scenarios, we find an optimal offset range corresponding to an angle of incidence of 25–30°, for both PP and PS data. For gas we find slightly different results. This means that conventional survey parameters used in marine multicomponent acquisition should be sufficient for the purpose of estimating pressure and fluid saturation changes during production.