A proposed workflow for reservoir characterization using multicomponent seismic data

Abstract

Over the past few years, multicomponent data have been used increasingly in the development of heavy oil projects, either for improved noise attenuation methods (Kendall, 2005) or for the additional information that the multicomponent seismic provides the interpreter. One of the challenges with multicomponent seismic data is understanding and managing and interpreting the large variety of attributes that can be derived from the data, especially if AVO and inversion attributes are also pursued. This paper is intended to present a workflow that was used to distill the large variety of attributes from multicomponent seismic data down to a manageable reservoir model that can be used to address a common development problem in heavy oil reservoirs. Using multiattribute analysis techniques, it is possible to identify which seismic attributes correlate to the geologic question proposed, and, using the results of the first analysis, derive an estimate of the geology present within the reservoir, in this case, shale volume (Vsh). Described below is the proposed workflow along with some of the results of this analysis.