The 3D shear experiment over the Natih field in Oman. Reservoir geology, data acquisition and anisotropy analysis

This paper describes a large-scale reservoir characterization experiment carried out in Oman in 1991 which comprised the acquisition, processing and interpretation of a 28.4 km² 3D multicomponent seismic experiment over the Natih field. The objective of the survey was to obtain information on the fracture network present in the Natih carbonates from shear-wave anisotropy. Shear-wave anisotropy in excess of 20% time splitting was encountered over a large part of the survey. The seismic results are confirmed by geological and well data but provide additional qualitative information on fracturing where this was not available before. Regions of stronger and weaker shear-wave anisotropy appear to be fault-bounded. The average well flow rates (which are fracture-dominated) within such blocks correlate with the average anisotropy of the blocks. The further observation that the anisotropy is largest in the fracture gas cap of the reservoir suggests that shear waves can provide a direct hydrocarbon indicator for fractured rock.     

Modelling frequency-dependent seismic anisotropy in fluid-saturated rock with aligned fractures: implication of fracture size estimation from anisotropic measurements

Measurements of seismic anisotropy in fractured rock are used at present to deduce information about the fracture orientation and the spatial distribution of fracture intensity. Analysis of the data is based upon equivalent-medium theories that describe the elastic response of a rock containing cracks or fractures in the long-wavelength limit. Conventional models assume frequency independence and cannot distinguish between microcracks and macrofractures. The latter, however, control the fluid flow in many subsurface reservoirs. Therefore, the fracture size is essential information for reservoir engineers. In this study we apply a new equivalent-medium theory that models frequency-dependent anisotropy and is sensitive to the length scale of fractures. The model considers velocity dispersion and attenuation due to a squirt-flow mechanism at two different scales: the grain scale (microcracks and equant matrix porosity) and formation-scale fractures. The theory is first tested and calibrated against published laboratory data. Then we present the analysis and modelling of frequency-dependent shear-wave splitting in multicomponent VSP data from a tight gas reservoir. We invert for fracture density and fracture size from the frequency dependence of the time delay between split shear waves. The derived fracture length matches independent observations from borehole data.     

A shear experiment over the Natih field in Oman: pilot seismic and borehole data

An experimental multicomponent three-dimensional (3D) seismic survey has been carried out over the Natih field in Oman. This paper describes the small-scale two-dimensional experiment carried out beforehand, and how the results obtained from this pilot were used to assess the feasibility of a nine-component three-dimensional (9C3D) operation as well as to determine the field parameters for the field-scale 3D survey. It also describes the two VSPs and a wireline shear log, acquired in conjunction with the pilot experiment, and the importance of such borehole data for establishing the correct time-to-depth relationship for the seismic data and for providing an independent check on the seismic interpretation. The observation of cusps in the offset VSP indicated the strong anisotropy of the Fiqa shales overlying the Natih reservoir.     

地震各向异性流体检测技术在胜利油田垦71井区的应用(英文)

根据Chapman理论模型,在各向异性介质(如HTI介质)中,当入射角在0-45。范围内,慢横波会发生较大的衰减和频散,且对流体粘度敏感,而P波和快横波则比较小。对于沿裂隙法向传播的慢横波,其振幅受流体影响很大。因此,在P波响应对流体不敏感的情况下,可利用慢横波来获得裂隙型油气藏的流体信息。本文分析了胜利油田垦71地区三维三分量地震数据,检测出的慢横波振幅和旅行时异常与该区的测井资料十分吻合。分析结果还发现,与含油区相比,含水区会产生更高的横波分裂。在含水区,慢横波振幅会产生明显变化,而在含油区则几乎没有变化。     

Fractured reservoir delineation using multicomponent seismic data

The characteristic seismic response to an aligned-fracture system is shear-wave splitting, where the polarizations, time-delays and amplitudes of the split shear waves are related to the orientation and intensity of the fracture system. This offers the possibility of delineating fractured reservoirs and optimizing the development of the reservoirs using shear-wave data. However, such applications require carefully controlled amplitude processing to recover properly and preserve the reflections from the target zone. Here, an approach to this problem is suggested and is illustrated with field data. The proposed amplitude processing sequence contains a combination of conventional and specific shear-wave processing procedures. Assuming a four-component recording (two orthogonal horizontal sources recorded by two orthogonal horizontal receivers), the split shear waves can be simulated by an effective eigensystem, and a linear-transform technique (LTT) can be used to separate the recorded vector wavefield into two principal scalar wavefields representing the fast and slow split shear waves. Conventional scalar processing methods, designed for processing P-waves, including noise reduction and stacking procedures may be adapted to process the separated scalar wavefields. An overburden operator is then derived from and applied to the post-stacked scalar wavefields. A four-component seismic survey with three horizontal wells drilled nearby was selected to illustrate the processing sequence. The field data show that vector wavefield decomposition and overburden correction are essential for recovering the reflection amplitude information in the target zone. The variations in oil production in the three horizontal wells can be correlated with the variations in shear-wave time-delays and amplitudes, and with the variations in the azimuth angle between the horizontal well and the shear-wave polarization. Dim spots in amplitude variations can be correlated with local fracture swarms encountered by the horizontal wells. This reveals the potential of shear waves for fractured reservoir delineation.     

Seismic anisotropy in a hydrocarbon field estimated from microseismic data

The study of seismic anisotropy in exploration seismology is gaining interest as it provides valuable information about reservoir properties and stress directions. In this study we estimate anisotropy in a petroleum field in Oman using observations of shear‐wave splitting from microseismic data. The data set was recorded by arrays of borehole geophones deployed in five wells. We analyse nearly 3400 microearthquakes, yielding around 8500 shear‐wave splitting measurements. Stringent quality control reduces the number of reliable measurements to 325. Shear‐wave splitting modelling in a range of rock models is then used to guide the interpretation. The difference between the fast and slow shear‐wave velocities along the raypath in the field ranges between 0–10% and it is controlled both by lithology and proximity to the NE‐SW trending graben fault system that cuts the field formations. The anisotropy is interpreted in terms of aligned fractures or cracks superimposed on an intrinsic vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) rock fabric. The highest magnitudes of anisotropy are within the highly fractured uppermost unit of the Natih carbonate reservoir. Anisotropy decreases with depth, with the lowest magnitudes found in the deep part of the Natih carbonate formation. Moderate amounts of anisotropy are found in the shale cap rock. Anisotropy also varies laterally with the highest anisotropy occurring either side of the south‐eastern graben fault. The predominant fracture strikes, inferred from the fast shear‐wave polarizations, are consistent with the trends of the main faults (NE‐SW and NW‐SE). The majority of observations indicate subvertical fracture dip (>70° ). Cumulatively, these observations show how studies of shear‐wave splitting using microseismic data can be used to characterize fractures, important information for the exploitation of many reservoirs.     

Application research of seismic method in assessment of active fault

ＡｐｐｌｉｃａｔｉｏｎｒｅｓｅａｒｃｈｏｆｓｅｉｓｍｉｃｍｅｔｈｏｄｉｎａｓｅｓｍｅｎｔｏｆａｃｔｉｖｅｆａｕｌｔＭＩＮＧＣＡＩＸＵ（徐明才）ＪＩＮＧＨＵＡＧＡＯ（高景华）ＭＩＮＧＴＡＯＣＨＡＩ（柴铭涛）ＧＵＡＮＧＫＥＷＡＮＧ（王广科）ＪＩ...     

Comment on: 'The 3D shear experiment over the Natih field in Oman: the effects of fracture-filling fluids on shear propagation' by C.M. van der Kolk, W.S. Guest and J.H.H.M. Potters

We find errors in theory and application in the paper by van der Kolk et al. (Geophysical Prospecting 49 , 179–197 (2001)) that invalidate their arguments for the cause of the reduction in the velocity of the vertically propagating slower split shear-wave in the gas cap over the Natih field in Oman. We suggest that existing theories are adequate and can explain the anomaly.     

紫坪铺水库水位变化对剪切波分裂参数的影响

本文通过对2006—2009年四川紫坪铺水库库区8个地震台站记录的地震事件,采用剪切波分裂方法获得了水库库区剪切波分裂参数,并结合地震活动性与水库水位之间的变化关系,分析了紫坪铺水库库区地壳应力的变化特征.剪切波分裂结果显示该研究区域快波偏振方向有两个,分别为北东向和北西向,充分体现了紫坪铺水库地区地壳应力是由北西向的区域主压应力与南东走向的龙门山断裂带综合作用的结果.慢波延迟时间平均值为5.8ms·km-1,慢波延迟时间较大的地区位于库坝和库尾,分别是水库蓄水排水引起地壳应力变化最大的区域.对比慢波延迟时间的变化和水库水位的变化显示了慢波延迟时间与水库水位之间的一致变化关系,揭示了水库的蓄水排水对地壳应力的影响.     

An integrated multi-azimuth VSP study for fracture characterization in the vicinity of a well

We present the analysis of a multi-azimuth vertical seismic profiling data set that has been acquired in a tight gas field with the objective of characterizing fracture distributions using seismic anisotropy. We investigate different measurements of anisotropy, which are shear-wave splitting, P-wave traveltime anisotropy and azimuthal amplitude variation with offset. We find that for our field case shear-wave splitting is the most robust measure of azimuthal anisotropy, which is clearly observed over two distinct intervals in the target. We compare the results of the vertical seismic profiling analysis with other borehole data from the same well. Cross-dipole sonic and Formation MicroImager data from the reservoir section suggest that no open fractures intersect the well or are present within half a metre of the borehole wall. Furthermore, a detailed dispersion analysis of the sonic scanner data provides no indication of stress-induced seismic anisotropy along the logged borehole section. We therefore explain the azimuthal anisotropy measured in the vertical seismic profiling data with a model that contains discrete fracture corridors, which do not intersect the well itself but lie within the vertical seismic profiling investigation radius. We show that such a model can reproduce some basic characteristics of azimuthal anisotropy observed in the vertical seismic profiling data. The model is also consistent with well test data that suggest the presence of a fracture corridor away from the well. With this study we demonstrate the necessity of integrating different data types that investigate different scales of rock volume and can provide complementary information for understanding the characteristics of fracture networks in the subsurface.     

Using refracted shear waves for velocity estimation

The most difficult part of multicomponent processing is the estimation of the shear-wave velocity map for migration. We used refracted shear waves and a simple iterative method called wavefield continuation (WFC) to evaluate the shallow shear-wave velocity profile on a real data example. The WFC was developed in 1981 by Clayton and McMechan to determine compressional-wave velocity profiles from refracted compressional waves. The application to refracted shear waves is straightforward. The real data example shows that shear structure can be easily determined independently of the compressional structure.     

四川锦屏水库地区地壳剪切波分裂特征及蓄水影响初探

利用雅砻江流域地震台网2011年8月1日至2014年12月31日期间及四川省地震台网1个地震台站2008年5月1日至2015年8月31日期间记录的地震观测波形资料,采用剪切波分裂分析得到了四川锦屏水库地区中上地壳各向异性参数,即快剪切波偏振方向和慢剪切波时间延迟.结果显示,研究区内台站的快波优势偏振方向存在明显的局部特征,左侧4个台站的快波优势偏振方向与区域主压应力方向比较一致,右侧台站优势偏振方向各异.研究发现,台站MLI的快波偏振方向变化与水库水位的变化具有很好的相关性,在2013年7月,水库水位急剧升高到约1800m后,台站的快波偏振方向也发生了90°变化,这是一种被称为90°翻转(90°-flip)的现象.蓄水导致的应力增加(以及可能的渗水)产生的高孔隙压影响了剪切波分裂特征.     

Inversion of shear wave interval velocity on prestack converted wave data

Seismic velocity is important to migration of seismic data,interpretation of lithology and lithofacies as well asprediction of reservoir.The information of shear wave velocity is required to reduce the uncertainty for discrimi-nating lithology,identifying fluid type in porous material and calculating gas saturation in reservoir prediction.Based on Zoeppritz equations,a numeral and scanning method was proposed in this paper.Shear wave velocitycan be calculated with prestack converted wave data.The effects were demonstrated by inversion of theoreticaland real seismic data.     

川西凹陷孝泉地区3D3C量地震资料采集方法

川西坳陷孝泉地区深层须家河组致密砂岩气藏属于典型非常规裂缝性气藏,储层识别、裂缝检测、含气性识别是气藏研究的重点和难点.转换波3D3C勘探可同时获得反映岩石骨架和各向异性特性的C波资料及反映骨架及流体特性的P波资料,因而适用于川西孝泉深层超致密裂缝性气藏.在3D3C地震勘探中,三维三分量地震采集方法是采集到高质量多分量原始资料的技术保障,本文重点研究这种采集方法.首先根据地球物理参数,结合地质任务要求,分析了三维三分量观测系统设计的方法及观测系统参数,然后根据分析结果和勘探目的层的实际情况设计了同时适合纵波勘探和转换波勘探的面元尺寸、最大和最小炮检距、接收线距、束间滚动距等参数并确定了三维三分量观测系统.该观测系统在孝泉地区资料采集中,获得的三分量资料波组特征清楚,同相轴连续,反射信息丰富;Z分量剖面和R分量剖面反射层次清楚,目的层反射特征明显,具有非常好的构造形态一致性.     

Numerical analysis of seismic wave propagation in fluid-saturated porous multifractured media

Elastic wave propagation and attenuation in porous rock layers with oriented sets of fractures, especially in carbonate reservoirs, are anisotropic owing to fracture sealing, fracture size, fracture density, filling fluid, and fracture strike orientation. To address this problem, we adopt the Chapman effective medium model and carry out numerical experiments to assess the variation in P-wave velocity and attenuation, and the shear-wave splitting anisotropy with the frequency and azimuth of the incident wave. The results suggest that velocity, attenuation, and anisotropy vary as function of azimuth and frequency. The azimuths of the minimum attenuation and maximum P-wave velocity are nearly coincident with the average strike of the two sets of open fractures. P-wave velocity is greater in sealed fractures than open fractures, whereas the attenuation of energy and anisotropy is stronger in open fractures than sealed fractures. For fractures of different sizes, the maximum velocity together with the minimum attenuation correspond to the average orientation of the fracture sets. Small fractures affect the wave propagation less. Azimuth-dependent anisotropy is low and varies more than the other attributes. Fracture density strongly affects the P-wave velocity, attenuation, and shear-wave anisotropy. The attenuation is more sensitive to the variation of fracture size than that of velocity and anisotropy. In the seismic frequency band, the effect of oil and gas saturation on attenuation is very different from that for brine saturation and varies weakly over azimuth. It is demonstrated that for two sets of fractures with the same density, the fast shear-wave polarization angle is almost linearly related with the orientation of one of the fracture sets.     

3D shear-wave velocity structure of the Eifel plume, Germany

The Quaternary Eifel volcanic fields, situated on the Rhenish Massif in Germany, are the focus of a major interdisciplinary project. The aim is a detailed study of the crustal and mantle structure of the intraplate volcanic fields and their deep origin. Recent results from a teleseismic P-wave tomography study reveal a deep low-velocity structure which we infer to be a plume in the upper mantle underneath the volcanic area [J.R.R. Ritter et al., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 186 (2001) 7-14]. Here we present a travel-time investigation of 5038 teleseismic shear-wave arrivals in the same region. First, the transverse (T) and radial (R) component travel-time residuals are treated separately to identify possible effects of seismic anisotropy. A comparison of 2044 T- and 2994 R-component residuals demonstrates that anisotropy does not cause any first-order travel-time effects. The data sets reveal a deep-seated low-velocity anomaly beneath the volcanic region, causing a delay for teleseismic shear waves of about 3 s. Using 3773 combined R- and T-component residuals, an isotropic non-linear inversion is calculated. The tomographic images reveal a prominent S-wave velocity reduction in the upper mantle underneath the Eifel region. The anomaly extends down to at least 400 km depth. The velocity contrast to the surrounding mantle is depth-dependent (from −5% at 31-100 km depth to at least −1% at 400 km depth). At about 170-240 km depth the anomaly is nearly absent. The resolution of the data is sufficient to recover the described features, however the anomaly in the lower asthenosphere is underestimated due to smearing and damping. The main anomaly is similar to the P-wave model except the latter lacks the ‘hole’ near 200 km depth, and both are consistent with an upper mantle plume structure. For plausible anhydrous plume material in the uppermost 100 km of the mantle, an excess temperature as great as 200-300 K is estimated from the seismic anomaly. However, 1% partial melt reduces the required temperature anomaly to about 100 K. The temperature anomaly associated with the deeper part of the plume (250 to about 450 km depth) is at least 70 K. However, this estimate is quite uncertain, because the amplitude of the shear-wave anomaly may be larger than the modelled one. Another possibility is water in the upwelling material. The gap at 170-240 km depth could arise from an increase of the shear modulus caused by dehydration processes which would not affect P-wave velocities as much. An interaction of temperature and compositional variations, including melt and possibly water, makes it difficult to differentiate quantitatively between the causes of the deep-seated low-velocity anomaly.     

Preliminary analysis of crustal shear-wave splitting in the Sanjiang lateral collision zone of the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau and its tectonic implications

The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, to the east of the eastern Himalayan syntaxes, forms the Sanjiang lateral collision zone in the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau, where there are intense crustal deformation, active faults, earthquakes, as well as a metallogenic belt. Given the lack of adequate seismic data, shear-wave splitting in this area has not been studied. With seismic data from a temporary seismic linear array, as well as permanent seismic stations, this paper adopts the identification on microseismic event to pick more events and obtains shear-wave splitting parameters from local earthquakes. From the west to the east, the study area can be divided into three subzones. The “fast” polarization (i.e. the polarization of the fast shear wave) varies gradually from NNW to NS to NNE in these three subzones. The time delay of the slow shear wave (i.e. the time difference between the two split shear waves) also increases in the same direction, indicating the presence of seismic anisotropy above 25 km in the crust. Both shear-wave splitting parameters are closely related to stress, faults and tectonics. The scatter and the “dual” (i.e. two) dominant orientations of the fast polarizations at several stations indicate strong distortions caused by nearby faults or deep tectonics. The anisotropic parameters are found to be related to some degree to the metallogenic belt. It is worth to further analyse the link between the anisotropic pattern and the metallogenic area, which suggests that shear-wave splitting could be applied to study metallogeny. This paper demonstrates that the identification on microseismic event is a useful tool in detecting shear-wave splitting details and exploring its tectonic implications.     

The bound weighted average method (BWAM) for predicting S-wave velocity

The shear-wave velocity is a very important parameter in oil and gas seismic exploration, and vital in prestack elastic-parameters inversion and seismic attribute analysis. However, shearing-velocity logging is seldom carried out because it is expensive. This paper presents a simple method for predicting S-wave velocity which covers the basic factors that influence seismic wave propagation velocity in rocks. The elastic modulus of a rock is expressed here as a weighted arithmetic average between Voigt and Reuss bounds, where the weighting factor, w, is a measurement of the geometric details of the pore space and mineral grains. The S-wave velocity can be estimated from w, which is derived from the P-wave modulus. The method is applied to process well-logging data for a carbonate reservoir in Sichuan Basin, and shows the predicted S-wave velocities agree well with the measured S-wave velocities.     

Interpreting non-orthogonal split shear waves for seismic anisotropy in multicomponent VSPS

There are two main sources of non-orthogonality in multicomponent shear-wave seismics: inherent non-orthogonal split shear waves arising from substantial ray deviation in off-symmetry planes due to strong anisotropy or complex overburden, and apparent non-orthogonal split shear waves in the horizontal plane due to variation of the angle of incidence even if the two shear waves along the raypath are orthogonal. Many techniques for processing shear-wave splitting in VSP data ignore these kinds of non-orthogonality of the split shear waves. Assuming inherent non-orthogonality in zero-offset VSPs, and apparent non-orthogonality in offset VSPs, we derive equations for the four-component data matrix. These can be solved by extending the linear-transform technique (LTT) to determine the shear-wave polarizations in zero-offset and offset VSPs. Both full-wave synthetic and field data are used to evaluate the technique and to examine the effects of non-orthogonal polarized split shear waves. If orthogonality is incorrectly assumed, errors in polarization measurements increase with the degree of non-orthogonality, which introduces a consistent decreasing trend in the polarization measurements. However, the effect of non-orthogonality on the estimation of geophone orientation and time delays of the two split shear waves is small and negligible in most realistic cases. Furthermore, for most cases of weak anisotropy (less than 5% shear-wave anisotropy) apparent non-orthogonality is more significant than inherent non-orthogonality. Nevertheless, for strong anisotropy (more than 10% shear-wave anisotropy) with complicated structure (tilted or inclined symmetry axis), inherent non-orthogonality may no longer be negligible. Applications to both synthetic and real data show that the extended linear-transform techniques permit accurate recovery of polarization measurements in the presence of both significant inherent and apparent non-orthogonality where orthogonal techniques often fail.     

Separation of split shear waves based on a hodogram analysis of HTI media

Although the shear-wave birefringence phenomenon affects the imaging of converted shear waves, it also provides a considerable amount of information on subsurface fracture development. Therefore, it is significant to separate split shear waves before seismic interpretation and reservoir prediction. In this paper, we propose a new method of split shear waves separation based on the polarization directions derived from hodogram analysis. Through the hodogram analysis, we find that the split shear-wave particle motions are within the range of a specific and fixed rectangle, which have relations with the fracture azimuth in strata. In addition, we found that a couple of split shear waves can only be fitted to the unique trajectory rectangle through the theoretical derivation. Based on this, we establish the trajectory rectangle through the wave vector calculation and calculate the fracture azimuth according to the fact that the one edge of the trajectory rectangle is along or perpendicular to the fracture azimuth. Synthetic data analysis shows that the calculation accuracy of fracture azimuth under the constraint of trajectory rectangle is less affected by the time delay between split shear waves than using the method of eigenvector–eigenvalue decomposition (EED). Therefore, we can obtain better results for separation of split shear waves using our method than using EED. Eventually, we propose an approach of layer stripping to deal with the problem that shear wave split several times due to the situation that different strata have different fracture azimuths. Synthetic data test indicates that our method can achieve higher calculation efficiency and faster convergence speed than the conventional eigenvector–eigenvalue decomposition method, even though the data are of a low signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, field data applications show the effectiveness and potential of our method.