Online Journal for E&P Geoscientists

Tsingas, Constantine ^*1; Musat, Iulian ²; Tanushev, Nick ²; Popovici, Mihai ²
(1) EXPEC ARC, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. (2) Research, Z-Terra, Houston, TX.

Fast Beam Migration (FBM) is a very efficient depth imaging algorithm that can be two to three orders of magnitude faster than current implementations of Kirchhoff migration. For complex subsurface regimes, the main bottleneck in a depth imaging workflow is the number of migration iterations needed to reach an acceptable depth velocity model. Using FBM allows a faster imaging step, which in turn allows more iterations of velocity model building. This additional refinement of the velocity model enables enhanced seismic resolution and imaging for complex geologic structures, including sub-salt. The main objective of using this technology in a depth imaging workflow is to significantly decrease processing turnaround time for large 3D datasets, while at the same time produce high-resolution depth images.

During the presentation we will illustrate the application of the FBM technology to synthetic and real data sets.