Key preprocessing technology and its application for CBM AVO analysis

Abstract

The hazards of amplitude versus offset (AVO) technique mostly applied in seismic explorations for predicting coalbed methane (CBM) content mainly derive from multi-stage amplitude modifications during seismic signal preprocessing. The modifications are undoubtedly necessitated by improving high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and high resolution, and achieve high fidelity to some extent; and nevertheless lead to an unfavorable possibility to implement CBM AVO analysis. Similar to sandstone reservoir with gas, AVO analysis preprocessing for CBM reservoir strictly abides by a relative amplitude preserved (RAP) principle and particularly emphasizes on preserving the evanescent class IV AVO anomaly. As for those indispensable dealings with linear noise attenuations, near-surface variety compensations and time/depth spatial imaging, the key technologies adapted to CBM AVO preprocessing should use radial trace (RT) filter, refined surface-consistent amplitude compensation (SCAC), and RAP Kirchhoff prestack time migration (PSTM). The theoretical analysis and one real 3D example in this paper demonstrate that three key technologies compliant to RAP principle in CBM AVO preprocessing can preserve the class IV AVO anomaly and benefit an operation of CBM AVO analysis and an improvement of CBM evaluation.