Impact of processing on the amplitude versus offset response of a marine seismic data set1

The analysis of prestack reflections may have a high diagnostic potential in the evaluation of the petrophysical characteristics of subsurface targets. However, the recovery of reliable seismic responses, especially when examining amplitude versus offset (AVO) variations, is of the utmost importance and is strictly dependent on the acquisition and processing steps. In order to evaluate the impact of different processing sequences, we examine the AVO responses of three seismic events from a marine data set. Borehole data indicate that these events are related to a lignitic sand, a gas sand and a cineritic bed. The AVO analysis is focused mainly on the reflections from the gas sand. In particular, we compare the results of a standard processing sequence with results from a surface-consistent approach and with results from a processing sequence tailored to this specific case. A decreasing AVO trend of the gas-sand reflection results from the analyses of data that have undergone the standard and the surface-consistent processing sequences. This contrasts with both theory and borehole information, which both predict an energy increase with offset. A detailed study shows that the receiver array attenuation, neglected in previous Studies, plays a major role in attenuating the far-offset reflections. Other propagation factors, such as offset-dependent geometrical spreading and Q absorption, produce only minor effects. Taking into account the above factors, we apply a third processing sequence whose impact on the AVO trend is evaluated step by step and whose results are compared with the previously applied sequences. This new sequence leads to better agreement between the AVOs predicted from borehole data and those measured on surface seismic data.     

基于保幅拉东变换的多次波衰减

为在去除多次波时有效保护地震一次反射波数据的AVO现象,给后续反演、解释提供准确的地震数据,本文提出了一种基于保幅拉东变换的多次波衰减方法,该方法是对常规抛物拉东变换的修改,把常规的稀疏拉东变换在拉东域分成两部分：一部分用于模拟零偏移距处的反射波能量,增加的另一部分用于模拟反射波振幅的AVO特性.该方法不仅考虑了反射波同相轴的形状,还考虑了反射波同相轴振幅幅度的变化,从而可把反射波信息进行有效转换,进而有利于多次波的消除,更好地恢复有效波的能量.在把地震数据由时间域转换到拉东域时,本文采用了IRLS算法实现保幅拉东算子的反演.模型数据和实际地震道集的试算分析表明,与常规拉东变换相比,保幅拉东变换在去除多次波的同时可有效保护一次反射波的AVO现象.     

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.     

用岩芯模拟测试参数做模型正演预测储层油、气、水边界

利用地震资料进行AVO油气检测,需要提供准确的储层岩石物性参数．通过对准噶尔盆地西部储层岩样实验室测定,得出合不同流体岩石在不同温度、压力下纵横波速度、速度比、泊松比的变化规律及差异．根据其差异性,用Zoeppritz方程做模型正演,以确定目的层有无AVO响应,以便对地震剖面做针对性的特殊处理．实际应用结果表明,用实验室测试的岩石物性参数做模型正演,可提高AVO检测的准确性,为用地震资料结合实验室岩芯测试参数预测地层油、气、水边界提供了有效手段．     

部分饱和砂岩储层地震物理模拟及含气饱和度预测分析

含气饱和度预测是天然气储层地震解释工作的重要目标.本文将岩石物理分析与地震物理模拟技术相结合,构建了部分;饱和砂岩储层物理模型并进行含气饱和度预测分析.物理模型中设置了高孔渗常规砂岩和低孑孔渗致密砂岩两种模拟储层,每种储层都是由具有不同含水饱和度的气-水双相饱和砂体组成.岩石物理分析结果显示在低孔渗致密砂岩中气-水混合流体更加倾向于非均匀的斑块分布,而结合了Brie等效流体公式的Gassmann流体替换理论可以更准确地描述纵波速度随含水饱和度的变化趋势.对物理模型进行地震资料采集处理后,对比了AVO特征和叠前同步反演结果对两种砂岩储层含气饱和度预测能力的差异.AVO特征结果显示,对于混合流体均匀分布的高孔渗砂岩储层,AVO响应曲线和属性变化很难对含气饱和度进行估算;对于混合流体斑块分布的致密砂岩储层,AVO特征可以定性地分辨出储层是否为高、中、低含气情况.反演结果显示,密度及纵横波速度比分别对高孔渗及致密砂岩储层的含气饱和度有着较好的指示能力.     

Coherence methods in mapping AVO anomalies and predicting P-wave and S-wave impedances

Filters for migrated offset substacks are designed by partial coherence analysis to predict ‘normal’ amplitude variation with offset (AVO) in an anomaly free area. The same prediction filters generate localized prediction errors when applied in an AVO‐anomalous interval. These prediction errors are quantitatively related to the AVO gradient anomalies in a background that is related to the minimum AVO anomaly detectable from the data. The prediction‐error section is thus used to define a reliability threshold for the identification of AVO anomalies. Coherence analysis also enables quality control of AVO analysis and inversion. For example, predictions that are non‐localized and/or do not show structural conformity may indicate spatial variations in amplitude–offset scaling, seismic wavelet or signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio content. Scaling and waveform variations can be identified from inspection of the prediction filters and their frequency responses. S/N ratios can be estimated via multiple coherence analysis. AVO inversion of seismic data is unstable if not constrained. However, the use of a constraint on the estimated parameters has the undesirable effect of introducing biases into the inverted results: an additional bias‐correction step is then needed to retrieve unbiased results. An alternative form of AVO inversion that avoids additional corrections is proposed. This inversion is also fast as it inverts only AVO anomalies. A spectral coherence matching technique is employed to transform a zero‐offset extrapolation or near‐offset substack into P‐wave impedance. The same technique is applied to the prediction‐error section obtained by means of partial coherence, in order to estimate S‐wave velocity to P‐wave velocity (V_S/V_P) ratios. Both techniques assume that accurate well ties, reliable density measurements and P‐wave and S‐wave velocity logs are available, and that impedance contrasts are not too strong. A full Zoeppritz inversion is required when impedance contrasts that are too high are encountered. An added assumption is made for the inversion to the V_S/V_P ratio, i.e. the Gassmann fluid‐substitution theory is valid within the reservoir area. One synthetic example and one real North Sea in‐line survey illustrate the application of the two coherence methods.     

PP and PS joint AVO inversion and fluid prediction

The technique of amplitude variation with offset or angle (AVO or AVA) can be used to extract fluid and lithology information from prestack seismic data. Based on three-term AVO equations, three elastic parameters can be inverted for by linear AVO inversion. However, many theoretical and numerical studies have demonstrated that by using offset limited data, a three-term AVO inversion may have problems of instability and inaccuracy while inverting for the density term. We have searched for an elastic parameter that contains density information and inverted this parameter in a more stable manner using offset limited data. First, we test the sensitivity of elastic parameters to hydrocarbon reservoirs and select the optimal fluid factor (ρf) that contains density information and has an excellent performance as an inversion parameter used to detect hydrocarbons. Then, we derive approximate PP and PS reflection coefficient equations in terms of the fluid factor. The derived equations allow us to directly estimate the fluid factor of the reservoir. Finally, we apply these equations to synthetic data by employing a joint AVO inversion technique. The results show that the method is stable and unambiguous.     

Constant normal-moveout (CNMO) correction: a technique and test results

We introduce a processing technique which minimizes the 'stretching effects' of conventional NMO correction. Unlike conventional NMO, the technique implies constant normal moveout (CNMO) for a finite time interval of a seismic trace. The benefits of the proposed method include preservation of higher frequencies and reduction of spectral distortions at far offsets. The need for severe muting after the correction is reduced, allowing longer spreads for stack, velocity and AVO analysis. The proposed technique has been tested on model and real data. The method may improve the resolution of CMP stack and AVO attribute analysis. The only assumptions for this stretch-free NMO correction are (i) all time samples of a digital reflected wavelet at a particular offset have the same normal moveout, and (ii) reflection records have an interference nature.     

台湾西南海域地震数据处理及天然气水合物地震属性

对台湾西南海域增生楔部位长排列多道地震数据进行地震成像、速度分析、AVO分析、AVO反演处理,获得了天然气水合物多属性地震特征.在偏移剖面上,BSR与海底近似平行,极性与海底相反,穿越沉积层.AVO分析显示,强BSR振幅部位,BSR振幅随偏移距增大而增大.精细速度分析表明强BSR振幅下方存在纵波低速层.对应于强BSR振幅部位,AVO反演的P波、G波为相对高负值区,位于P、G交会图的第三象限,该部位泊松比变化率为负值,横波反射系数接近于零.以上多属性地震特征均预示着该区域可能存在天然气水合物层,且天然气水合物层下方可能存在游离甲烷气层.     

Sensitivity of reflection seismic data to oil-column height in high-porosity sandstones

Tuning is the effect of interference between the reflections from the top and bottom of a thin layer on the amplitude of the composite reflection. For a homogeneous sandstone reservoir containing an oil column overlying brine, interference between the reflection from the top reservoir and the oil/water contact is a function of the height of the oil column. If the properties of the sandstone do not vary across the oil/water contact, the SS, PS and SP reflection coefficients from the oil/water contact are small in comparison to the PP reflection coefficient. This allows analytic expressions for the effective PP and PS reflection coefficients from the reservoir to be derived that include all P‐wave multiples within the oil column. For a given source/receiver offset, the component of the wavevector inside the oil column normal to the interface is larger for the PPPP reflection than for the PPPS reflection, due to the asymmetry in the raypath for the PPPS reflection. The PPPS reflection is therefore useful for determining oil‐column heights larger than that discriminated by the PPPP reflection, especially when used at wider offsets. A convenient classification of the AVO response of hydrocarbon‐bearing sandstone reservoirs overlain by shale is the scheme of Rutherford and Williams. Class 1 sands have higher acoustic impedance for normal incidence than the overlying shale, Class 2 sands have nearly the same acoustic impedance as the shale and Class 3 sands have lower acoustic impedance. Synthetic shot gathers calculated for these three classes as a function of oil‐column height show that a combination of the PPPP and the PPPS amplitudes can be plotted as a tuning trajectory, which can be used to determine the oil‐column height. This method is most sensitive for reservoirs that belong to AVO classes 1 and 2, and therefore may be useful in AVO analysis of Class 1 and 2 reservoirs where the traditional AVO indicators (developed for Class 3 reservoirs) do not work very well. These results demonstrate the usefulness of shear waves recorded in the marine environment at wide offsets.     

Estimation of petrophysical parameters by linearized inversion of angle domain pre-stack data

We describe a linear Bayesian inversion method to estimate the relevant petrophysical properties of the media forming a reflecting interface from the observations of amplitude variation with incidence angle. Three main steps characterize the proposed approach:
– information from borehole logs are statistically analysed to estimate the empirical models that describe the functional relationship between petrophysical (e.g. porosity, saturation, pressure or depth) and seismic variable(P and S velocities and density);
– the pure-mode (PP) reflection coefficient is parameterized in terms of the relevant petrophysical variables and is linearized in order to implement the linear inversion;
– the sought petrophysical parameters are estimated from the seismic reflected amplitudes by applying the linearized inversion where a priori information, data and model errors and solutions are described by probability density functions.
We test the method on synthetic and real data relative to reflections from a shale/gas-sand interface where the amplitude versus angle response, besides the lithological contrast, is mainly controlled by the saturation and porosity of the sand layer. The outcomes of the linearized inversion are almost identical to those obtained by a previously developed non-linear inversion method demonstrating the applicability of the linear inversion. It turns out that the gas-sand saturation in the range 0%–95% is a poorly resolved parameter while the porosity is the best resolved parameter. The issues of robustness and resolution of the inversion are discussed either through singular value decomposition analysis or the observation of the a posteriori probability density functions.
The linear inversion algorithm, compared with the previously developed non-linear method, reduces significantly the computation time allowing for more extensive applications.     

A procedure to reduce side lobes of reflection wavelets: A contribution to low frequency information

Side lobes of the wavelets arise from the lack of low frequency content in a reflection wavelet. They tend to increase the time span of an individual reflection event and interfere with the other primary reflections or side lobes. Furthermore, their trace-by-trace consistency may produce pseudo-reflections and may cause misinterpretations of the side lobes as weak reflections.A procedure in order to improve the low frequency content of the seismic traces by suppressing the side lobe amplitudes based on the complex trace envelope is proposed. Using the average energies of the seismic trace and its envelope, the polarity table of the trace is obtained and used to correct the phase of the envelope. The resultant trace is termed “side lobe reduced (SLR) trace”. The method can be applied to the stack or migrated seismic data by a trace-by-trace basis. The only required parameter of the method is the moving average operator length which is used to calculate average energies of the input traces. In general, shorter operator lengths yield better results when the dominant frequency of the input increases.Results from synthetics and real seismic data sets show that the procedure improves the low frequency components of the input trace and side lobes in the output SLR trace are significantly suppressed. The method may be considered as a seismic amplitude attribute, which aids the interpreter to obtain the true seismic signature of the geological formations by removing the side lobes of the wavelet and restoring the low frequency components if the lower frequencies of deeper reflections are of primary concern.     

AVO study of a gas-hydrate deposit, offshore Costa Rica

Amplitude variation with offset (AVO) analysis and waveform inversion are techniques used to determine qualitative or quantitative information on gas hydrates and free gas in sediments. However, the quantitative contribution of gas hydrates to the acoustic impedance contrast observed at the bottom‐simulating reflector and the reliability of quantitative AVO analyses are still topics of discussion. In this study, common‐midpoint gathers from multichannel wide‐angle reflection seismic data, acquired offshore Costa Rica, have been processed to preserve true amplitude information at the bottom‐simulating reflector for a quantitative AVO analysis incorporating angles of incidence of up to 60°. Corrections were applied for effects that significantly alter the observed amplitudes, such as the source directivity. AVO and rock‐physics modelling indicate that free gas immediately beneath the gas‐hydrate stability zone can be detected and low concentrations can be quantified from AVO analysis, whereas the offset‐dependent reflectivity is not sensitive to gas‐hydrate concentrations of less than about 10% at the base of the gas‐hydrate stability zone. Bulk free‐gas saturations up to 5% have been determined from the reflection seismic data assuming a homogeneous distribution of free gas in the sediment. Assuming a patchy distribution of free gas increases the estimated concentrations up to 14%. There is a patchy occurrence of bottom‐simulating reflectors south‐east of the Nicoya Peninsula on the continental margin, offshore Costa Rica. AVO analysis indicates that this phenomenon is related to the local presence of free gas beneath the gas‐hydrate stability zone, probably related to a focused vertical fluid flow. In areas without bottom‐simulating reflectors, the results indicate that no free gas is present.     

多方向正交多项式变换压制多次波

提出一种基于Radon 变换和正交多项式变换的多方向正交多项式变换压制多次波方法.抛物Radon变换对不同曲率方向的同相轴叠加,根据速度差异区分一次波和多次波,但Radon反变换会损伤振幅特性,不利于AVO分析.多方向正交多项式变换在Radon变换(某一曲率方向的零阶特性)的基础上,利用正交多项式变换进一步分析同相轴的高阶多项式分布特性,用正交多项式谱表征同相轴AVO特性;根据一次波和多次波速度差异和同相轴能量分布特征实现多次波压制.该方法的优点是仅用一个曲率参数就可描述同相轴剩余时差参数,提高了一次波和多次波的剩余时差分辨率.实验结果表明,该方法可以有效压制多次波并保留一次波AVO特性.     

NON-LINEAR AVO INVERSION FOR A STACK OF ANELASTIC LAYERS1

Parameters in a stack of homogeneous anelastic layers are estimated from seismic data, using the amplitude versus offset (AVO) variations and the travel-times. The unknown parameters in each layer are the layer thickness, the P-wave velocity, the S-wave velocity, the density and the quality factor. Dynamic ray tracing is used to solve the forward problem. Multiple reflections are included, but wave-mode conversions are not considered. The S-wave velocities are estimated from the PP reflection and transmission coefficients. The inverse problem is solved using a stabilized least-squares procedure. The Gauss-Newton approximation to the Hessian matrix is used, and the derivatives of the dynamic ray-tracing equation are calculated analytically for each iteration. A conventional velocity analysis, the common mid-point (CMP) stack and a set of CMP gathers are used to identify the number of layers and to establish initial estimates for the P-wave velocities and the layer thicknesses. The inversion is carried out globally for all parameters simultaneously or by a stepwise approach where a smaller number of parameters is considered in each step. We discuss several practical problems related to inversion of real data. The performance of the algorithm is tested on one synthetic and two real data sets. For the real data inversion, we explained up to 90% of the energy in the data. However, the reliability of the parameter estimates must at this stage be considered as uncertain.     

海域天然气水合物的地震研究进展

海域天然气水合物的地震研究是在岩石物性分析成果的指导下,用地震技术进行真假BSR的识别和含水合物沉积层物性预测.海域天然气水合物地震研究的进展主要表现在：物性分析理论模型由简单模型发展到最大程度模拟实际情况的复杂模型;地震勘探方法已由常规的单道、多道地震发展到多频地震、高分辨率二维、三维地震和海底多分量地震;地震资料处理由常规处理发展到突出BSR特征的“三高”和叠前时间偏移处理;从利用速度、振幅结构研究识别天然气水合物发展到AVO、多属性判别、多弹性参数和多物性参数反演识别天然气水合物、预测其物性参数.这些新技术、新方法的应用,加快了海域天然气水合物调查进度,提高了天然气水合物地球物理识别的可靠性.     

Well tie,fluid substitution and AVO modelling: a North Sea example

Accurate well ties are essential to practical seismic lithological interpretation. As long as the geology in the vicinity of the reservoir is not unduly complex, the main factors controlling this accuracy are the processing of the seismic data and the construction of the seismic model from well logs. This case study illustrates how seismic data processing to a near-offset stack, quality control of logs and petrophysical modelling improved a well tie at an oil reservoir. We demonstrate the application of a predictive petrophysical model in the preparation and integration of the logs before building the seismic model and we quantify our improvements in well-tie accuracy. The data for the study consisted of seismic field data from a 3D sail line through a well in a North Sea oilfield and a suite of standard logs at the well. A swathe of fully processed 3D data through the well was available for comparison. The well tie in the shallow section from first-pass seismic data processing and a routinely edited sonic log was excellent. The tie in a deeper interval containing the reservoir was less satisfactory: the phase errors within the bandwidth of the seismic wavelet were of the order of 20°, which we consider too large for subsequent transformation of the data to seismic impedance. Reprocessing the seismic data and revision of the well-log model reduced these phase errors to less than 10° and improved the consistency of the deep and shallow well ties. The reprocessing included densely picked iterative velocity analysis, prestack migration, beam-forming multiple attenuation, stacking the near-offset traces and demigration and remigration of the near-offset data. The petrophysical model was used to monitor and, where necessary, replace the P-wave sonic log with predictions consistent with other logs and to correct the sonic log for mud-filtrate invasion in the hydrocarbon-bearing sand. This editing and correction of the P-wave transit times improved the normal-incidence well tie significantly. The recordings from a monopole source severely underestimated the S-wave transit times in soft shale formations, including the reservoir seal, where the S-wave velocity was lower than the P-wave velocity in the drilling mud. The petrophysical model predicted an S-wave log that matched the valid recordings and interpolated between them. The subsequent seismic modelling from the predicted S-wave log produced a class II AVO anomaly seen on the CDP gathers around the well.     

基于连续小波变换的自适应面波压制方法

面波干扰的抑制是陆上地震资料处理的主要问题之一.本文根据炮集记录中面波与反射波主要能量在小波域分布区域的不同,以及面波干扰的影响随炮检距变化等特点,提出了一种具有时变、空变特性的自适应面波衰减方法.文中将该方法用于模型及实际炮集资料的处理,并与常用的高通滤波方法进行对比,结果表明,该方法在衰减面波干扰的同时,能更好地保持反射波的振幅及相位信息.