Seismic atributes analysis for fault and fracture characterization

• Grant number: 20/02039-5
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2020
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Cooperation agreement: Equinor (former Statoil)
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Campane Vidal
• Grantee: Juan Francisco Villacreses Morales
• Home Institution: Centro de Estudos do Petróleo (CEPETRO). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/15736-3 - Engineering Research Centre in Reservoir and Production Management, AP.PCPE

Abstract

A seismic attribute is any measure of seismic data that helps the geoscientist to enhance or quantify features of interpretation interest that were not possible to detect on a 3D seismic data set. Any mathematical measurement of interest derived from seismic data is an attribute. They are usually measurements of time; amplitude, frequency, and/or attenuation. In the last decades, seismic attributes have helped in making accurate predictions in hydrocarbon exploration and development. Attributes sensitive to amplitude such as impedance inversion and AVO are widely used for lithological and petrophysical prediction of reservoir properties. Other attributes, such as coherence and curvature are particularly useful in mapping the structure and shape of geological features of interest. Fault interpretation is an important component in determining the structural information of the reservoir. When faults are mapped on a seismic section they can give valuable information about how fluids flow in the reservoir, and the connectivity of the fluid within reservoirs. Faults as geological structures can have significant effects on the permeability of reservoirs which can also have impact on the productivity and efficiency of the reservoir. Many of the carbonate reservoirs are naturally-fractured, thus detection of faults and fractures are the most important steps in seismic interpretation in both exploration and development phases. A variety of seismic attributes enhancing fault visualization, among these attributes the geometric attributes, such as coherence and curvature have proven quite successful in delineating faults in sedimentary basins. So this project aims to seismic interpretation, with emphasis on the characterization of faults and fractures. For this, it will be used a fracture-specific seismic attributes method, that enables to predict the distribution and pattern of the structures in the reservoir. A sequential approach will be applied with different discontinuity attributes that include the structurally-oriented filters, variance, edge enhancement, all combined to generate different scenarios volumes. This gives probability scenarios of faults and fractures, providing the potential areas for higher intensities of faults/fractures. (AU)