AAPG Slide Resources: Well-Seismic Ties by Fred Schroeder.

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courtesy of AAPG
Visiting Geoscientist
Fred W. Schroeder. Downloads Resources Lecture Files | Exercise Files

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Download: full size image | PPT slide

Slide 2

Here is the outline for this lecture

We will discuss:
Objectives of the seismic - well tie

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AAPG Slide Resources: Well-Seismic Ties by Fred Schroeder.

What is a good well-seismic tie?

Comparing well with seismic data
Preparing well data
Preparing seismic data
How to tie synthetics to seismic data.
Pitfalls

Download: full size image | PPT slide

Slide 3

The objectives for performing a well-seismic tie are listed here

Wells, of course, are registered in units of depth – feet or meters
Seismic data is recorded and usually worked with a vertical scale
of 2-way travel time
To relate well data to seismic data, and vice versa, we have to
handle this change in vertical scale units
Thus:
Well-seismic ties allow well data, measured in units of
depth, to be compared to seismic data, measured in units
of time
Download: full size image | PPT slide This allows us to relate horizon tops identified in a well with
specific reflections on the seismic section
We use sonic and density well logs to generate a synthetic
seismic trace
The synthetic trace is compared to the real seismic data
collected near the well location
The well-seismic tie is the bridge we need to go from seismic
“wiggles” to the rocks that produced the “wiggles” and our
interpretation of the subsurface geology

Slide 4

The purpose and required accuracy of a well-seismic tie varies

with the stage of our studies
If we are doing regional mapping, e.g., mapping a significant
erosional unconformity or a flooding surface, then our tie does not
need to be very precise, within 1 or 2 seismic cycles (peaks or
troughs) – and the seismic data quality does not have to be very
good
In the exploration stage, we would like to tie well data, e.g., the top
of a stratigraphic horizon/marker within ½ a cycle
This requires good seismic data quality
Download: full size image | PPT slide In the exploitation stage (development & production), we need to
not only know the seismic event within ½ a cycle, but the shape of
the real and modeled seismic trace should be quite similar
For this, we need very good seismic data quality
If we obtain a good character (shape) tie between the real
and synthetic traces, then:
We would then be able to extract various seismic
attributes (measures of the seismic wavelets) to
predict rock and fluid properties
We may also be able to use a process called
inversion to transform the seismic data into an
estimate of the rock properties in cross-section
views or as a 3D volume (if we have 3D seismic
data)

Slide 5

This slide illustrates the differences in measurements between

seismic and well data
For seismic data, measurements are usually referenced to a

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AAPG Slide Resources: Well-Seismic Ties by Fred Schroeder.

common surface elevation (typically sea level) and are recorded in

units of two-way travel time
Zero time is when a shot is fired
We then measure the time it takes for the acoustic energy
to travel down to a reflection surface and back up to the
receiver at the surface
For well/log data, measurements are made relative to a device on
Download: full size image | PPT slide the drill rig called the Kelly Bushing (kb)
Depths are in feet or meters along the well bore
If the well is not purely vertical, then we differentiated
between ‘measured depth’ and ‘true vertical depth,’ which
has to be computed

Slide 6

This slide compares different aspects of seismic and well/log data

Seismic data samples areas and volumes within the earth; wells
sample points along the well bore
Seismic data is low frequency (5 to 60 Hz); a log that measures
rock velocity uses frequencies that are much higher
Vertical resolution is quite different – for seismic we can resolve
layers that are 15 to 100 m thick; with logs we can resolve layers 2
cm to 2 m thick
Horizontal resolution for seismic... for wells...
Seismic data measures... well data measures...
Download: full size image | PPT slide And, as we have already discussed, seismic is measured in two-
way travel time; well data is in depth (ft or meters)

Slide 7

Here is a simple flow chart for performing a:well-seismic tie

At the top is our seismic data – the raw field data is processed to
get us images of the subsurface
The processed data gives us a “real” seismic trace at the
location of the well we want to tie
As part of the data processing, we can get an estimate of
the shape of the seismic pulse
Near the bottom is the well data, which may need some
processing/editing
The well data we need come from the sonic log (gives us
Download: full size image | PPT slide velocity information) and one of several density logs
We may also have check shots from the well – more on
check shots on the next slide
If we do not have an estimated pulse from the seismic data
processing, we can use a standard (external) pulse shape of a
user-defined phase and frequency
Computer programs combine the sonic and density log data with
the estimated or external pulse to generate a “synthetic” or
“modeled” seismic trace
We then compare the real and synthetic traces and note how well
they match
If the match is good enough for our purposes, we can then relate
one data set to the other – well to seismic OR seismic to well

Slide 8

What is check shot data?

We would like to have some calibration between well depth and
seismic time, if possible
We do this by conducting a check shot survey in a well bore
It is rather simple in concept:
We lower a geophone (listening device) into a well and
record its depth
We then fire a shot at the surface and record the one-way

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AAPG Slide Resources: Well-Seismic Ties by Fred Schroeder.

travel time to the geophone

We can do this with the geophone at multiple depths
Download: full size image | PPT slide This allows us to calibrate the time-depth relationship
For example, we might find that when the geophone was at
2000 meters the one-way time was 0.9 seconds
A check shot survey with a large number of closely-spaced
geophone positions is called a VSP – a vertical seismic profile

Slide 9

We need a pulse to generate a synthetic trace

There are two options
It is best to use software during or after data processing to
estimate the pulse for a given window of real seismic data
This window would be at the well location and near
the depth of our primary zone of interest (e.g., our
main reservoir)
The second option is to use a standard pulse shape with
some user-specified parameters
This is a quicker method that is fine if we do not
Download: full size image | PPT slide need to match wavelet shape – development and
production stages
There are three basic pulse shapes:
Minimum phase is where the wavelet starts at the
position of the reflection coefficient (as shown in the
diagram)
Zero phase is where the wavelet is centered on the
reflection coefficient
Quadrature phase is the zero phase pulse shifted -
90 degrees – looks a bit like the minimum phase but
is different
For a standard pulse, the user has to input two parameters:
The polarity – does an increase in impedance give a peak
or a trough, and
A central frequency (e.g., 18 Hz)

Since the seismic pulse changes in the earth with depth (e.g., due
to attenuation), you may have to generate several synthetics based
on different estimated or standard pulses – one for shallow targets,
another for intermediate

Slide 10

This summarizes the seismic modeling process

At a given location, e.g., at well A, the earth consists of layers with
varying lithologies
Well logs give us velocity and density as a function of depth, which
we ‘block’ to capture the significant changes
Next we compute impedance as a function of depth
From impedance we can calculate the reflection coefficients
We define a pulse – extracted or estimated
The reflection coefficient series is convolved with the pulse to get
individual wavelets – the response of each reflection coefficient to
Download: full size image | PPT slide the pulse
The individual wavelets are summed to give us the synthetic
seismic trace

Slide 11

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AAPG Slide Resources: Well-Seismic Ties by Fred Schroeder.

Rather then inputting the sonic and density logs directly, we ‘block’
the logs to capture significant changes
This helps us associate major lithologic changes with specific
peaks or troughs
The blocking process does not “corrupt” the synthetic trace
As shown here within the magenta rectangle, closely-spaced
reflection coefficients of opposite sign results in destructive
interference and, as a result, the closely-spaced RCs have almost
no response on the final synthetic trace
Our experience is that logs can be blocked with a 3 m (10 ft)
Download: full size image | PPT slide minimum layer spacing

Slide 12

Here is an example where we have cut a seismic line into a left

and right portion at a well and placed a synthetic trace in a gap at
the well location
On the color seismic, red is a peak; black is a trough

Download: full size image | PPT slide

Slide 13

Going through the steps, we:

Break the seismic line at the well location, forming a small
gap within which we can display the synthetic trace
If we have 2D seismic and the well is not actually on the
seismic line, we project the position in along strike

Download: full size image | PPT slide

Slide 14

The seismic data and the well data may have different datums – so
we may have to apply an up/down shift
If check shot data is available, our shift should be small since we
have some time-depth calibration
If we do not have check shot data, we may need a larger up/down
shift
For this example, the strong peak (black) 2/3 down on the synthetic
looks like it should correlate with the strong red cycle (peak) on the
real sesimic data about ½ cycle lower

Download: full size image | PPT slide

Slide 15

Here we have shifted the synthetic down to tie the strong peak on
both data sets
We would look further up & down the trace to see if the other
seismic cycles seem to line up and if the wavelet characters are
similar
Here the tie looks good enough for regional mapping &
exploration, but not good enough for development & production
uses

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AAPG Slide Resources: Well-Seismic Ties by Fred Schroeder.

Download: full size image | PPT slide

Slide 16

We may be justified to move the synthetic traces a few traces to

the left or right.
One good reason to move the synthetic is if the well is not actually
on the seismic line (2D seismic survey)
For 2D or 3D seismic data, there could be some positional errors
(seismic or well) or the seismic data may not be adequately
migrated
The older the data, the more likely the positions are not accurate
(pre-GPS technology)
For this example, it looks like we get a better tie by moving the
Download: full size image | PPT slide synthetic about 10 traces to the right (~125 meters)

Slide 17

We accept the tie that gives the best character (wavelet) match
with the least amount of vertical and lateral shifting
The strong peak in this example is the contact between reservoir
quality sands below and a marine shale (good seal) above
Thus we can relate markers in the well (top of reservoir) with a
specific cycle on the seismic line and map this boundary on the
rest of our seismic data

Download: full size image | PPT slide

Slide 18

There are a number of assumptions that we make in generating a

synthetic trace
For the real seismic, we assume that:
The seismic data is noise free
There are no multiples
Relative amplitudes are preserved, i.e., the amplitude is
proportional to the impedance change
Zero-offset section
For the synthetic seismic trace, we assume:
Blocked logs are representative of the earth sampled by the
Download: full size image | PPT slide seismic data
Normal incidence (zero offset) reflection coefficients
Multiples are ignored
The pulse experiences no transmission losses or
absorption
The rocks are isotropic (vertical and horizontal velocities
are equal)

Slide 19

What does it mean if the synthetic trace does not match the real
seismic trace?
Here are some of the most common pitfalls
Error in well or seismic line location
Log data quality
washout zones, drilling-fluid invasion effects
Seismic data quality
noise, multiples, amplitude gain, migration, etc
Incorrect pulse
Polarity, frequency, and phase
Download: full size image | PPT slide Try a different pulse; use extracted pulse
Incorrect 1-D model
Blocked logs, checkshots need further editing
Incorrect start time or improper datuming
Amplitude-Versus-Offset effects

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AAPG Slide Resources: Well-Seismic Ties by Fred Schroeder.

Bed tuning
3-D effects not fully captured by seismic or well data

 
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