Seismic attribute for hydrocarbon expressions in stack section

Abstract

Stacking process in seismic data processing is a simple and powerful tool commonly used to remove undesired random noise and enhance signal to noise ratio. Basically, the process averages traces from prestack gathers (angles or CDPs) so that they present normal-incidence reflections in stack sections. Experience has showed that hydrocarbons-bearing sediments are generally characterized by anomalous amplitude changes relative to their background from an offset to another. This can result in interesting seismic expressions in the stack section that can help identify reservoirs and delineate their extensions.This paper investigates the conceptual assumptions behind stacking and amplitude variation with offset (AVO). A new attribute is presented and used to detect and extract anomalies associated with hydrocarbon sand reservoirs from their background. The attribute has been examined on real datasets from different fields. The seismic-weighted instantaneous energy attribute showed excellent results in delineating bright spots associated with shallow gas accumulations as well as revealing stratigraphic features of two productive sand-filled channels. Indeed, the paper provides a new insight into seismic stack data analysis and interpretation.