Education

CSEG DoodleTrain

3D Seismic Attributes for Prospect Identification and Reservoir Characterization

Instructor: Kurt Marfurt and Satinder Chopra
Date: November 3 - 4, 2010
Duration: 2 days
Members (early bird/price): $700/$900 CDN (plus GST)
Non-Members (early bird/price): $800/$1000 CDN (plus GST)

Venue: Devon, Room 308, 3rd floor – 2000, 400 - 3rd Ave SW
Time: 8:00am - 5:00pm

Audience:

Seismic interpreters who want to extract more information from their data. Seismic processors and imagers who want to learn how their efforts impact subtle stratigraphic and fracture plays.

Sedimentologists, stratigraphers, and structural geologists who use large 3D seismic volumes to interpret their plays within a regional, basin-wide context. Reservoir engineers whose work is based on detailed 3D reservoir models and whose data are used to calibrate indirect measures of reservoir permeability. Advanced knowledge of seismic theory is not required; this course focuses on understanding and practice.

Course Description:

A seismic attribute is any measure of seismic data that helps us better visualize or quantify features of interpretation interest. Seismic attributes fall into two broad categories – those that help us quantify the morphological component of seismic data and those that help us quantify the reflectivity component of seismic data. The morphological attributes help us extract information on reflector dip, azimuth, and terminations, which can in turn be related to faults, channels, fractures, diapirs, and carbonate buildups. The reflectivity attributes help us extract information on reflector amplitude, waveform, and variation with illumination angle, which can in turn be related to lithology, reservoir thickness, and the presence of hydrocarbons.

In the reconnaissance mode, 3D seismic attributes help us to rapidly identify structural features and depositional environments. In the reservoir characterization mode, 3D seismic attributes are calibrated against real and simulated well data to identify hydrocarbon accumulations and reservoir compartmentalization.

The primary objective of this course is to gain an intuitive understanding of the kinds of seismic features that can be identified by 3D seismic attributes, the sensitivity of seismic attributes to seismic acquisition and processing, and of how 'independent' seismic attributes can are coupled through geology. We will also discuss alternative workflows using seismic attributes for reservoir characterization as implemented by modern commercial software and practiced by interpretation service companies. Participants are invited to bring case studies from their workplace that demonstrates either the success or failure of seismic attributes to stimulate class discussion.

Outline:

  • Introduction
  • Course objectives and historical perspective
  • Color display and 3D visualization
  • The physical and geological basis of seismic attributes
  • Spectral decomposition and thin bed tuning
  • Complex trace attributes
  • Horizon and formation attributes
  • Geometric attributes
  • Volumetric dip/azimuth
  • Coherence
  • Volumetric curvature
  • Lateral changes in amplitude and seismic textures
  • Attribute expression of structure and stratigraphy
  • Tectonics and diapirism
  • Clastic depositional systems
  • Carbonate depositional systems
  • Geologic hazards
  • Attributes and the Seismic Processor
  • Impact of data quality on seismic attributes
  • Structure-oriented filtering
  • Attributes used in reservoir characterization
  • Inversion for acoustic and elastic impedances
  • Multiattribute analysis tools
  • Reservoir characterization workflows
  • 3D texture analysis and computer-aided object detection
  • Summary and feedback for instructor

Presenter / Instructor Biography:

Kurt J. Marfurt began his geophysical career as an assistant professor teaching mining geophysics at Columbia University's Henry Krumb School of Mines in New York. After five years, he joined Amoco at what was then called its Tulsa Research Center. Through successive reorganizations at Amoco, Marfurt has obtained diverse experience though not necessarily expertise in seismic modeling, migration, signal analysis, basin analysis, seismic attribute analysis, reflection tomography, seismic inversion, and multicomponent data analysis. Through Amoco, he won five patents, two in seismic coherence technology. He is the author of several dozen articles and coeditor of two books published by the SEG and has received both the SEG Best Presentation award for work on seismic modeling (1989) and SEG Best Paper award for work on seismic coherence (1999).

In 2006 he had the honor of serving as the SEG/EAGE Distinguished Short Course Instructor presenting a subset of the material presented in this class. Marfurt joined the University of Houston in 1999 as a professor in the Department of Geosciences and as director of the Center for Applied Geosciences and Energy (CAGE), where his primary emphasis is on the development and calibration of new seismic attribute technology. He is a member of GSH, SEG, EAGE, AAPG, and AGU, and has served 16 years as an associate or assistant editor for GEOPHYSICS.

 

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