Using full-azimuth imaging and inversion in a Belarus salt dome tectonic regime to analyze fracturing in Upper Devonian intersalt and subsalt carbonate reservoirs

Abstract

An analysis of recent publications, together with the results of the European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers (EAGE) and EurAsian Geophysical Society (EAGO) exhibitions, reveals an unequivocal trend towards an increase in information content and accuracy of fracture predictions made using full-azimuth seismic acquisition and processing technology. This trend is notable in oil and gas fields in carbonate and terrigenous reservoirs within the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), where major oil companies such as Gazprom, Gazpromneft, Lukoil, Novatek, etc., are already conducting work of this type. This trend has also been observed abroad, but on a larger scale. The number of successfully completed projects is sufficient to confirm a surge in the use of higher density and richer seismic azimuth surveys in the coming decades. Belorusneft PA RUE places great importance on the modernization of field surveys and on hardware systems that are capable of supporting the implementation of super-dense, full-azimuth imaging and inversion systems. While these surveys are considerably more expensive, they enable a comprehensive full-azimuth study of deep targets and oil and gas reservoirs. However, these surveys require special software technologies that are capable of correctly processing full-azimuth data and extracting the greatest possible amount of information from them.