Time reverse reservoir localization with borehole data

• US 8,179,740 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2011
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spectraseis Inc. (Deep Imaging Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Spectraseis AG
• Inventors: Saenger, Erik, Steiner, Brian, Schmalholz, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murphy, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US13/244,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20120014215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 233 Days
• Field of Search: 367 37- 39, 367 50- 51, 367/73
• US Class Current: 367/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/28 Processing seismic data, e.g. for interpretation or for event detection G01V1/48 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/301 for determining seismic cross-sections or geostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/123 Passive source, e.g. microseismics
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/51 Migration
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/67 Wave propagation modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/679 Reverse-time modeling or coalescence modelling, i.e. starting from receivers

Abstract

A method and system for processing synchronous array seismic data includes acquiring synchronous passive seismic data from a plurality of sensors to obtain synchronized array measurements. A reverse-time data process is applied to the synchronized array measurements to obtain a plurality of dynamic particle parameters associated with subsurface locations. These dynamic particle parameters are stored in a form for display. Maximum values of the dynamic particle parameters may be interpreted as reservoir locations. The dynamic particle parameters may be particle displacement values, particle velocity values, particle acceleration values or particle pressure values. The sensors may be three-component sensors. Zero-phase frequency filtering of different ranges of interest may be applied. The data may be resampled to facilitate efficient data processing.

Claims

1. A method for processing synchronous array seismic data comprising:

a) acquiring seismic data from a plurality of sensors to obtain synchronized array measurements, wherein the sensors are positioned in a borehole;

b) selecting seismic data without reference to phase information of the seismic data;

c) applying a reverse-time data process using a processing unit to the synchronized array measurements to obtain a dynamic particle parameter associated with each of a plurality of subsurface locations; and

d) storing the value of the obtained dynamic particle parameter associated with each of the plurality of subsurface locations only if the dynamic particle parameter value is greater than any previous value associated with the subsurface location for the reverse-time data process.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising including data from sensors located on or near the surface of the earth.

3. The method of claim 2 further wherein the synchronized array measurements are acquired with sensors in a three dimensional surface array.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of dynamic particle parameters are at least one selected from the group consisting of i) particle velocity values, ii) particle acceleration values and iii) particle pressure values.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors are three-component sensors.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying a zero-phase frequency filter to the synchronized array measurements.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising an extrapolator selected from a group consisting of i) finite-difference reverse time migration, ii) ray-tracing reverse time migration and iii) pseudo-spectral reverse time migration.

8. A method for processing synchronous array seismic data comprising:

a) acquiring seismic data from a plurality of sensors to obtain synchronized array measurements, sensors positioned in a borehole;

b) selecting seismic data without reference to phase information of the seismic data;

c) applying a reverse-time data process using a processing unit to the synchronized array measurements to obtain a dynamic particle parameter associated with each of a plurality of subsurface locations; and

d) storing the value of the obtained dynamic particle parameter associated with each of the plurality of subsurface locations only if the dynamic particle parameter value is greater than any previous value associated with the subsurface location for the reverse-time data process.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising including data from sensors located on or near the surface of the earth.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising acquiring the synchronized array measurements with 3D seismic arrays.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of dynamic particle parameters are at least one selected from the group consisting of i) particle velocity values, ii) particle acceleration values and iii) particle pressure values.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of sensors are three-component sensors.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising applying a zero-phase frequency filter to the synchronized array measurements.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising an extrapolator selected from a group consisting of i) finite-difference reverse time migration, ii) ray-tracing reverse time migration and iii) pseudo-spectral reverse time migration.

15. A method for processing synchronous array seismic data comprising:

a) acquiring seismic data from a plurality of borehole sensors to obtain synchronized array measurements;

b) selecting seismic data without reference to phase information of the seismic data;

c) applying a reverse-time data process using a processing unit to the synchronized array measurements to obtain a dynamic particle parameter associated with each of a plurality of subsurface locations; and

d) summing values for every obtained dynamic particle parameter associated with each of the plurality of subsurface locations to obtain a summed data value associated with each of the plurality of subsurface locations.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising including data from sensors located on or near the surface of the earth.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising acquiring the synchronized array measurements with 3D seismic arrays.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of dynamic particle parameters are at least one selected from the group consisting of i) particle velocity values, ii) particle acceleration values and iii) particle pressure values.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of sensors are three-component sensors.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising an extrapolator selected from a group consisting of i) finite-difference reverse time migration, ii) ray-tracing reverse time migration and iii) pseudo-spectral reverse time migration.