Q AS A LITHOLOGICAL/HYDROCARBON INDICATOR: FROM FULL WAVEFORM SONIC TO 3D SURFACE SEISMIC
The goal of this project was to develop a method to exploit viscoelastic rock and fluid properties to greatly enhance the sensitivity of surface seismic measurements to the presence of hydrocarbon saturation. To reach the objective, Southwest Research Institute scientists used well log, lithology, production, and 3D seismic data from an oil reservoir located on the Waggoner Ranch in north central Texas. The project was organized in three phases. In the first phase, we applied modeling techniques to investigate seismic- and acoustic-frequency wave attenuation and its effect on observable wave attributes. We also gathered existing data and acquired new data from the Waggoner Ranch field, so that all needed information was in place for the second phase. During the second phase, we developed methods to extract attenuation from borehole acoustic and surface seismic data. These methods were tested on synthetic data constructed from realistic models and real data. In the third and final phase of the project, we applied this technology to a full data set from the Waggoner site. The results presented in this Final Report show that geological conditions at the site did not allow us to obtain interpretable results from the Q processing algorithm for 3D seismic data. However, the Q-log processing algorithm was successfully applied to full waveform sonic data from the Waggoner site. A significant part of this project was technology transfer. We have published several papers and conducted presentations at professional conferences. In particular, we presented the Q-log algorithm and applications at the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) Development and Production Forum in Austin, Texas, in May 2005. The presentation attracted significant interest from the attendees and, at the request of the SEG delegates, it was placed on the Southwest Research Institute Internet site. The presentation can be obtained from the following link: http://www.swri.org/4org/d15/elecsys/resgeo/ppt/Algorithm.pps In addition, we presented a second application of the Q algorithm at the SEG International Conference in Houston, Texas, in May 2005. The presentation attracted significant interest there as well, and it can be obtained from the following link: http://www.swri.org/4org/d15/elecsys/resgeo/ppt/attenuation.pps.
- Research Organization:
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC26-02NT15343
- OSTI ID:
- 888931
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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