Passive Seismic Approach to Minimize Drilling Risk

Abstract

The development of theory and applications of passive seismic for oil and gas industry had been rapidly progressing in recent years. The acquisition process is relatively easy, and does not required explosives as a source, which has minimum impact for the environmental and society. Seismometers that have been used in these studies have a high sensitivity (2,000 v/m/s) with a frequency range of 0.083 to 40 Hz recorded in three components, further processing will be needed to produce amplitude spectrum. Hydrocarbon reservoir usually has a high amplitude spectrum frequency within the range of 2 - 4 Hz. This survey has 100 observation points where the target area had chaotic seismic images in the fault zone, syn-rifts and complex structures. The survey was acquired to see passive seismic responses of some drilling prospects that needed additional data to reduce the drilling risks. A Preliminary process (calibration) had been conducted before the survey, which includes recording passive seismic responses and calculating spectrum amplitudes in oil and dry wells. The results of the preliminary data will be a baseline for each passive seismic response in the area. Results of measurements and data processing of passive seismic amplitude responses will be a distribution map that indicates possibility of hydrocarbon presence. Couple of years after the survey, a drilling program had been conducted at an observation point in the high anomalous zone; it was a success discovery.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90332 © 2018 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa, November 4-11, 2018