Seismic Survey Design, Acquisition and Processing

Instructors: Mangat R. Thapar, PH.D.
Course Length:  5 days
Course CEUs:  4.0

Course Description
The appropriate design, acquisition and processing of a 3-D seismic survey is vital to the success of any oil and gas exploration and development program. This course emphasizes the equal importance of proper acquisition and processing parameters to producing a 3-D seismic survey that will effectively impact the success of any oil and gas exploration or development program.  Exercises and case histories are utilized to teach fundamental principles and explain limitations and pitfalls.  Live demonstrations of design using OMNI, acquisition using Cirrus board, I/O Sensors, and processing using VISTA are included to help participants grasp the subject matter. By the end of the course, participants will be able to contribute to the effective planning, execution, and quality control of seismic data acquisition and processing.

Design and Acquisition:

• Description of fundamentals of P, S, and R waves with intuitive illustrations, demonstrations and examples. How to analyze aliasing in time and 2-D and its effect on seismic data?
• Details of land data acquisition along with all of the important steps and parameters in data acquisition in the field, thorough discussion of vibroseis and dynamite as sources of energy, and presentation of ground positioning methods for source/receiver stations. Estimation of SNR and its importance to seismic data.
• Details of marine data acquisition along with all of the important steps and parameters in data acquisition, thorough discussion of airgun arrays, and positioning methods for source/receiver locations.
• A systematic approach in a step by step procedure is presented for designing a 3-D survey along with most of the available templates and array designs.
• Exercises designed to further the understanding of basic principles in survey design and data acquisition include:
  • Exercises on how to relate useable offsets and critical angle for major horizons design Vibroseis sweep and calculate related parameters to avoid harmonics interference with data? Exercises on measuring ground roll velocity and frequency from field records to design array patterns and filters, calculation of Aliasing frequency due to sampling and due to dip, calculation of Migration aperture for dipping horizons.
  • Design 2-D crossing lines over a structure and calculate all required parameters.
  • Design a 3-D survey over a prospect, and calculate all parameters related to the sources and receivers.

Processing:

• Basics and importance of correct recording geometry are explained. How to apply the right type of amplitude scaling, and to select the right type of deconvolution and filter.
• How to conduct velocity analysis and how to monitor or QC velocity analysis? Details of the relationship between NMO and velocity are discussed.
• Discussion of different components of statics in seismic data and how they are corrected.
• Explanation and discussion of how to improve SNR with stacking, the relationship between fold and SNR, and migration (pre-stack, post-stack, DMO) of seismic data.
• Discussion of basic seismic attributes, step by step VSP processing, and the effect of deep water on data acquisition and processing.
• Exercises designed to further the understanding of basic principles in data processing include:
  • Exercises on calculation of absorption effects of P and S waves, how to apply relative amplitude scaling using tⁿ, and how to obtain the value of n from seismic data, and calculate and relate critical angle, incidence angle, offset, and fold for major horizons.
  • How to quality control velocity analysis using RMS and Interval velocities?
  • Interpret and Identify water bottom and peg-leg multiples, and primaries on the records.
  • A group exercise for participants to compare, QC, and select the best seismic section of the same line processed by different companies.
  • A group exercise for participants to compare, QC, and select the best seismic section of a line processed by a single company but with different processing flows.
  • As a group, participants examine, analyze, and modify an existing acquisition parameter and processing flow to make it suitable for AVO and seismic attribute analysis.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Design 2-D and 3-D surveys
2. Quality control acquisition, processing
3. Select acquisition and processing parameters for AVO and seismic attributes
4. Optimize seismic processing flows
5. Process data for AVO and attributes
6. Overcome limitations and pitfalls in acquisition and processing.

Who should attend
Geologists, geophysicists, engineers, supervisors, executives and managers involved in the design, execution and monitoring of seismic data acquisition and processing.

Prerequisites: Participants should have taken a Basic Geophysics course prior to attending.

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