A field experiment of walkaway distributed acoustic sensing vertical seismic profile in a deep and deviated onshore well in Japan using a fibre optic cable deployed inside coiled tubing

A two-dimensional walkaway vertical seismic profiling survey using distributed acoustic sensing was conducted at an onshore site in Japan. The maximum depth and the deviation of the observation well were more than 4,000 m and 81 degrees, respectively. Among the several methods for installing fibre optic cables, we adopted the inside coiled tubing method, in which coiled tubing containing a fibre optic cable is deployed. The signal-to-noise ratio of the raw shot gather was low, possibly due to poor coupling between the fibre optic cable and the subsurface formation resulting from the fibre optic cable deployment method and the existence of considerable tubewave noise. Nevertheless, direct P-wave arrivals, P–P reflections and P–S converted waves exhibited acceptable signal-to-noise ratios after careful optimization of gauge length for distributed acoustic sensing optical processing and the application of carefully parameterized tubewave noise suppression. One of the challenges in current distributed acoustic sensing vertical seismic profile data processing is the separation of P- and S-waves using only one-component measurements. Hence, we applied moveout correction using two-dimensional ray tracing. This process effectively highlights only reflected P-waves, which are used in subsequent subsurface imaging. Comparison with synthetic well seismograms and two-dimensional surface seismic data confirms that the final imaging result has a sufficiently high quality for subsurface monitoring. We acquired distributed acoustic sensing vertical seismic profile data under both flowing conditions and closed conditions, in which the well was shut off and no fluid flow was allowed. The two imaging results are comparable and suggest the possibility of subsurface imaging and time-lapse monitoring using data acquired under flowing conditions. The results of this study suggest that, by adopting the inside coiled tubing method without drilling a new observation well, more affordable distributed acoustic sensing vertical seismic profile monitoring can be achieved in fields such as CO₂ capture and storage and unconventional shale projects, where monitoring costs have to be minimized.     

Vertical seismic profiling using a daisy‐chained deployment of fibre‐optic cables in four wells simultaneously – Case study at the Ketzin carbon dioxide storage site

The geological storage of carbon dioxide is considered as one of the measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate global warming. Operators of storage sites are required to demonstrate safe containment and stable behaviour of the storage complex that is achieved by geophysical and geochemical monitoring, combined with reservoir simulations. For site characterization, as well as for imaging the carbon dioxide plume in the reservoir complex and detecting potential leakage, surface and surface‐borehole time‐lapse seismic monitoring surveys are the most widespread and established tools. At the Ketzin pilot site for carbon dioxide storage, permanently installed fibre‐optic cables, initially deployed for distributed temperature sensing, were used as seismic receiver arrays, demonstrating their ability to provide high‐resolution images of the storage formation. A vertical seismic profiling experiment was acquired using 23 source point locations and the daisy‐chained deployment of a fibre‐optic cable in four wells as a receiver array. The data were used to generate a 3D vertical seismic profiling cube, complementing the large‐scale 3D surface seismic measurements by a high resolution image of the reservoir close to the injection well. Stacking long vibro‐sweeps at each source location resulted in vertical seismic profiling shot gathers characterized by a signal‐to‐noise ratio similar to gathers acquired using geophones. A detailed data analysis shows strong dependency of data quality on borehole conditions with significantly better signal‐to‐noise ratio in regions with good coupling conditions.     

Field trial of seismic recording using distributed acoustic sensing with broadside sensitive fibre‐optic cables

Distributed acoustic sensing is an emerging technology using fibre‐optic cables to detect acoustic disturbances such as flow noise and seismic signals. The technology has been applied successfully in hydraulic fracture monitoring and vertical seismic profiling. One of the limitations of distributed acoustic sensing for seismic recording is that the conventional straight fibres do not have broadside sensitivity and therefore cannot be used in configurations where the raypaths are essentially orthogonal to the fibre‐optic cable, such as seismic reflection methods from the surface. The helically wound cable was designed to have broadside sensitivity. In this paper, a field trial is described to validate in a qualitative sense the theoretically predicted angle‐dependent response of a helically wound cable. P‐waves were measured with a helically wound cable as a function of the angle of incidence in a shallow horizontal borehole and compared with measurements with a co‐located streamer. The results show a similar behaviour as a function of the angle of incidence as the theory. This demonstrates the possibility of using distributed acoustic sensing with a helically wound cable as a seismic detection system with a horizontal cable near the surface. The helically wound cable does not have any active parts and can be made as a slim cable with a diameter of a few centimetres. For that reason, distributed acoustic sensing with a helically wound cable is a potential low‐cost option for permanent seismic monitoring on land.     

The use of multi‐frequency acquisition to significantly improve the quality of fibre‐optic‐distributed vibration sensing

Unlike conventional sensors that measure the passage of seismic waves at a single position, distributed vibration sensing systems, also known as distributed acoustic sensing systems, detect the passage of seismic waves by averaging a measurement of strain over a section of fibre‐optic cable. Distributed vibration sensing systems work by transmitting pulses of light down the fibre and measuring the phase of the Rayleigh backscatter. At random positions along the fibre, however, fading occurs; this is where the amplitude of the backscattered signal is very small due to cancellation of the scattered electric fields, resulting in anomalously noisy traces in a common source gather. This paper addresses the problem of fading in a particular form of distributed vibration sensors: a new optical arrangement of the instrumentation is described that allows the measurement to be carried out quasi‐simultaneously at multiple optical interrogation frequencies. The interrogation frequencies are chosen to be sufficiently different that their fading properties are distinct and the diversity thus obtained is used to aggregate the data obtained to substantially reduce the noise caused by fading. As well as reducing the effects of fading, the aggregation of the independent results can also help to reduce the overall noise of the measurement and improve the linearity of the distributed vibration sensing system.     

The effect of gauge length on axially incident P‐waves measured using fibre optic distributed vibration sensing

Distributed vibration sensing, also known as distributed acoustic sensing, is a relatively new method for recording vertical seismic profile data using a fibre optic cable as the sensor. The signal obtained from such systems is a distributed measurement over a length of fibre referred to as the gauge length. In this paper, we show that gauge length selection is one of the most important acquisition parameters for a distributed vibration sensing survey. If the gauge length is too small, then the signal‐to‐noise ratio will be poor. If the gauge length is too large, resolution will be reduced and the shape of the wavelet will be distorted. The optimum gauge length, as derived here, is a function of the velocity and frequencies of the seismic waves being measured. If these attributes vary considerably over the depth of a survey, then the use of different gauge lengths is recommended. The significant increases in data quality resulting from the use of multiple gauge length values are demonstrated using field data.     

Feasibility of borehole ambient noise interferometry for permanent reservoir monitoring

The analysis of seismic ambient noise acquired during temporary or permanent microseismic monitoring campaigns (e.g., improved/enhanced oil recovery monitoring, surveillance of induced seismicity) is potentially well suited for time‐lapse studies based on seismic interferometry. No additional data acquisition required, ambient noise processing can be automatized to a high degree, and seismic interferometry is very sensitive to small medium changes. Thus there is an opportunity for detection and monitoring of velocity variations in a reservoir at negligible additional cost and effort. Data and results are presented from an ambient noise interferometry study applied to two wells in a producing oil field in Romania. Borehole microseismic monitoring on three component geophones was performed for four weeks, concurrent with a water‐flooding phase for improved oil recovery from a reservoir in ca. 1 km depth. Both low‐frequency (2 Hz–50 Hz) P‐ and S‐waves propagating through the vertical borehole arrays were reconstructed from ambient noise by the virtual source method. The obtained interferograms clearly indicate an origin of the ambient seismic energy from above the arrays, thus suggesting surface activities as sources. It is shown that ambient noise from time periods as short as 30 seconds is sufficient to obtain robust interferograms. Sonic log data confirm that the vertical and horizontal components comprise first arrivals of P‐wave and S‐waves, respectively. The consistency and high quality of the interferograms throughout the entire observation period further indicate that the high‐frequency part (up to 100 Hz) represents the scattered wave field. The temporal variation of apparent velocities based on first‐arrival times partly correlates with the water injection rate and occurrence of microseismic events. It is concluded that borehole ambient noise interferometry in production settings is a potentially useful method for permanent reservoir monitoring due to its high sensitivity and robustness.     

A study of the geophysical response of distributed fibre optic acoustic sensors through laboratory‐scale experiments

In the past few years, distributed acoustic sensing has gained great interest in geophysics. This acquisition technology offers immense improvement in terms of efficiency when compared with current geophysical acquisition methods. However, the fundamentals of the measurement are still not fully understood because direct comparisons of fibre data with conventional geophysical sensors are difficult during field tests. We present downscaled laboratory experiments that enabled us to characterise the relationship between the signals recorded by conventional seismic point receivers and by distributed fibre optic sensors. Interrogation of the distributed optical fibre sensor was performed with a Michelson interferometer because this system is suited to compact test configurations, and it requires only a very simple data processing workflow for extracting the signal outputs. We show acoustic data that were recorded simultaneously by both the fibre optical interferometer and conventional three‐component accelerometers, thus enabling the comparison of sensor performance. We present results focused on the directionality of fibre measurements, on the amplitude variation with angle of incidence, and on the transfer function that allows accelerometer signals to be transformed into optical fibre signals. We conclude that the optical fibre response matches with the array of the displacement differences of the inline accelerometers deployed along the fibre length. Moreover, we also analysed the influence of various types of coupling and fibre cable coating on the signal responses, emphasising the importance of these parameters for field seismic acquisitions when using the distributed fibre optic technology.     

High‐resolution multi‐component distributed acoustic sensing

Distributed acoustic sensing uses an optical fibre together with an interrogator unit to perform strain measurements. The usage of distributed acoustic sensing in geophysics is attractive due to its dense spatial sampling and low operation cost if the optical fibre is freely accessible. In the borehole environment, optical fibres for distributed acoustic sensing are often readily available as a part of other sensing tools, such as for temperature and pressure. Although the distributed acoustic sensing system promises great potential for reservoir monitoring and surface seismic acquisition, the single axial strain measurement of distributed acoustic sensing along the fibre is inadequate to fully characterise the different wave modes, thus making reservoir characterisation challenging. We propose an acquisition system using five equally spaced helical optical fibres and a straight optical fibre to obtain six different strain projections. This system allows us to reconstruct all components of the 3D strain tensor at any location along the fibre. Analysing the condition number associated with the geometry of the optical fibre, we can systematically search for the optimum design parameters for our configuration. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method to successful reconstruction of the full strain tensor from elastic wavefields of arbitrary complexity.     

陆上高分辨率地震勘探检波器性能及应用效果分析(英文)

地震检波器的性能是高分辨率地震数据采集中的一个重要因素,对资料的品质影响很大。为此,作者在不同类型地区对目前在高分辨率地震勘探中常用的动圈式检波器、涡流检波器和数字检波器的性能进行了对比试验。通过野外工作的实际,总结了动圈式检波器、涡流检波器和数字检波器在不同表层地质条件地区的应用效果,提出了适合该类地区高分辨率地震检波器的性能指标,指出合理选择检波器类型和检波器的联接方式,能提高地震资料的信噪比和分辨率。     

分布式光纤声波传感系统在近地表成像中的应用Ⅰ：主动源高频面波

近年来发展的新型地震观测系统--分布式光纤声波传感器(DAS,Distributed Acoustic Sensing)可以实现低成本高密度观测,有望提高浅层结构成像的精度以及分辨率.最近国内研发了一系列具有自主知识产权的DAS设备,为验证国产设备在浅层结构研究中的可行性以及应用效果,2018年7月我们开展了一次DAS观测实验.实验采集了50kg落锤震源激发的地震信号,并采用多道面波分析方法提取了8~20Hz频段的主动源Rayleigh波相速度频散曲线,得到了实验区浅层30m的S波速度结构.获得的主动源面波频散曲线与共址检波器的结果吻合,也与背景噪声提取的结果具有较好的一致性,表明国产设备的可靠性和DAS在浅层结构主动源面波成像研究中的可行性.     

Convolutional neural networks for automated microseismic detection in downhole distributed acoustic sensing data and comparison to a surface geophone array

Distributed acoustic sensing is a growing technology that enables affordable downhole recording of strain wavefields from microseismic events with spatial sampling down to ∼1 m. Exploiting this high spatial information density motivates different detection approaches than typically used for downhole geophones. A new machine learning method using convolutional neural networks is described that operates on the full strain wavefield. The method is tested using data recorded in a horizontal observation well during hydraulic fracturing in the Eagle Ford Shale, Texas, and the results are compared to a surface geophone array that simultaneously recorded microseismic activity. The neural network was trained using synthetic microseismic events injected into real ambient noise, and it was applied to detect events in the remaining data. There were 535 detections found and no false positives. In general, the signal-to-noise ratio of events recorded by distributed acoustic sensing was lower than the surface array and 368 of 933 surface array events were found. Despite this, 167 new events were found in distributed acoustic sensing data that had no detected counterpart in the surface array. These differences can be attributed to the different detection threshold that depends on both magnitude and distance to the optical fibre. As distributed acoustic sensing data quality continues to improve, neural networks offer many advantages for automated, real-time microseismic event detection, including low computational cost, minimal data pre-processing, low false trigger rates and continuous performance improvement as more training data are acquired.     

Imaging shallow structure with active-source surface wave signal recorded by distributed acoustic sensing arrays

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is one recently developed seismic acquisition technique that is based on fiber-optic sensing. DAS provides dense spatial spacing that is useful to image shallow structure with surface waves. To test the feasibility of DAS in shallow structure imaging, the PoroTomo team conducted a DAS experiment with the vibroseis truck T-Rex in Brady’s Hot Springs, Nevada, USA. The Rayleigh waves excited by the vertical mode of the vibroseis truck were analyzed with the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) method. Phase velocities between 5 and 20 Hz were successfully extracted for one segment of cable and were employed to build a shear-wave velocity model for the top 50 meters. The dispersion curves obtained with DAS agree well with the ones extracted from co-located geophones data and from the passive source Noise Correlation Functions (NCF). Comparing to the co-located geophone array, the higher sensor density that DAS arrays provides help reducing aliasing in dispersion analysis, and separating different surface wave modes. This study demonstrates the feasibility and advantage of DAS in imaging shallow structure with surface waves.     

Burying receivers for improved time‐lapse seismic repeatability: CO2CRC Otway field experiment

4D seismic is widely used to remotely monitor fluid movement in subsurface reservoirs. This technique is especially effective offshore where high survey repeatability can be achieved. It comes as no surprise that the first 4D seismic that successfully monitored the CO₂ sequestration process was recorded offshore in the Sleipner field, North Sea. In the case of land projects, poor repeatability of the land seismic data due to low S/N ratio often obscures the time‐lapse seismic signal. Hence for a successful on shore monitoring program improving seismic repeatability is essential. Stage 2 of the CO2CRC Otway project involves an injection of a small amount (around 15,000 tonnes) of CO₂/CH₄ gas mixture into a saline aquifer at a depth of approximately 1.5 km. Previous studies at this site showed that seismic repeatability is relatively low due to variations in weather conditions, near surface geology and farming activities. In order to improve time‐lapse seismic monitoring capabilities, a permanent receiver array can be utilised to improve signal to noise ratio and hence repeatability. A small‐scale trial of such an array was conducted at the Otway site in June 2012. A set of 25 geophones was installed in 3 m deep boreholes in parallel to the same number of surface geophones. In addition, four geophones were placed into boreholes of 1–12 m depth. In order to assess the gain in the signal‐to‐noise ratio and repeatability, both active and passive seismic surveys were carried out. The surveys were conducted in relatively poor weather conditions, with rain, strong wind and thunderstorms. With such an amplified background noise level, we found that the noise level for buried geophones is on average 20 dB lower compared to the surface geophones. The levels of repeatability for borehole geophones estimated around direct wave, reflected wave and ground roll are twice as high as for the surface geophones. Both borehole and surface geophones produce the best repeatability in the 30–90 Hz frequency range. The influence of burying depth on S/N ratio and repeatability shows that significant improvement in repeatability can be reached at a depth of 3 m. The level of repeatability remains relatively constant between 3 and 12 m depths.     

Interaction of helically wound fibre‐optic cables with plane seismic waves

Distributed acoustic sensing is a novel technology for seismic acquisition. In this technology, strain changes induced by seismic waves impinging on an optical fibre are monitored. Due to the fact that glass is relatively rigid, straight glass fibres are not sensitive to broadside waves. We suggest using distributed acoustic sensing systems with fibres helically wound around cables. One increases the fibre sensitivity to broadside waves by decreasing the fibre wrapping angle (the angle between the fibre axis and the plane normal to the cable axis). The optimal wrapping angle is chosen to minimize the impact of Rayleigh waves on the signal measured. This angle depends on the cable Poisson ratio, and it is approximately equal to 30° for cables composed of plastic. For reliable detection of seismic waves, one needs a good mechanical contact between the cable and the surrounding medium. On the other hand, the sensitivity of distributed acoustic sensing systems to primary waves can be significantly reduced if the cable is placed in a cemented borehole.     

Seismic interferometry experiment in a shallow cased borehole using a seismic vibrator source‡

We present the results of a seismic interferometry experiment in a shallow cased borehole. The experiment is an initial study for subsequent borehole seismic surveys in an instrumented well site, where we plan to test other surface/borehole seismic techniques. The purpose of this application is to improve the knowledge of the reflectivity sequence and to verify the potential of the seismic interferometry approach to retrieve high‐frequency signals in the single well geometry, overcoming the loss and attenuation effects introduced by the overburden. We used a walkaway vertical seismic profile (VSP) geometry with a seismic vibrator to generate polarized vertical and horizontal components along a surface seismic line and an array of 3C geophones cemented outside the casing. The recorded traces are processed to obtain virtual sources in the borehole and to simulate single‐well gathers with a variable source‐receiver offset in the vertical array. We compare the results obtained by processing the field data with synthetic signals calculated by numerical simulation and analyse the signal bandwidth and amplitude versus offset to evaluate near‐field effects in the virtual signals. The application provides direct and reflected signals with improved bandwidth after vibrator signal deconvolution. Clear reflections are detected in the virtual seismic sections in agreement with the geology and other surface and borehole seismic data recorded with conventional seismic exploration techniques.     

SEPARATION OF P- AND S-WAVES*

In combined P- and SV-observations with vertical and in-line horizontal geophones, recognition and separation of the individual P- and S-arrivals may form a considerable problem. Due to the geophone receiving characteristics, P- and S-waves are observed on both horizontal and vertical geophones. A new method of separating P- and S-waves is presented that inverts the geophone records for the receiving characteristics, thereby separating the two wavetypes. The filter coefficients are determined from the near-surface P- and S-wave velocity and from the geometry of the geophone groups. The P/S-separation filter was tested on synthetic data with good results. Even PS- and SP-converted reflections, which are completely coinciding for horizontal reflectors, could be well separated. The filter appears to be stable and to have low sensitivity to noise in the data or to errors in the near-surface P- and S-wave velocity. The filter is superior to other separation methods, which were applied to the same dataset for comparison. This method can also be applied to VSP data.     

Field and synthetic experiments for virtual source crosswell tomography in vertical wells: Perth Basin,Western Australia

It is common for at least one monitoring well to be located proximally to a production well. This presents the possibility of applying crosswell technologies to resolve a range of earth properties between the wells. We present both field and synthetic examples of dual well walk-away vertical seismic profiling in vertical wells and show how the direct arrivals from a virtual source may be used to create velocity images between the wells. The synthetic experiments highlight the potential of virtual source crosswell tomography where large numbers of closely spaced receivers can be deployed in multiple wells. The field experiment is completed in two monitoring wells at an aquifer storage and recovery site near Perth, Western Australia. For this site, the crosswell velocity distribution recovered from inversion of travel times between in-hole virtual sources and receivers is highly consistent with what is expected from sonic logging and detailed zero-offset vertical seismic profiling. When compared to conventional walkaway vertical seismic profiling, the only additional effort required to complete dual-well walkaway vertical seismic profiling is the deployment of seismic sensors in the second well. The significant advantage of virtual source crosswell tomography is realised where strong near surface heterogeneity results in large travel time statics.     

固体液体分界面处P波和S波波场的分离

在地震勘探中,Ｐ波和Ｓ波入射到一固体液体分界面处时,在该分界处的水平检波器和垂直检波器将接受到相位的响应垂直的响应。垂直检波器的响应与在自由界面处的垂直检波器 响应大概相同,而水平检波器对Ｐ波的响应相对于对Ｓ波的 来说要强。     

光栅Bragg地震检波器的传感特性研究(英文)

针对目前石油地震勘探的瓶颈—检波器性能差的问题,设计了一种新型光纤Bragg光栅（FBG）地震检波器,阐述了其工作原理,并从理论上给出了检波器的响应函数等参数。由于FBG的传感优势,这种新型地震检波器动态范围可达94dB,灵敏度高,重量轻,造价低,是理想的新一代地震勘探信号采集单元。     

ON THE MINIMIZATION OF THE DISTORTION CAUSED BY THE GEOPHONE-GROUND COUPLING *

It is well known that the application of the “bright spot’ technique has been more successful in marine prospecting than in land prospecting. This is due partly to the problem of distortion of the seismic signal caused by the geophone-ground coupling, especially when carrying out high resolution, shallow seismic surveys in swampy terrain. The effect of geophone-ground coupling on the response of a single geophone to the incident compressional waves has been treated by several authors. However, they have always neglected the influence of mutual interaction between an array of geophones on the response of each geophone forming the array. We show that mutual interaction, which results from the re-radiation of the incident compressional waves by the geophones forming the array, can have considerable effect on the response of each geophone. The effect of the geophone-ground coupling on the response of a seismic channel is considered in the absence and presence of mutual interaction between a group of geophones for the case when the shear wave velocity of the soil varies by a factor of three.