Delineating Fracture Patterns from Seismic and Well Derived Multi-Attributes Data

Abstract

Structural complexities are concerns frequently encountered as peculiar features in most hydrocarbon provinces which various attempts has been made to resolve using conventional spatial images of the subsurface as continuous seismic reflections. These structural patterns are either tectonic or sedimentonic in origin and confers anisotropy and heterogeneity in subsurface formations thereby increasing the uncertainty associated with exploring hydrocarbon locked in their pores. Diffraction imaging has been used in various instances to delineate subtle discontinuities that synthesize diffraction waves in hydrocarbon formations, in tandem with reflection seismic and other invasive geophysical logs and core, in comparatively understanding fracture orientations and establishing relationships with the temporal data that are often regarded as most reliable. These data points have been used to infer structural relationship between the naturally fractured clastic formations in an oil and gas field with success. Rock elastic properties and signal anisotropy derived from core and logs resulted in structural attributes that correlated well with seismic diffraction volume inferred properties, giving credence to the relationships established and usefulness of the diffraction volume for characterizing and emphasizing small scale features hitherto classed as sub-seismic.