IPTC-19594-Abstract

Title Application of M4C P-Wave and S-Wave Joint Inversion in Shallow

Reservoir Identification

Hongtao Chen, Sian Zhu, Yongjun Hu, Feng Yang, and Yubin Feng, Dagang Branch of BGP, CNPC

Copyright 2020, International Petroleum Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the International Petroleum Technology Conference held in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 13 – 15 January 2020.

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Abstract
The genetic mechanism of shallow gas reservoirs is complex, which is usually characterized by shallow
burial depth, multiple types, low reserves and wide distribution, so that the inversion based on P-wave data
alone may be ambiguous. For shallow reservoir with large lateral variation, it is hard to accurately predict oil
and water distribution by conventional P-wave prestack inversion. Marine four-component (M4C) P-wave
and S-wave joint inversion can solve the problem effectively. M4C seismic survey collects P-wave and S-
wave seismic data. An initial model can be established based on fine structural interpretation of P-wave and
S-wave data and S-wave compression pattern matching. It lays a good foundation for subsequent P-wave
and S-wave joint inversion. Based on the P-wave seismic record equation proposed by Fatti et al., a seismic
record equation from poststack P-wave and S-wave joint inversion was derived according to the relationship
among reflection coefficient, P-wave impedance, S-wave impedance and density, then important lithologic
parameters (P-wave impedance, S-wave impedance and density) were calculated, and finally the ratio of
P-wave velocity to S-wave velocity which is more sensitive to oil and gas was obtained. According to the
ratio of P-wave velocity to S-wave velocity, the oil and gas distribution was predicted in shallow Bohai Bay
Basin. Application has proven that the inversion can well reflect the fluid distribution, and the coincidence
between the inversion results and the drilling data is up to 85%. M4C seismic survey was conducted for
the first time to the shallow oil and gas reservoirs with rapid lateral variation in the Bohai Bay Basin, and
collected raw P-wave and S-wave seismic data. Based on the data, the precision and reliability of P-wave
and S-wave joint inversion was improved. The results provided strong technical support to the reserves and
production increase in the Bohai Bay Basin.

Introduction
In recent years, with the deepening of oil and gas exploration and development, it is increasingly difficult
to find undiscovered large-scale structural oil and gas reservoirs. The research focus of most mature
oilfields has gradually shifted from structural reservoirs to lithologic reservoirs. Lithologic oil and gas
reservoirs has become an important guarantee for the increase of reserves and production of major oil
and gas fields, as well as a key target for the replacement of oil and gas exploration. At the same time,
2 IPTC-19594-Abstract

it also puts forward higher requirements and expectations for seismic exploration. However, due to the
limitations of geophysical exploration technology and cost, traditional seismic exploration only collects
underground P-wave information, which is often difficult to effectively solve the problems of complex
lithologic reservoirs. With the vigorous development of geophysical exploration technology and the rapid
progress of the computer industry, multi-wave and multi-component seismic exploration technology has
emerged. Multi-wave and multi-component seismic exploration can obtain not only P-wave information
but also converted S-wave information. Among them, the P-wave information is related to the rock matrix,
pores, fluid in pores, temperature and pressure, while the S-wave information is not related to the fluid
properties in pores, but only related to the rock matrix, porosity, temperature and pressure in rocks(Stewart
et al., 2003). Therefore, the combined use of P-wave and converted S-wave can obtain more abundant
underground geological information than simply using P-wave information, better identify the structural
characteristics of formation, and achieve anisotropic feature analysis such as fracture detection. More
importantly, it can also help in performing effective oil-gas bearing area prediction.
Shallow oil and gas reservoirs in the Bohai Bay Basin have been important exploration targets due to their
small buried depth and low cost of exploration and development. Owing to different lithologies, sedimentary
environments, and tectonic processes, there are several types of shallow reservoirs which are different in
the quantity and abundance of reserves and hydrocarbon accumulation. Conventional seismic exploration
based on P-wave suffers from non-uniqueness caused by single wave type used. In recent years, marine 4-
component (M4C) seismic exploration has been performed in neritic areas in the Bohai Bay Basin. P-wave
and S-wave data acquired in the seismic survey could be input into joint inversion to obtain more elastic
parameters for the prediction of residual oil and gas(Li et al., 2011).

Technical method
In the study of M4C data, elastic parameters sensitive to reservoir properties were established by cross
plotting log data. Based on P-wave and converted wave well-tie calibration, joint PP-PS inversion was
fulfilled to obtain elastic parameters which were then used as indicators. Since the multi-wave combined
inversion uses both the measured P-wave and converted wave seismic data simultaneously, parameters
including the velocity and density of P-wave and S-wave in elastic impedance can be accurately determined,
which can effectively reduce the non-uniqueness of P-wave elastic impedance inversion and improve the
accuracy of oil and gas prediction.

Marine Four Component (M4C)

Marine four component seismic exploration usually refers to the exploration of converted waves excited by a
single P-wave source and received by a four-component geophone. The so-called four-component is usually
a package of geophones composed of a marine hydrophone (also called a detector), a vertical geophone and
two mutually orthogonal horizontal geophones, which can record the coupled P-wave and converted wave.
After wave field separation,P-wave and converted S-wave can be obtained. The Marine four-component
can be regarded as the specific offshore application of P-wave three-component technology. Moreover,
compared with the situation onshore, the seabed at a certain depth is in a low-noise environment, which is
very conducive to the recording of converted waves and can improve the accuracy of data acquisition.

Sensitive Parameters Analysis

Due to its shallow burial, relatively weak compaction, good porosity & permeability, and lower exploration
cost, the shallow layers in the study area have a high prospect for exploration, but at the same time, they are
faced with such issues as relatively thin single layer thickness of the reservoir, poor transverse continuity,
and strong heterogeneity. In order to better analyze the inherent petrophysical laws of the reservoir, in this
study, through comprehensive statistical analysis of various petrophysical parameters, we have determined
IPTC-19594-Abstract 3

the parameters that are sensitive to reservoirs and hydrocarbons, and then selected a reasonable and effective
method for oil and gas prediction.
In order to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the underlying logging data, environmental correction
and standardization of logging data were carried out prior to the study of logging petrophysical parameters
to eliminate the influence of non-geological factors. By analyzing the petrophysical parameters such as
velocity, wave impedance, Young's modulus and shear modulus of the wells drilled in the study area, it is
clear that the above parameters are difficult to effectively identify whether the formation contains oil or
gas. These parameters cannot be used for fluid identification and are therefore classified as parameters not
sensitive to hydrocarbons;However, parameters such as P-S velocity ratio and Poisson ratio can effectively
identify oil and gas bearing reservoirs, therefore they are classified as parameters sensitive to hydrocarbons.
The reason why the P-S velocity ratio can be used for hydrocarbon prediction is that the response of P-wave
velocity and S-wave velocity to fluid is quite different. When the P-wave passes through the oil and gas
bearing formation (especially the gas bearing formation), the velocity will be significantly reduced; while
the S-wave is a shear wave, which will not be affected by hydrocarbons and other fluids in the formation,
and its velocity will remain basically unchanged. Thus, VP/VS could be used to predict oil and gas.

Multi-wave well-tie calibration

Geologic boundaries will be mapped into seismic reflections through well-tie calibration. P-wave and
converted wave data were calibrated separately to match seismic reflections and geologic picks. Thus,
we could examine geologic features from the perspective of seismic reflections. For the P-wave, the P-
wave reflection coefficient sequence can be obtained by combining the density and P-wave acoustic time
difference logging data. In addition to the above two parameters, shear wave data is also needed to calculate
the reflection coefficient of converted wave.
It is relatively easy to obtain the synthetic record of P-wave. Specifically, firstly, the reflection coefficient
can be obtained by calculating wave impedance by velocity and density logging curves, and then the seismic
record is synthesized by seismic wavelet convolution. The accuracy of the synthetic record depends on
the reflection coefficient and the accuracy of the wavelet. For the converted wave, the downward wave
is P-wave, while the upward wave is S-wave. Since there is a large difference in velocity between the P-
waves and S-waves, the reflection of converted waves is different from that of P-wave even in the horizontal
layered medium. Firstly, ray propagation path of the converted wave is asymmetric; Secondly, the position
of the conversion point changes nonlinearly with the depth. Therefore, the converted waves can only be
formed under certain offset conditions, but can not be obtained by self-excitation and self-collection. It can
be seen that the synthesis record of converted wave is relatively more complicated than that of P-wave,
and the key point is the calculation of reflection coefficient of converted wave. The Zoeppritz equation
below gives the relations between the reflection and transmission coefficients of P-wave and S-wave and
the incidence angle, density and velocity.
For the P-wave, the P-wave reflection coefficient sequence can be obtained by combining the density
and P-wave acoustic time difference logging data. In addition to the above two parameters, shear wave data
is also needed to calculate the reflection coefficient of converted wave. The selection of converted wavelets
can draw lessons from the experience of the selection of P-wavelets. We can not only select fixed theoretical
wavelet, including ricker wavelet, but also extract statistical wavelet from the seismic data of the target
interval. On this basis, we can carry out synthetic seismic record operation, and optimize the best wavelet
through repeated comparison and test. The selection of converted wave wavelet is usually based on the best
match between the resulting converted wave synthesis record and borehole-side trace.

PP-PS time registration

Based on PP and PS well-tie calibration, PS reflections were compressed or stretched to obtain a same
time-depth relation for PP and PS data. Due to larger PS travel time caused by smaller S-velocity than P-
4 IPTC-19594-Abstract

velocity, PS reflections were compressed to match PP reflections in time domain. Time registration is crucial
to joint PP-PS inversion. PS data compression was based on multi-wave well-tie calibration and horizon
interpretation. Time registration was realized using P- and S-velocity ratio at major reflecting horizons,
which was smoothed and interpolated using log velocities constrained by PP and PS marker horizons.

Joint PP-PS inversion

The P-wave information is a comprehensive reflection of the characteristics of matrix, pore and fluid in
the formation, while the S-wave is only related to the matrix and porosity of the formation, but not to the
properties of pore fluid. Therefore, it is more effective to use the converted S-wave and P-wave seismic
information comprehensively to predict the oil-gas bearing property of reservoirs by multi-wave inversion
than by P-wave information alone. In addition, due to the joint inversion of the P-wave and S-wave, the
P-wave and S-wave seismic data are input simultaneously, and the inversion is performed on the basis of
the same initial geological model, and the elastic parameters such as the P-wave impedance, the S-wave
impedance and the P-S velocity ratio can be obtained simultaneously(Connolly et al., 1999). The accuracy
of the joint inversion results of P-and S-waves is higher than that of the stepwise inversion results of P-
and S-waves(Neves et al., 2004).
Based on PP and PS well-tie calibration and time registration, the Aki-Richards Equation was used to
solve P-velocity, S-velocity, and density. The Aki-Richards Equation modified by Fatti was used to solve
P-impedance, S-impedance, and density(Aki et al., 1980; Fatti et al., 1994).
(1)
(2)
where ZP is the P-impedance, ZS is the S-impedance,ρ is the density; ΔLn(ZS) is the logarithm of S-
impedance; ΔLn(ρ) is the logarithm of density; K and M are the gradient; KCand Mc are the intercept.
For n PP angle gathers and m PS angle gathers, joint PP-PS inversion was realized based on the PP and
PS wavelets and initial models to obtain P-impedance, S-impedance, density, and Vp/Vs.

Application
The study area is located in the shallow sea area of the Bohai Sea, China, and it is structurally located in the
Bohai Bay basin. The main target layer is shallow clastic rock, which is characterized by mud coated sand
and a neogene sedimentary combination featured by river facies. The structure of the study area is relatively
gentle, and the buried depth of shallow reservoir is relatively small (less than 1000m). The exploration
results in recent years have shown that the study area is a favorable area for shallow oil and gas accumulation
in the basin, with multiple sets of oil and gas bearing formations developed vertically. The reservoir of
the target interval, which is mainly a lithologic oil-gas reservoir, is characterized by strong heterogeneity,
complex oil-water relationship. In the early stage, based on P-wave data, a variety of technical methods
have been developed to predict the oil and gas bearing properties of the reservoir, and some results have
been achieved, but the prediction results often have multiple solutions.
Figure 1 shows P-impedance, S-impedance, and Vp/Vs sections across Well A1. As per the results of
joint PP-PS inversion, P-impedance and S-impedance are not sensitive to fluids. But most oil and gas layers
exhibit low Vp/Vs, which is consistent with log interpretation. This is because the existence of oil and
gas may cause a decrease in P-velocity, while S-velocity basically remains unchanged. Thus, we may use
inverted Vp/Vs to predict oil and gas zones. The inversion results show that the velocity ratio of P-S wave
is clear and natural, which is consistent with the geological characteristics of fluvial sediment.
IPTC-19594-Abstract 5

Figure 1—Inverted P-impedance (ZP), S-impedance (ZS), and P- and S-velocity ratio (Vp/Vs)

Conclusion
To predict shallow oil and gas reservoirs in the Bohai Bay Basin, we used joint inversion of PP and PS
data acquired with a M4C seismic survey to obtain P-impedance, S-impedance, and Vp/Vs. Vp/Vs, which
is sensitive to oil and gas accumulations, was used to predict shallow oil and gas zones in the Bohai Bay
Basin. As per well drilling results, the goodness of fit reached 85%.

References
Aki, K. and Richards, P. G. 1980. Quantitative seismology: Theory and methods. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.
Connolly P. 1999. Elastic impedance. The Leading Edge 18 (4):438-452
Fatti, J. L., Smith, G. C. et al. 1994. Detection of gas in sandstone reservoirs using AVO analysis:a 3D seismic case history
using the geostack technique. Geophysics 59 (9):1362-1376.
Li,X.Y. And Zhang Y.G. 2011. Seismic reservoir characterization: how can multicomponent data help? Journal of
Geophysics and Engineering 8 (2):123-141
Neves,F.A., Mustafa, H. M. and Rutty,P.M. 2004. Pseudo-gamma ray volume from extended elastic impedance inversion
for gas exploration. The Leading Edge 23 (6):536-540
Stewart, R. R., Gaiser, J. E. et al. 2003. Converted-wave seismic exploration: Methods. Geophysics 67 (5): 1345-1363.