--> Abstract: A 32,000 Channel 3D Vibroseis Field Test - Where Is the Signal?, by Rienk H. Lakeman, Peter I. Pecholcs, Nader N. Nakhla, Muneer A. Sannaa, and Turki Al-Ghamdi; #90105 (2010)

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AAPG GEO 2010 Middle East
Geoscience Conference & Exhibition
Innovative Geoscience Solutions – Meeting Hydrocarbon Demand in Changing Times
March 7-10, 2010 – Manama, Bahrain

A 32,000 Channel 3D Vibroseis Field Test - Where Is the Signal?

Rienk H. Lakeman1; Peter I. Pecholcs1; Nader N. Nakhla1; Muneer A. Sannaa1; Turki Al-Ghamdi1

(1) Exploration Operations, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

With the dramatic increase in recording channels and improved productivity methods for Vibroseis surveys, we can effectively record the full signal and noise seismic wavefield without aliasing. To evaluate the cost/operations/data quality benefit ratio for high source/receiver density acquisition designs, Saudi Aramco performed a field test with an effective 32,000 channel Vibroseis survey design over a known oil and gas development field. The source and receiver line intervals were 100 m (orthogonal) with 25 m source and receiver station intervals. Three vibrators were used per source point with a linear upsweep from 4 to 94 Hz to acquire well-sampled, wide-azimuth data with inline offsets up to 5000 m and cross-line offsets up to 4000 m.

The field test area was specifically selected to observe the benefits of dense spatial sampling over regions with high amplitude surface waves and back-scattering caused by a complex near-surface. In addition, we analyze the minimum signal-to-noise level required per trace or ensemble to balance and preserve the surface-consistent signal bandwidth for a range of decimation volumes. These volumes simulate either finer spatial sampling or some of our legacy seismic data volumes and are referenced to our most recent vintage 4,000 channel survey design over the same area.

In this presentation, we demonstrate the effects of variable spatial sampling on signal-to-noise, signal bandwidth, and interpreted reservoir properties at the oil target.