Scale matching with factorial kriging for improved porosity estimation from seismic data

Abstract

When seismic data and porosity well logs contain information at different spatial scales, it is important to do a scale-matching of the datasets. Combining different data types with scale mismatch can lead to suboptimal results. A good correlation between seismic velocity and rock properties provides a basis for integrating seismic data in the estimation of petrophysical properties. Three-dimensional seismic data provides an unique exhaustive coverage of the interwell reservoir region not available from well data. However, because of the limitations of measurement frequency bandwidth and view angles, the seismic image can not capture the true seismic velocity at all spatial scales present in the earth. The small-scale spatial structure of heterogeneities may be absent in the measured seismic data. In order to take best advantage of the seismic data, factorial kriging is applied to separate the small and large-scale structures of both porosity and seismic data. Then the spatial structures in seismic data which are poorly correlated with porosity are filtered out prior to integrating seismic data into porosity estimation.