Unconventional Seismic Interpretation Workflow To Enhance Seismic Attributes Results and Extract Geobodiesat - Mohamed Shihata - Pulse - Linkedin

11/30/2016 UNCONVENTIONAL SEISMIC INTERPRETATION WORKFLOW TO ENHANCE SEISMIC ATTRIBUTES RESULTS AND EXTRACT GEOBO…
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UNCONVENTIONAL SEISMIC
INTERPRETATION WORKFLOW TO
ENHANCE SEISMIC ATTRIBUTES RESULTS
AND EXTRACT GEOBODIESAT
Published on February 17, 2016
mohamed Shihata Follow

Self employed
Abstract
Seismic interpreters wish to convert seismic data to valuable geological information.
However, because of the limitations of conventional seismic interpretation techniques,
seismic attributes have been considered in the present study to help interpreters to view
seismic data with new eyes and extract valuable geological information that hard to
identify by conventional seismic interpretation methods. It is important to enhance
seismic data and increase signal to noise ratio before seismic attributes analysis. The
best suitable seismic attributes for extracting and enhancement the interested geobodies
from seismic data like similarity, envelope, sweetness and average energy attributes
have been selected from hundreds of seismic attributes using different autopicking
techniques.
INTRODUCTION
Seismic interpretation techniques have been developed very fast in last twenty years
because of increasing amount of seismic data and development in hardware, acquisition,
and processing. Seismic interpretation algorithms give a lot of techniques to help
interpreter for extraction valuable information from seismic data (Chopra and
Marfurt(2012)), so interpreter needs to understand seismic data and determine his target
to choice the best techniques suitable for his case study. Fig.1 is a time line that shows
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at a glance the developments that took place in seismic interpretation from 1956 to 2008
Home Profile (Liner, 2008).

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When using traditional methods, it is often difficult to get a clear and unbiased view of
faults and stratigraphic features hidden in the 3D data. Faults are (often) readily seen
on individual vertical crosssections, but many of these must be examined to determine
the lateral extent of faulting. Stratigraphic changes are difficult to detect on vertical
seismic lines because of the limited profile they present in this view. Time slices are
more suitable for detecting and following faults and stratigraphy laterally ((Bahorich
and Farmer (1995)).
After 43 years of attribute development, it should not be surprising that many of these
attributes are redundant, and some are even useless (Barnes, 2007). Seismic attributes
can enable interpreter to understand seismic data very well and generate new view for
his model, but there are hundreds of seismic attributes divided into many classes that
make interpreters afraid of using new things. Subsequent developments by Taner et al.
(1979) of instantaneous attributes generated initial excitement, but seismic attributes
didn’t come into common usage until the advent of 3D interpretation workstations when
Bahorich and van Bemmel (1994) showed that one could make maps of these attributes
along interpretergenerated surfaces.
Murfart (Marfart, 2014) divides the future of attribute development into five
categories – feature recognition, prestack attribute development, multiattribute cluster
analysis, enhanced interpretercomputer interaction, and the statistical correlation of
attributes to completion techniques and reservoir production.
Fig. 1: Timeline showing developments in seismic interpretation Modified from Liner
(2008).
It is important to identify the interested geobodies from seismic data but unfortunately
Home Profile the conventional seismic interpretation cannot extract a lot of information from seismic

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data so modern seismic interpretation needs to extract all available geological
information in less time and high accuracy. The only way to think in new way is to look
at data by new eyes and use all geophysical information that can extract from seismic
data using unconventional seismic interpretation.
In this paper, we design a simple workflow that we hope that help seismic interpreters to
define petroleum geophysical prospecting and also help to extract geological features
from seismic data by both conventional and unconventional ways as shown in Fig. 2.
Seismic interpretation workflow has been developed for data preconditions and quality
control tests for seismic data by spectral analysis, band pass filter and mean smooth
filter using unconventional interpretations to enhance post stack seismic data and
compare results of similarity before and after applying data preconditions for geobody
extraction.
Fig. 2: Workflow for seismic interpretation.
METHODOLOGY
It is hard to determine the best workflow for geophysical study so we need to merge
Home Profile experience with latest technology to solve complex geological problems and enhance

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results of seismic interpretation. In this paper, it is a trial to combine both conventional
and unconventional seismic interpretations to extract all available geological
information from seismic data as shown in Fig. 2 that represents seismic interpretations
workflow that enables interpreter to reduce risk and get results very fast by mixing
experience interpretation with latest technology.
It is important to reduce noise effect and increase the signal to noise ratio, to enhance
seismic data started by quality control to study how noise effect on seismic data and
generate spectrum analysis to determine amount of noise and seismic bandwidth
frequencies. Then, apply band pass filter to remove high frequency and low frequency
noises and mean smooth filter to overcome random noises that affecting on the
interested seismic data band frequencies. After data preconditions applied similarity
attributes have been used to extract geobodies by available autopicking algorithms.
Data Preconditions Workflow
Sometimes seismic interpreters have chance to check seismic processing workflow in
this case they can check every step in seismic processing workflow and check for
seismic attributes result, the best way to quality control (QC) seismic processing
workflow by generate similarity (coherency) attributes in every step and compares
result before and after making QC for seismic processing steps .
If we do not have chance to check seismic processing steps it is recommended to
enhance poststack data before seismic attributes generation, using structure orientation
filter and bandpass filter. Interpreter can enhance seismic attributes results, before start
poststack processing it is important to check seismic data to increase signal to noise
ratio by generating seismic data preconditions workflow.
There are two types of filters used in the poststack data preconditions: 1) Filter without
edge preserve to smooth seismic data and not stop in geological features edges like
faults and channels and 2) Filter with edge preserve (structure orientation filter) to
smooth seismic data and stop at edges of geological features.
Three steps have been generated in this work for effective data preconditions techniques
(Fig. 3).
Seismic data quality control by spectrum analysis relation between frequencies and
amplitude in 3D seismic cube we can determine interested bandwidth frequencies,
Band pass frequencies filter to remove low and high noise frequencies, and
Overcome random noises by smooth mean filter, the mean filter is a lowpass filter
that typically is implemented as a running windowaverage filter.

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Fig. 3: Data preconditions workflow for enhancement seismic attributes results.
Seismic Attributes for Geobodies Identification
The purposes of this case study is to identify subsurface stratigraphic and structural
features, like two channels system and normal faults using three groups of seismic
attributes: edge attributes, envelope attribute, sweetness attribute and average energy
attribute to identify channels from more than hundreds of seismic attributes.
Edge Attributes (Discontinuity Attributes)
Variance: Uses statistical squared differences of adjacent (trace by trace) seismic
amplitudes.
Coherency: Dot product crosscorrelation of “adjacent” waveform (phase, frequency
and amplitude) packets (Fig. 4).
1. Semblance: Computes the squared sum of vectors along the trace and off the trace,
the maximum sum direction has most semblances (Fig. 5).
2. Similarity: Checks a standard pattern of points around a central point for the most
similar seismic amplitude and progresses to the most similar point as the next
central point.

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Fig. 4: a) Hypothetical horizon showing incoherent character illustrated by the lateral
change in waveform character. b) A hypothetical horizon showing coherent character,
marked by no lateral change in shape of the waveform. Plots above both figures show
coherence response. (Modified after Salamoff, 2006).
Fig. 5: Carton similarity attributes depend on semblance algorithm (modefied after
Stanley,2007).
Envelope Attribute
E (t) represents the total instantaneous energy and its magnitude is of the same order
as that of the input traces. It varies approximately between 0 and the maximum
amplitude of the trace. As indicated in Equation (1), the envelope is independent of the
phase and frequency and it relates directly to the acoustic impedance contrasts (Fig. 6).
It may represent the individual interface contrast or, more likely, the combined response
of several interfaces, depending on the seismic bandwidth (Taner1970).
(1)
Where E (t) = represents the total instantaneous energy, f (t) = the real part
corresponding to the recorded seismic data, g (t) = the imaginary part of the complex
trace.
Fig. 6: Envelope attribute is independent of phase and frequency but amplitude
dependent.
 Sweetness
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Sweetness is a frequency weighted amplitude
seismic attribute that was developed in the late
1990’s. Sweetness is the amplitude envelope
(reflection strength) divided by the square root
of the instantaneous frequency. Seismic data
that exhibit high amplitudes with low
frequencies exhibit high sweetness.
Sweetness = Reflection strength / [square root
(of instantaneous frequency)].
Average Energy Attributes
Average energy is a hybrid attribute calculated from integration of the envelope between
paraphase events. This attribute is useful for mapping and visualizing lateral changes
within structural/stratigraphic units as it highlights stratigraphic detail through energy
fluctuations across traces. Paraphase, which is defined as "Instantaneous Phase with
obvious background removed" is especially helpful in helping to define unconformities,
channels, onlap/offlap sequences, turbidite deposits, shelf edges, etc., when data quality
is less than optimal (Barnes, 2007).
Where E= Average energy, N = number of samples, x = amplitude
Application of unconventional seismic interpretation workflow in Gulf of Mexico
Data preconditions for unconventional seismic attributes
interpretation
Data preconditions workflow has been applied to enhance seismic data by QC the data
for determination of spectral frequency and amplitude range and check frequency of
noise and its amplitude, then apply band pass filter to remove frequency of low and high
frequency, after that smooth mean filter has been applied (Fig.7a and b).
Fig. 7: a) Spectral analysis for normal seismic data with bandwidth to determine amount
of noise and its frequencies. b) Smoothed spectral analysis response.
To obtain the best and accurate results from seismic data first step preparing seismic
data to enhance seismic attributes results, spectral analysis help to determine the noise
effect in seismic data and can give actual view about frequency and amplitude relations.
In this case study first we made spectral analysis for the whole cube to determine
frequencies bandwidth for the interested seismic signals and noises frequencies.
Band pass filter enhances signal to noise ratio by removing noises in the lower and
higher frequency ranges and enhance data continuity. After applied band pass filter the
reflectors continuity increases and high frequency noise reduces (Fig. 8).
Fig. 8: Seismic section without data preconditions (right), seismic section after data
Home Profile preconditions (left).

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A comparison between seismic amplitudes and similarity in same time slice is shown in
Fig. 9. Seismic similarity attributes cube enables us to identify enhanced channels
image that can’t be identified in same amplitude cube. However, there are some noise in
similarity slice so seismic data preconditions workflow processing could enhance
seismic attributes results as shown in Fig. 3.
Tagged in: seismic attributes, petroleum geology Report this
mohamed Shihata
Self employed Follow
33 articles
6 comments Recommended
Leave your thoughts here…
Vladimir Moskalev 2mo

Oil Finder | 10+ Years of Experience Petroleum Geoscientist (Geophysicist)
The one should be careful to identify seismic anomalies related to the overburden not to the interval of
interest but overprinted onto it.
Like Reply 2 1
mohamed Shihata 2mo

Self employed
thanks Vladimir Moskalev for your comment , sureit is important to detect geobodies and
calibrated those geobodies with available wells and geological information however some time
to test new scientific workflow or initiative algorithm it is recommended to start with very
simple geobody and then move to more complicated where petroleum explorter interested
Like Reply 2
Bernward Otto 2d
Senior Exploration Geophysicist at Wintershall
Inherently any kind of envelope calculation will reduce vertical resolution (seen in fig.6 as well).
Whereas negative trace curvature for instance digs out subtle vertical changes in trace characteristics,
thus enhancing vertical resolution (...making doublets two distinct events, being separated by zero
crossings). Therefore easing any automatic picking attempt. Obviously… See more
Like Reply 2
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11/30/2016 UNCONVENTIONAL SEISMIC INTERPRETATION WORKFLOW TO ENHANCE SEISMIC ATTRIBUTES RESULTS AND EXTRACT GEOBO…

Home Profile My Network Learning Jobs Interests Business Services1 20

mohamed Shihata Follow

Home Profile (Liner, 2008).

Home Profile the conventional seismic interpretation cannot extract a lot of information from seismic

Home Profile experience with latest technology to solve complex geological problems and enhance

Home Profile My Network Learning Jobs Interests Business Services1 20

Home Profile My Network Learning Jobs Interests Business Services1 20

Home Profile My Network Learning Jobs Interests Business Services1 20

Home Profile preconditions (left).

Tagged in: seismic attributes, petroleum geology Report this

Leave your thoughts here…

Vladimir Moskalev 2mo

mohamed Shihata 2mo

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