Walkaway Vertical Seismic Profiling (WVSP) Modeling and Imaging Study along FaultedCoal Seams over a High Velocity Limestone Model: A Synthetic Study

Abstract

The problem of collecting reflection data from the layers below a high velocity layer (HVL) and imaging those layers accurately is solved using walkaway vertical seismic profiling (WVSP) technique. The procedure is shown on a dataset from a model of highly faulted, thin-bedded coal layers separated by a high velocity layer of limestone. By locating the receivers above, in, and below the HVL, the reflections are expected to be recorded locally in situ in the borehole below the HVL before they travel back to the surface as in the case of surface seismic. The imaging results obtained from the model (or synthetic) WVSP data lead to the conclusion that promising results may be obtained via the acquisition of field WVSP data such that the layers below the HVL are well-imaged. Analysis of the test results showed that the layers below the HVL can be imaged accurately and robustly when the receivers are situated below the HVL only, while the strong images below the HVL tend to fade away and lose their strength when the receivers are moved above the HVL. However, both these cases of the receiver location geometry are needed to obtain images that are vertically and horizontally stable. When a full instrumentation of the borehole is provided, good images as far as 500 m away from the VSP borehole are obtained from the layers with various dips and faults that are nearly 800 m in depth from the surface. Two cases of velocities (4000 m/s and 5000 m/s) are tested for the high velocity limestone layer. Both cases showed good images below the HVL. Unfortunately, some pulled-up effects are seen in the images right below the HVL where the layers that are immediately below the HVL are imaged above their correct locations, the pulled-up effects are corrected in the deeper sections below the HVL however. Comparison of a depth converted corridor stack from the zero offset VSP data and the depth migrated image show good agreement.