Pre-Stack PRO – High Performance Seismic Data Processing Solution

Pre-Stack Pro_azimuthal

Demanded by the US-American onshore fracking business and by modern seismic multi-azimuth aquisition data processing and analysis must be extended to azimuthal data that provide an additional dimension because of the 2-dimensional relation between source and receiver trace coordinates. Multi-azimuth data illuminate the subsurface from all directions and by this provide better image quality. Even more, multi-azimuth data allow to extract azimuthally varying attributes that are related to, e.g., subsurface fracture sets and stress regimes, that both, in turn potentially reveal important properties of oil- and gas reservoirs.

Working with azimuthal data is not only a challenge because of the considerably increased size of the data sets. The higher dimensionality compared to conventional seismic leads to the fact that gathers are 3D volumes and, thus, not longer easy to visualize and to locate 2D objects. New concepts for visualising such data and to interpret data subsets in relation to the full data volume needs to be developed. The extension of algorithms to the higher dimensionality of the gathers is difficult for such methods that involve comparing traces to neighbours because of the more complicated 2D topology. Additionally, the coarse sampling of traces per azimuth sector (which is the case despite of the high fold for the combination of all azimuths) may easily lead to aliasing effects.

At ITWM, we are engaged in joint research with SharpReflections and oil companies to solve these challenges. The application to numerous data sets from industry guarantees practical relevance of our research.