Walkaway Borehole Seismic Surveys

Clearer definition of zones of interest

Applications

Seismic scale measurement of

amplitude variation with offset (AVO)
under ideal conditions

ADVANTAGES

Reduced rig time

Improved surface seismic
processing using fully calibrated
1D earth model
Improved earth model from more quantitative offset-dependent amplitudes
Assessment of shale caprock anisotropy
impact on amplitude versus angle (AVA)
responses to improve prestack time
surface migration
Clearer definition of zones of interest
with zero-phase and multiple-free
seismic image

Features

Computation of effective anisotropy

Geometrical spreading

Direct attenuation measurement

Offset-to-angle transform
measurement from the direct
compressional arrival attributes
Computation of the effective
overburden anisotropy
Computation of intrinsic anisotropy,
local to the receivers

Since the introduction of long array tools, such as the VSI* versatile seismic imager, the
relative costs have been reduced dramatically and the information provided by walkaway
vertical seismic profile (VSP) surveys has improved. In addition to providing a high-resolution
seismic image around the wellbore, walkaway VSP surveys also offer direct measurement of
attenuation and anisotropy, which assist in surface seismic processing and interpretation.

Direct measurement of overburden effects

Walkaway VSP data provides measurements of the overburden propagation effects that
affect quantitative surface seismic AVO analysis. Effective anisotropy, geometrical spreading,
the anelastic attenuation of seismic waves (Q), and the offset-to-angle transform can all be
measured from the direct compressional arrival attributes (Fig. 1). These measurements are
combined with surface seismic processing sequences to compute more quantitative offsetdependent amplitudes.
If several array settings are
acquired over a depth interval
in the well, multiple depth
targets can be calibrated and
depth-dependent anisotropy
and Q can be deterimined,
further improving the calibrated
one-dimensional (1D) earth
model used in surface seismic
processing (Fig. 2).

Direct measurement
of anisotropy

There are several approaches

to polar anisotropyalso
called vertical transverse
isotropy (VTI)calibration
Figure 1. Determination of effective Q values from walkaway VSP data.
using walkaway VSP data. Polar
anisotropy local to the receiver
array can be estimated using
two methods. Techniques that
fit direct-arrival times or
differentiated direct-arrival
times, called phase slowness
methods, work best offshore
or when statics are not
relevantand in areas in which
the velocity profile exhibits no
velocity inversions. These
methods assume a laterally
invariant medium with
horizontal slowness constant
everywhere along the ray that
Figure 2. Effective anisotropy measurements from walkaway VSP
connects source and receiver.
direct P travel times and their impact on NMO correction.

Walkaway Borehole Seismic Surveys

Horizontal slowness is calculated by differentiation across offset
(feasible only when static corrections are not significant) and is best
measured by recording turning rays, which is possible only in the
absence of velocity inversions. When these conditions cannot be
met, the second method, which uses apparent slowness across
the receiver array and wavefield polarizations, can be used.

AVO measurement for surface seismic calibration

AVO calibration integrates dipole sonic and density logs with

zero-offset VSP, specially designed walkaway VSP, and, if available,
surface seismic gathers. With this data, a calibrated elastic or
anelastic anisotropic VTI model (including Q) will be built that will
produce the most reliable modeled AVO response. In addition, it will
provide seismic AVO measurements over the reservoir sequence
and a quantification of the overburden propagation effects.
Fluid substitution is performed to produce all-water or all-gas models,
which are then used to produce common midpoint synthetics to
compare anisotropy/isotropy in the shales and water/gas in the
sands. The models are also used to produce walkaway synthetics
to compare against the processed walkaway data. Tuning/layer
thickness effects are also evaluated. No matter how good a
model is, it is still a model. There is no replacement for an actual
seismic measurement. The walkaway data provides a seismic scale
measurement of AVO under ideal conditions. AVO walkaways differ
from imaging walkaways, because the array tool is clamped just
above the target reservoir sequence. Therefore, the downgoing
wavelet is virtually the same as the one causing the reflections.
After careful processing using proprietary software, the walkaway
VSP seismic image is zero-phase and multiple-free. After normal
moveout (NMO) correction using the calibrated VTI model, the
real walkaway AVO measurement is compared to the model (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. AVO calibration.

0.5
0.4
0.3
Vertical
slowness,
s/km
0.2
0.1
0
0.4

0.3

0.3

0.1
0
0.1
0.2
Horizontal slowness, s/km

0.3

0.4

Figure 4. Phase slowness method: Slowness data (black dots) derived from
walkaway VSP data. The best-fitting anisotropic slowness curve is indicated
with a red line. Also shown are an isotropic slowness curve (green line) and
an elliptical slowness curve (blue line).

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the phase slowness method and the slowness
polarization method.

Downgoing SV

0.50

0.25

Downgoing P

Apparent
phase
slowness,
s/km

Isotropic model
Anisotropic model (TI)
Vp 3.50 km/s
Vs 1.53 km/s

0.58
0.05
Symmetry axis tilt 6
Well deviation
34

0.00

Upgoing P

0.25

Upgoing SV
0.50

100

50

50

Polarization angle, degrees

100

Figure 5. Slowness polarization method: A slowness polarization plot for a 240-shot

walkaway VSP in Algeria, with slownesses measured across a five-receiver subarray. (Graphic reproduced with permission from the In Amenas consortium [BP,
Statoil, and Sonatrach]; from Leaney, 2008.)

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