Print this pageAAPG GEO 2010 Middle East
Geoscience Conference & Exhibition
Innovative Geoscience Solutions – Meeting Hydrocarbon Demand in Changing Times
March 7-10, 2010 – Manama, Bahrain
Reducing Noise in 3D Seismic Data While Preserving Structural Detail
(1) Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
We present a new data adaptive method for smoothing 3D post-stacked seismic attributes. The method can reduce random noise while preserving the structure without prior computation of the structure orientation. It works as follows: within a neighborhood sub-window, we smooth the data along a set of pre-defined orientations; the best result is then selected as output. This best orientation often approximates to the true structure orientation embedded in the data; therefore, the embedded structure is preserved. The selection rule for the “best” orientation depends on the data type and purpose of maneuver; it can be minimum deviation, and maximum, minimum or absolute-maximum summation. The scheme can be further combined with median, alpha-trim, symmetric near neighbor, or edge preserving filters. A stop mechanism can be built-in when best orientations cannot be determined. Our results show that it is an effective way to reduce random noise, eliminate footprint and to enhance coherence and curvature attributes. It can also be applied to seismic amplitude to enhance auto-picking of horizons, first arrivals, or refraction events.