Application of Seismic Attributes to Resolve Stratigraphic and Structural Uncertainties: Examples from Northern Kuwait

Mohammed Ismail Syed*, Samar Al-Ashwak, Bader Al-Ajmi, Ghassan Rached, and Bashar Al-Qadeeri
KOC
*[email protected]

Conventional 3-D seismic interpretation is often inadequate for mapping stratigraphic-structural features and complexities that have a direct bearing on characterizing reservoir geometry. An example of this challenge is represented by the depositional sequences of the carbonate and clastic reservoirs of northern Kuwait. To characterize these sequences more unconventional techniques and work-flows are required to accomplish the task. The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate an unique workflow using multi-attribute analysis and visualization techniques that were applied to selected carbonate and clastic reservoirs to delineate their stratigraphic/structural features. We targeted the problems in two steps. The first was to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the available 3-D seismic data using appropriate processing steps to better image the depositional geometries and structural features. The second step was to highlight and isolate those specific geological features in 3-D using different seismic attributes. By integrating these approaches with subsurface data it was possible to speed-up the interpretation. The results showed that reprocessing, multiple-attribute analysis and 3-D visualization significantly improved the seismic data quality. This helped resolve stratigraphic-structural uncertainties leading to a more accurate characterization of the reservoir geometries.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90077©2008 GEO 2008 Middle East Conference and Exhibition, Manama, Bahrain