Petroleum Exploration

Objectives
Petroleum Exploration
Explain the principles of magnetic,
gravity, and seismic surveying
Describe the different waves involved
in seismic processing

Outline
Petroleum Exploration
Gravity methods
Magnetic surveys
Seismic surveys

Introduction
The Life of A Reservoir

Gather All Data

Borehole
Seismic

Logs

Information
from nearby
wells

Operating Company

Core
Data

Geological
Data

Regional
Data

2D/3D
Surface
Seismic

Geophysical Techniques
Gravity surveys
Magnetic surveys
Seismic surveys

Principles of Gravity Surveys

Uncorrected
Gravity
+1 Gravity
-1 Value (mgal)
-2
-3

Corrected Gravity
(Bouguer Anomaly)
Meter

Clastics
2.4 gm/cm3

Salt
2.1 gm/cm3

Measured Force of Gravity

Grav.Min.
2

Gravimetric Curve

Grav. Max.

Zero
Line

Gravity Meter
1

Clay Sp.Gr. 2.3

Limestone Sp.Gr. 2.7
Sand
Clay Sp.Gr. 2.4

Principle of Magnetic Surveys

Sedimentary Basin
Basement

Magnetization
Measured

Seismic Surveys

Raypaths and Wavefronts

shot

shot receivers

receivers

Reflection
points
interface
Raypaths
Rays perpendicular to
wavefronts
Simple to use
Ray trace modeling

Wavefronts
How waves actually travel
Surface of equal travel time
Surface of equal phase

Seismic is Used
In exploration for determining structures
and stratigraphic traps to be drilled
In field appraisal and development for
estimation of reserves and formulation of
field development plans
During production for reservoir
surveillance purposes such as observing
movement of contacts, distribution of
reservoir fluids and changes in pressure

Two Basic Attributes

Reflection time (related to depth of the
reflector, and velocity in the
overburden)
Amplitude, related to rock properties in
the reflecting interval, as well as to
various extraneous influences that
have to be removed in processing

Weathered layer
Sand
Clay
Limestone

Measuring van

Shot point
No. 1
Explosive

charge
Paths of
seismic
waves
A

Seismometers
1

Shot point
No. 2

Shot point
No. 3

Example of reflection seismogram:

Shot point No. 1

Moment of discharge
First arriving impulses
Reflection A
Reflection B
1
2
3
4
5

Timer lines

Acoustic Waves
Surface
waves
Body
Waves

Body Wave Types

2 types defined by the direction of particle motion
wave
direction

1. P-waves

Particle motion parallel to wave propagation

2. S-waves
Particle motion perpendicular to wave propagation

P- Waves
wave
direction

Used in seismic prospecting

Most seismic sources are designed to generate P-waves
Compressional or longitudinal wave
Most seismic detectors measure only vertical ground
motion
Have higher velocities than S-waves
Travel through water

S- Waves
wave
direction

Do not propagate in water

S-wave velocity about 0.5 x P-wave velocity
Recorded in Vertical Seismic Profile surveys
Detection requires 3-component geophones (sound
detection devices)

Ideal Seismogram
The seismic data recorded should give
us the earths reflectivity sequence:
Surface
Time

Depth

Reflection Coefficient

Surface Waves
Wave
direction

Particle motion is complex, may be elliptical

Surface waves are noise
Low velocity, less than S-waves
Ground roll in land surface seismic

Wave Propagation
Energy from the source is distributed along the
surface of an expanding wavefront
Body waves decay much more rapidly than
surface waves
For Body waves, energy
propagation is spherical

For Surface waves, energy

propagation is cylindrical

Energy density
1
=
distance from source 2

Energy density
=

1
distance from source

Wave Energy
On land, the energy division can
be as poor as this:
P-waves
6%

Surface 68%
waves

26% S-waves

Seismic Acquisition Overview

Marine surface seismic 2D and 3D
techniques
Land surface seismic 3D techniques
Borehole seismic
Seismic while drilling

Seismic Acquisition
3D surface
seismic

Borehole seismic Seismic

- near well location while drilling

3D earth
model
High
resolution
across
reservoir

T-D relationship

Drilling safety

Multiple
identification

Drilling
economics

High resolution

Depth-to-target
prediction

Marine Acquisition System

Boat
Sea Surface
Source
(Airguns)
Incident
waves

Cable with hydrophones

Reflected
waves

Sea bed
Sedimentary Layers

3D Acquisition Techniques
Maximize subsurface
coverage
Up to 2000 channels

Boat
Path

Up to 16 streamers
Typical survey can
record 100 billion
data samples

3D grid

3D Acquisition Techniques
2 source, 6 streamer configuration
12 lines shot in 1 boat pass

Sea surface

Sea bed

Land 3D Acquisition Techniques

320 x 320 meter orthogonal
source/receiver grid:

Swath Shooting:
16 receiver lines
64 receivers/line
1 shot/spread

8 lines
64 receivers/line
8 shots/spread

Recording Templates

Surface Seismic/Borehole
Correlation
Correlatable
events
Two
Way
Time

Surface
seismic

VSP

Synth Surface
seismic

Acoustic Impedance
log (Time & Depth)

3D Seismic Cube

Visualizing the Target in 3D

Reading Assignment
Petroleum Exploration
Geophysics, Vol. 51, No. 5, May 1986,
pp. 1039-1049: Geophysical Case
History, Prudhoe Bay Field,

Exercises
Petroleum Exploration

Petroleum Exploration
Summary
Gravity methods
Magnetic surveys
Seismic surveys

Exercise 1
Discuss the basic principles of
magnetic, gravity, and seismic surveys

Exercise 2
What are P & S waves?
Which one is used in seismic
prospecting?
What are surface waves and how do they
affect seismic prospecting?
How is seismic data calibrated?