Full-wave Seismic Exploration for Reservoir Lithologies and Fluids FromLabtoOilfield

University of HoustonDepartmentofEarthandAtmosphericSciences

312ScienceandResearchBuilding1Houston,Texas77204-5007Telephone:713.743.3399Facsimile:713.748.7906

AlliedGeophysical

Laboratories

Allied Geophysical LaboratoriesAConsortiumProposalbythe

AlliedGeophysical

Laboratories

INVESTIGATORS:

InstitutionalApprovalbyAnneSherman,UniversityofHoustonOfficeofGrantsandContractsAnnualsponsorcontribution $45,000ContractPeriod March31,2010–May31,2011

AProposalSubmittedtoaConsortiumofCompaniesbythe

CHRISTOPHER LINER

FRED HILTERMAN

AIBING LI

LEON THOMSEN

ROBERT WILEY

ROBERT STEWART

JOHN CASTAGNA

EVGENI CHESNOKOV

GENNADY GOLOSHUBIN

DE-HUA HAN

YOUNG KIMAlliedGeophysical

Laboratories

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AGL Director AGL Associate Director

SummaryLaboratory experiments

Weareundertakinganumberofultrasonicphysicalmodelingexperimentsusingourroboticsurveyingfacility.Theseinclude3DVSPgeometries,fracturezonetraverses,rugosescattering,ocean-bottomnodesimulations,andmeasurementsthroughvariousanisotropicmedia.Wewillinvestigatenon-linearimagingconceptsinporousfluid-saturatedmediaundercontrolledlabconditions,includingdirectimagingofhydrocarbonmovementandproductionthroughtime-lapsemodels.

Field surveys and tests AGL’sfieldseismiccapabilityhasexpandedwithGPS,welllogging,VSP,andfull-wavesurfaceseismicsystems,allowingustoconductavarietyofsurveysandtests.Weareparticularlyinterestedinunconventionalresourcerocks:shales,andotherlow-porosity,low-permeabilityreservoirs.Inaddition,wehavetwofieldsitesunderdevelopment.TheUHCoastalFieldStationis30milessouthofHoustonandisbesideaproducingoilfield.TheYellowstoneBighornsiteinMontanaisastructurallycomplexregionalsoproximaltooilproduction.Intheseandotherareas,weareevaluatingandcomparingplantedgeophonesandland-streamers,analoganddigitalsensors,andmicrophonesasauxillarysensors.Ourgoaliscontinueddevelopmentofthetechnologyandmethodsrelatedtothefullseismicwavefieldrecordedwithmulticomponentsensorsinbothlandandmarinesettings.Withsponsorcollaborationandcounsel,weproposetoundertakeaproblem-drivenfieldprogramaddressingfundamentalissuesofdataacquisition,subsurfaceimaging,andanalysis.

Theory and processing Analysisoffieldandlabdatawillspurdevelopmentofcustomalgorithmswhiledatapreparationandprocessingwillusethelatestindustry-standardtools.Weaspiretomakeadvancementintheoryaswellasdataprocessing.Someofourtopicsofinterestandfocusinclude:fluidsubstitutioneffects,surfacewaveandreflectivityinversion,converted-waveanalysis,microseismicmonitoring,anisotropicwavepropagation,seismicattributes,spectralcharacteristics,andtime-lapsephenomena.

Personnel ProfessorRobertStewart(AGLDirector)andChristopherLiner(AssociateDirector)withco-investigatorsDrs.JohnCastagna,EvgeniChesnokov,andRobertWileyaredelightedtowelcomedistinguishedcolleaguesDrs.GennadyGoloshubin,De-huaHan,FredHilterman,YoungKim,AibingLi,andLeonThomsenascollaborators.

Goals, deliverables, and feesAprimarygoalofAGListheeducationandprofessionaldevelopmentofstudents.Some25MSandPhDgraduatestudentsarecurrentlyassociatedwtihAGL.Weanticipatethat25morewillbesupportedannually.Upongraduation,theywill bereadyforindustrialandacademicrolesingeophysicalacquisition,processing,interpretation,orresearch.Ourscientificobjectiveistobetterunderstandandimagethesubsurfaceandthus,toenhancethediscoveryandrecoveryofresources.Deliverablesfromthisworkincludeideas,labandfielddata,software,reports,newsletters,courses,andpresentations. Thesponsorshipfeefor2010-2011is US$45,000.

This proposal outlines plans for the research and educational efforts of the new Allied Geophysical Laboratories (AGL) at the University of Houston in 2010-2011. We invite potential sponsors of AGL to support and guide our quest to enhance the science of geophysics, develop aspiring scientists, and contribute to economic prosperity. The proposed program will be based on a number of data acquisition and analysis projects directed at improved imaging and analysis of subsurface reservoirs. Research will be driven by ideas and data: novel concepts about acquisition, wave propagation, and imaging in increasingly realistic media will be developed and tested via lab and field experiments. Existing advanced data sets, especially full-wave 3D seismic surveys, will be analyzed to provide improved description of reservoir rocks and fluids. Graduate student education is a key component of this effort.

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OverviewGeophysicalscienceandresourceexplorationbeginwiththeacquisitionofdata.InthenewAlliedGeophysicalLab,wewillstartmanyofourstudieswithfullwavefieldgenerationandmeasurement.Weplantomakemeasurementsinthreebroadways:(1)elasticwavefieldcomputersimulation,(2)accuratelyscaledultrasonicphysicalmodelinginthelab,and(3)fieldacquisitionoverareasofresourceinterest.Inaddition,weanticipatecollaborationwithanumberofoursponsoringcompaniesandanalysisoftheirexistingdatasets.Thesemeasurementswillbeprocessedthroughvariousstandardandcustomalgorithmsandprocedures,theninterpreted.Ontheotherhand,weexpecttodevelopnovelideasaboutwavepropagationandimaginginincreasinglycomplexmaterialsthatwillbetestedwithactualexperiments.Thus,ourworkisdirectedtowarddevelopingbetterseismicimagingtechniquesfornewresourcetargets.

Attheuniversity,ourmandateismulticomponentor3C:Create,ConserveandCommunicateknowledge.WemightaddtothisCommercializationortransferofourresultstoreceivinggroupsforapplicationtoproblemsofpracticalinterest.Ourroleissomewhatcomplementarytothatoftheindustry.Wehaveeducationalandresearchresponsibilities,incontrasttolargelyeconomicones.Nonetheless,muchofourresearchisnaturallytargetedtowardproblemsandareasofcurrenteconomicinterest(Figure1).Excitingresourcetargetsin2010-2011includethoseoverlainbydeepwater(e.g.,theTupi,Brazilsupergiantoildiscovery)andhydrocarbonscontainedinshale(e.g.,BakkenandBarnett),orlow-permeabilitysandstone.MonitoringthehydraulicfracturingprocessorpredictingwherenaturalfracturesoccurcontinuestobeachallengeasdoesfollowingCO2 enhancedoilrecoveryandsequestration.

Thefull-waveormulticomponentseismicmethodhasmuchtoofferforsubsurfaceimagingandrockpropertyestimation.However,full-waveseismologyismorecomplexthansimpleacousticimaging,thusgrandchallengesremaininimprovingdataacquisition,developingmoreaccurateprocessingmethods,andinterpretingtheimagesmoreusefully.Weadvocateacquiringelastic(3Cor4C)seismicdatawheneverpossibletoadvancelithologicandpetrophysicalaspectsofreservoirassessment.Muchofourabilitytodetectfluidmovementdependsonunderstandingthechangesthatarockundergoeswithfluidsaturation.Thus,amajorcomponentoftheprojectisattachedtolaboratorymeasurementsonrocksandscaledmodels,computersimulations,andwellloganalysis.Acquisitionanduseofthesericherdatasetswillalsohelpstudentsbecomefamiliarwiththeirvalueandapplication.

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Lab, log, andfield data

acquisition

Processing andimaging

Interpretation

METHODS

Subsurfacearchitecture

Rock type andproperties

Fluids and theirmovements

APPLICATIONS

Unconventional oiland gas, CO2

Deep water,near surface

Water resources,mining

TARGETS

Figure 1.Schematic overview of the elements of this proposal including methods, their applications,and specific resource targets

AlliedGeophysical

Laboratories

Figure 3. Amplitude time slice from a 3C–3D seismic volume on a sand channel (Varga and Stewart, 2009, Delineating sand channels using 3C-3D seismic data, Manitou Lk. heavy oil field, Can. Soc. Expl. Geophys. Ann. Mtg.)

1000m

Goingbeyondthelabandlogs,seismicmethodologyforsubsurfaceimagingandmonitoringisoftendividedintothreebroadcategories:dataacquisition,processing, andinterpretation.Aswebelievethatallthreecategoriesareintimatelyandinextricablyconnected,wewillconductresearchinallthreeareas.Seismicdataareoftenfirstcollectedforexplorationpurposes,butthenpossiblyrepeatedforreservoirdevelopmentandmanagement(Figure2).Initially,thedataareprocessedintoareflectionimage(toprovideaband-limitedsubsurfacearchitecture–seeFigure3)then,withsupportinginformation,theymaybeanalyzedfurtherintopicturesofestimatedlithologyandotherproperties.Integratingtheseimageswithfollow-onsurveyresultsleadstoindicatorsofgeologicandfluidchange.Tothisend,wewillundertaketime-lapse,full-waveexperimentsinthelabandfield.

Mostofthemethodologythatwearedevelopingforimaginghydrocarbonreservoirscanbeappliedtomakingimagesofgreenhouseorwastegasesinjectedintothesubsurface.Weseektofindimprovedwaysofunderstandinggasemplacementandcontainment.Detectingandmappingwateranditsflowsmaybeamenabletosimilarseismicmethodologies.Infact,sophisticatedseismicanalysishasfoundsignificantapplicationintheminingindustry,especiallyasrelatedtofaultsandaquiferflows.

AlliedGeophysical

Laboratories

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TIME

Fluids

3C passivemonitoring

3C passivemonitoring

3/4C-3DSeismic

Survey 2

3/4C-3DSeismic

Survey 3

Imaging(Rpp Rps)

Inversion(Vp Vs Qp

Integration(well logs, core, geology)

Lithology(rock type,

fractures, φ, κ)

DATA

PROCESSING

EVALUATION

3/4C-3DSeismicSurvey 1

Geologicchange

Geol. change(subsidence, frac.)

(type, pressure, sat.)

Fluid changes(distrib., pres.)

Fluid changes(volume, pres.)

Imaging

Inversion

Integration

Imaging

Inversion

Integration

AN

ALY

SIS

AC

QU

ISIT

ION

Figure 2.Schematic diagram of full-wave seismic methodologiesto assess reservoir rock and physical model properties,fluids, and their changes

The New Allied Geophysical LabTheoriginalAlliedGeophysicalLabcametolifeunderthetutelageofDr.FredHiltermansome30yearsago.Itwasfoundedbyassociatingdisparateexploration-relatedprojects:physicalmodeling,wellloganalysis,seismicdataprocessing,andinterpretation.Inthefollowingyears,AGLmadeoutstandingcontributionstoexplorationgeophysicswhileeducatinggenerationsofstudents.WeintendtoreturntosomeoftheAGL’sgeophysicalroots,butwithenergeticnewgrowth.ThenewAGLwillfocusonexperimentalgeophysicsandassociatedtheory,dataassessment,andapplication.Weplantocarefullycollectandthoroughly

analyzeawidevarietyofgeophysicaldata,fromthelabtofieldscale.TheDepartmentofEarthandAtmosphericSciencesattheUniversityofHoustonisbroadlyexpandingitsgeophysicalcapabilitieswiththerecenthiringoffourgeophysicsprofessors:EvgeniChesnokov,ChristopherLiner,RobertStewart,andLeonThomsen.Dr.StewartwasappointedasDirectorofAGLandDrs.Castagna,Chesnokov,Liner,andWileyareco-investigators.CollaboratorsincludeDrs.GennadyGoloshubin,De-huaHan,Hilterman,YoungKim,AibingLi,andThomsen.TheseindividualsandtheirstudentsbringawealthofexperienceandexpertisetoAGLefforts.Aspartofa

presidentialinitiative,theuniversityintendstohirefurthergeophysicsfacultyinthecomingmonths.WeanticipatethatsomewillundertakeundertakejointprojectswithAGLpersonnel. Research Personnel and ExpertiseTheAGLgroupofexperiencedandenthusiasticgeophysicistsisuniquelysuitedtothechallengeoflab-to-fieldexperimentation,analysis,andapplication.Theyarecommittedtoworkingtogetherasateamandadvancingthefieldofexplorationgeophysics.Theirbackgroundsandgeneralareasofexpertiseareoutlinedbelow.

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Investigator General expertiseRobert StewartPhD,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyChevron,ARCO,Veritas,UniversityofCalgary

Boreholegeophysics(welllogging,VSP,crosswellanalysis),multicomponentseismicmethods

John Castagna PhD,UniversityofTexasatAustinARCO,FusionGeophysical

Rockproperties,seismicattributes,AVO

Evgeni ChesnokovPhD,MoscowStateUniversityUniversityCollegeofLondon,UniversityofOklahoma

Theoreticalseismology,anisotropy,fracturemonitoring

Gennady GoloshubinPhD,InstituteofSolidEarth,MoscowWesternSiberianInstitute

Seismicexploration,reservoiranalysis,permeabilityprediction

De-hua Han PhD,StanfordUniversityUnocal,HARC

Young Kim

Laboratoryrockproperties,seismicmonitoring

Fred Hilterman PhD,ColoradoSchoolofMinesGeophysicalDevelopmentCorp.,Mobil

AVO,seismicprocessing,petrophysics

Leon Thomsen PhD,ColumbiaUniversityAmoco,BP,DeltaGeophysics

Anisotropy,seismicprocessing,EManalysis

Robert WileyPhD,ColoradoSchoolofMinesMarathonOil

Physicalmodeling,instrumentation,shallowseismicanalysis

Aibing LiPhD,BrownUniversityWoodsHoleInstitute

Seismictomography,inversion,crustalstructure

Christopher LinerPhD,ColoradoSchoolofMinesU.Tulsa,Aramco,Conoco,WesternGeo

Seismicdataprocessing,seismicinterpretation,timeseriesanalysis,CO2sequestration

Seismicacquisition,signalprocessing,migrationandinversion

PhD,UniversityofTexasatAustinExxonMobil,TGS-NOPEC

Current Resources and WorkAGLoperatesafullyequippedultrasonicmodelingtank(2mx4mx1.5m)withacousticandelasticmeasurementcapability.Dr.RobertWileyiscurrentlyconductinga3DVSPsurveyintheVintonDomemodel(Figure4)simulatingawide-azimuthfieldexperiment.Weareupgradingthelabtohavea60-channelsimultaneouscapability.NewamplifiersandrecorderswillbeunderLabviewcontrol.

WehaveaccesstotheUHTexasLearningandComputationCenter(TLC2).Thisisafirst-classvisualizationfacilityfordemonstrations,analysis,anddevelopment.Forexample,weareveryinterestedinbuildingtoolsforinteractive3Dvisualizationoftime-lapsephenomena.AGLhasaccesstoaDepartmentalcomputationalnetworkconsistingofaSunStarfire880serverwithdozensofSunUltraworkstationsaugmentedbyaBeowolfcomputingcluster.Additionally,TLC2operatesa500CPUTitaniumclusterandtwo64CPUSGIAltixclusters.Wealsouseawidevarietyofcommercialsoftwareforseismicprocessing,imaging,visualization,interpretation,reservoircalibration,andflowsimulation.AGLhasalargeinventoryofpreviouslyshotphysicalandnumericalmodelingdatasets,includingtheMarmousielasticwavenumericalmodel.Thesewillbemadeavailabletosponsors.Inaddition,thereareseveraldozenindustryseismicdatasetscurrentlyavailableforprocessingandinterpretation.

TheUniversityofHoustonhasassumedmanagementoftheYellowstoneBighornResearchAssociation(YBRA)FieldCampnearRedLodge,Montana(Figure5),andweconductedtheinauguralgeophysicalfieldschoolthereinthesummerof2009.Studentsundertookexperimental,hands-onacquisitionof3CseismicsurveysaswellasGPS,GPR,welllogging,andVSPdata.WewillreturntoYBRAannuallyinAugust.

AlittleclosertoUH,wearedevelopingafieldgeophysicstestsiteonuniversity-ownedland.ThisfacilityispartofUH’sCoastalCenterandincludesaproducingoilfield(Figure6).Thiskeysitewillbeusedtotestequipment,acquirerepeatsurveys,andconductfieldschools.Wewillworktoextendusetodrillingoftestwellsforfield-scaleinjectionandmonitoringexperiments.

AGLhasa200-channelGeometricsseismicrecordingsystemaswellasa300-channelI/Osystem.WeusethePEGacceleratedweightdropsourceandarepurchasingatruck-mountedvibrator.Wehaveanumberofverticaland3-Ggeophonesinadditiontolandstreamers.WealsohaveasuiteofwellloggingtoolsfromMt.SoprisaswellsasVSPreceiversfromGeostuff.Ourground-penetratingradarequipmentincludesSensorsandSoftware’sNOGGINandPulseEKKOsystems.

Figure 5. Classroom at the YBRA field site (photo by Mike Murphy)

Figure 4. Physical modeling facility at AGL with Dr. Wiley configuring the Vinton Dome 3D VSP model

Figure 6. UH faculty near the Coastal Field Site

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AlliedGeophysical

Laboratories

Specific Research Topics

Figure 7. Testing true amplitude seismic response in the field to calibrate microseismic monitoring instruments

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Investigator Topics

Robert Stewart15students

Microphonesuppressionofgeophonenoise;3Clandstreamerassessment;MEMSresponse;surface-waveinversion;full-wavecasehistories;microseismicmonitoring(Figure7)

John Castagna 5students SpectraldecompositionandAVO,rockphysics

Evgeni Chesnokov5students

Wavepropagationinanisotropicmedia,fracturecharacterization,hypocenterlocation

Gennady Goloshubin2students Wavesinporousmediaand3Cseismicanalysis,permeabilitystudies

De-hua Han2students Seismicmonitoringandrockproperties

Fred Hilterman 2students AVOandattributes

Aibing Li2students Surface-waveinversion,3Ccontinuousmonitoring,microseismicanalysis

Leon Thomsen2students Anisotropyandrockproperties

Robert Wiley 2 students Physicalmodeling:VintonDome3DVSPandRVSP,anistropicfault3C-3D

Christopher Liner 5 students Visualization,acousticscattering,CO2sequestration,advancedinterpretation

Young Kim2students

Noisesuppression,simultaneoussourceacquisition,rapidreversetimemigration

Activities and Timeline: 2010-2011

Ourgoalsareambitiousandmovingforwardwillrequiresponsorshipforthe purchaseofequipment,instruments,computers,andsoftware.Newpersonnelareneededtoundertakeresearch,maintainandoperateequipment,aswellasforadministrativeoperations,universityreporting,safetycompliance,andsponsorcommunications. Anoverviewofourproposedactivitiesin2010-2011isshownabove.

Deliverables and Other BenefitsThe new AGL aspires to make a significant impact on the science of geophysics and deliver clear benefit and advantage to our sponsors. A list of deliverables and other benefits follows:

•AllAGL-sponsoredphysicalmodelingdatawillbeavailabletosponsoringorganizations

• AllfielddataacquiredbyAGLwillbeavailabletosponsors

• AllAGL-supportedtheses,posters,preprints,expandedabstracts,andtechnicalpapersandreportswillbe providedtosponsors

• SponsorrepresentativeswillbeinvitedtotheAGLAnnualMeetinginlateMaysummarizingtheyear’sresearchactivities.EachsponsorwillreceivetheAGLAnnualReport

• EachsponsorwillreceiveperiodiccommunicationaboutAGLpersonnel,activities,andresearch

• SponsorswillhaveavoiceontheAGLIndustrialAdvisoryBoardtoprovideguidanceandcounseltotheLab

• Sponsorshavetheopportunitytobecomefamiliarwithstudents(prospectivestaff)andtheirwork

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Equipment

Facilitiesand software

Personnel

Physicalmodeling

Field work

May 2010 Sept 2010 Dec 2010 May 2011Time

Aspect

120-ch seismic, GPR,ultrasonic upgrade,GPS, microphones

VISTA, Petrel

Geophysicaltechnician

3D VSP,fracture, fault

Houston/local(shallow faults)

VSP, logging tools,land streamer

KingdomHampson-Russell

Geophysical post-doctoral fellow

Time-lapse sand

Montana(deeper structure)

600-ch seismicvibroseis

FocusTransform

System/datageophysicists

3C structurenonlinear

Houston/local(deeper structures)

OBS(specify, order)

ProMax

Administrativemanager

3C-3D anisotrophy

Gulf of Mexico(shallower tests)

Budget Overview: 2010-2011

Laboratoryinstrumentation(transducers,A/Dconverters,softwareupgrades)$50KVectoracousticlabsetupandinstrumentation$100K112-channelseismicrecorder(Geometrics/Geodes),cablesand3Cgeophones$120KGPS$25KFurtherloggingtools,cable,winch$120KAdditionalVSPtools,cable,andrecorders$20KOtherground-penetratingradar(GPR)–SmartCartandbistaticsystem$20KComputers$20KVisualizationequipment$20KIncidentals$10KIVIenvirovibe-$260KFieldwork-$50000Communication-$40000Publicationcosts,newsletters,seminars,andmeetingparticipationStudents-$100000Staff-$100000

Total 2010-2011 expenses - $1 055 000

Contact Information: Dr. Robert Stewart – (713) 743.8230 or rrstewart@uh.edu Dr. Christopher Liner – (713) 743.9119 or cliner@uh.edu

Through 2010, we intend to purchase a substantial amount of geophysical equipment. To date, the University of Houston has provided $800K toward this effort to date and will expend another $335K. We seek further contribution from the industry and various other agencies. Equipment purchases are to upgrade the existing physical modeling facility as well as provide an augmented field acquisition and data processing capability. Our first step was a portable seismic system, but we look forward to assembling a full industry-standard vibroseis system and set of ocean-bottom seismometers. Other supporting equipment includes GPS, well-logging, VSP, CG- gravimeter, and GPR.”

Werequireanumberofadditionalstafftooperateandmaintainthevariouscomputerandmeasurementsystemsas wellasfacilitateresearch.Weanticipatehiringfourstaffthroughout2010-2011.Theywouldincludeageophysicaltechnician,geophysicspostdoctoralfellow,systemanddatamanager,andanadministrativeassistant.

WeseekAGLindustrialsponsorsfromtheenergy,mining,engineeringandrelatedsectors.Annualsponsorshipcostis$45Kfor2010-2011.Areducedrateof$15Kisavailableforsmallerenterprises(under$5millionannualrevenue).Weanticipatethatthissupportandcollaborationwillariseprimarilyfromtheenergyindustry.

WealsoofferalimitednumberofFoundingandSustainingMembershipsthatallowmoredirectinvolvementandimpactonthefutureofAGLanditspeople.ContactdirectorRobertStewartforfurtherinformation.

AlliedGeophysical

Laboratories9

2010 - 2011 Budget Expenses RevenueEquipment,salaries,operating $1055000Universitycontribution(cash) $335000Industrysponsorship(cash) $720000Total $1 055 000 $1 055 000

AlliedGeophysical

Laboratories