Advanced Seismic Data Processing: Fundamentals and Applications

Fundamentals of Advanced Seismic Acquisition and Data Processing
o Seismic Acquisition
o Deconvolution
o Multiples: Attenuation & Utilization
We lead with a discussion of advanced seismic acquisition techniques which have had major implications on the seismic service industry and in particular data processing workflows. We then discuss deconvolution from mathematical perspective including Wiener filtering and spectral factorization. The day finishes with a a topic that has been researched and developed for the past 20 years leading to some novel techniques of removing the free surface without required any knowledge of the subsurface.

Processing in the Prestack Domain
o Prestack Time Migration
o Prestack Depth Migration Including Velocity Model Building (2 parts)
Understanding current techniques in prestack migration processing, both in time and depth, is fundamental in devloping strategies to image the sub-surface both in delineating subtle straingraphic traps and mapping the prolific sub-salt structures in the Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Brazil and West Africa. One of the significant
differences between time and depth migration is the requirement of building a background velocity field for the former and a detailed velocity-depth model for the latter. Both types of velocity model will be discussed in the morning and afternoon sessions.

Seismic Data Interpretation from Elastic to Petrophysical Attributes. Highlights of the next 5 years (a personal perspective)
o Amplitude vs Offset
o Quantitative Interpretation
o The Road Ahead
The first topics of the day concentrate on converting seismic amplitudes into firstly elastic attributes (e.g. Vp, Vs and density) and then secondly into petrophysical parameters that would be used routinely in well-log analysis (e.g. net-to-gross, gross and net porosity, HC saturation). The latter is generally termed quantitative interpretation and has been a focal point in the geophysics literature for the past 5-10 years. The session and course finishes with a broad discussion of The Road Ahead which contains a review of the current state of the seismic services industry and and discussion of novel technologies under development and commercialization