Spectral shaping inversion and migration of seismic data

• US 8,121,791 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Lazaratos, Spyridon, David, Roy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, CAROL S W
• Application Number:
  US12/742,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20100270026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 702/14, 702/16, 702/17, 702/5, 702/6, 703/5, 166/369, 367/38, 367/50, 367/51, 367/52, 367/53, 367/57, 367/73
• US Class Current: 702/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/36 Effecting static or dynamic corrections on records, e.g. correcting spread; Correlating seismic signals; Eliminating effects of unwanted energy
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/51 Migration
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/67 Wave propagation modeling

Abstract

A geophysical model of a subsurface region is generated based on seismic data, e.g., seismic reflection data. Migration and seismic inversion are applied to the seismic data to generate estimates of one or more physical or seismic properties of the subsurface region. Seismic inversion, such as spectral shaping inversion, is applied before or after migrating the seismic data through a variety of techniques that each avoid the amplification of dipping energy while optimizing computational efficiency and/or accuracy.

Claims

1. A method for generating a geophysical model of a subsurface region based on seismic data, the method comprising:

receiving seismic data corresponding to a plurality of image points;

applying inversion simultaneously to all data in the seismic data; and

migrating the inverted seismic data;

wherein the inversion and migrating are performed using a computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving seismic data comprises obtaining seismic reflection data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein applying inversion to the seismic data comprises applying spectral shaping inversion to the seismic data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein spectral shaping inversion comprises applying coloured inversion or Lazaratos spectral shaping inversion.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein applying spectral shaping inversion to the seismic data comprises applying a spectral shaping filter to an original seismic data spectrum to generate a shaped seismic data spectrum.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving seismic data comprises obtaining an average frequency spectrum of available well log data and an average frequency spectrum of the seismic data.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising applying spectral shaping inversion to the seismic data, including applying a spectral shaping filter to an original seismic data spectrum to generate a shaped seismic data spectrum.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining an estimate of a seismic wavelet based on sonic and density well log data.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein an estimate of a seismic wavelet based on sonic and density well log data is not obtained prior to migrating the shaped seismic data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

stacking the migrated data; and

applying a phase rotation to the stacked data to generate an estimate of subsurface impedance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein applying the phase rotation to the stacked data is a −

90 degree phase rotation of the migrated seismic data and the estimate is of bandlimited P-Impedance.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

converting the seismic reflection data to zero phase prior to applying inversion; and

applying a −

90°

phase rotation to the migrated seismic data to generate an estimate of impedance.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating estimates of one or more of bandlimited P-Impedance, bandlimited S-Impedance, Vp/Vs, bulk modulus, shear modulus, compressional wave velocity, shear wave velocity, Vp/Vs ratio, a Lamé

constant, and an anisotropy parameter.

14. A method for generating a geophysical model of a subsurface region based on seismic data, the method comprising:

receiving migrated seismic data corresponding to a plurality of image points;

demigrating the seismic data with a migration algorithm and a simple velocity model for the subsurface region;

applying spectral shaping inversion simultaneously to all data in the demigrated seismic data; and

remigrating the shaped seismic data with the migration algorithm and the simple velocity model for the subsurface region;

wherein the demigrating, remigrating, and inversion are performed using a computer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising applying a phase rotation to the remigrated data to generate an estimate of subsurface impedance, and wherein the simple velocity model for the subsurface region comprises a constant velocity model for the subsurface region.

16. A method for generating a geophysical model of a subsurface region based on seismic data, the method comprising:

receiving seismic reflection data;

migrating the seismic data;

applying a spectral shaping inversion filter to the migrated seismic reflection data;

stacking the seismic data; and

applying a phase rotation to the stacked seismic data spectrum to generate an estimate of impedance of the subsurface region;

wherein at least the migrating, applying a spectral shaping inversion filter, stacking, and applying a phase rotation are performed using a computer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein applying the spectral shaping inversion filter to the migrated seismic reflection data comprises:

calculating a multi-dimensional spectral shaping operator;

performing a multi-dimensional Fourier transform of the migrated data;

multiplying the calculated multi-dimensional spectral shaping operator with the Fourier transform of the migrated data; and

performing a multi-dimensional inverse Fourier transform.

18. A method for producing hydrocarbons from a subsurface region, comprising:

generating a geophysical model of a subsurface region based on seismic data, wherein generating the geophysical model comprises;

receiving seismic reflection data;

migrating the seismic data;

applying a spectral shaping inversion filter to the seismic reflection data;

stacking the seismic data; and

applying a phase rotation to the stacked seismic data spectrum to generate an estimate of a geophysical property of the subsurface region, wherein the spectral shaping inversion is applied to reduce amplification of dipping energy by at least one of (i) applying the spectral shaping inversion filter prior to migrating the data;

(ii) demigrating migrated data prior to applying the spectral shaping inversion filter and remigrating the inverted data; and

(iii) calculating a multi-dimensional spectral shaping operator and multiplying the multi-dimensional spectral shaping operator with a Fourier transform of the migrated data;

drilling a well to a formation interpreted in the generated geophysical model as potentially hydrocarbon bearing; and

producing hydrocarbons from the well.