VelocityModelingWS 2009p2 Manual

Velocity Modeling Workshop
GOCAD 2009.2
Training Guide
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Before You Begin
About this course

1 You will progress through a series of comprehensive exercises designed to
teach and apply the tools available in the Velocity Modeling and Time Depth
Conversion module. The process includes the following topics—all focused
toward producing a comprehensive and accurate time-to-depth result:
 Data quality analysis and control
 Data editing
 Integration of seismic and geologic inputs
 Building velocity models
 Data reconciliation
 Error analysis and handling
 Final depth conversion
The workshop includes these topics:
 Chapter 1, “Introduction to Velocity Modeling,” introduces techniques used
to perform depth conversions, data types used in velocity modeling, the
general velocity modeling workflow, and basic concepts.
 Chapter 2, “Importing Data,” teaches you how to import and verify data you
will use for velocity modeling.
 Chapter 3, “Building a Velocity Model,” covers how to integrate all the
imported data and build the velocity model.
Who should attend

2 The Velocity Modeling Workshop is a one-day course designed for
this course geoscientists, engineers, and other technical personnel who need to build a 3D
velocity model for time-to-depth conversion.
Prerequisites
3 Requirements for this workshop are as follows:
 A geophysical or geology background
 An understanding of the time-depth concepts
 An understanding of seismic interpretation
 Knowledge of checkshot data, sonic logs, the various velocity types (Vrms,
Vint, Vavg, and so on) is preferred
 A working knowledge of the GOCAD 2009.2 Base Module, with emphasis
on creating and using Voxet objects, and importing data (specifically SEG-Y
data), is required and essential
iii
Before You Begin Paradigm™
Instructions in this training manual assume that:

 You have a basic understanding of seismic interpretation practices.
 You are familiar with basic operations in GOCAD 2009.2.
Additional training is available. If you are more familiar with GOCAD 2.0 or an
earlier version, the training Introduction to Base Module is recommended before
taking this course. The Volume Interpretation Workshop is also recommended if
you need help performing seismic interpretation in GOCAD 2009.2. Please
send your inquiry about training courses to training_info@pdgm.com.
iv Velocity Modeling Workshop

Contents
Before You Begin..................................................................................iii
Chapter 1 Introduction to Velocity Modeling .................................................... 1-1

Depth Conversion Methods ............................................................................. 1-2
Data Types and Sources Used for Velocity Modeling....................................... 1-3
Seismic Velocities ..................................................................................... 1-3
Data Integration in the Model .................................................................... 1-4
Using Interpreted Horizons for Building the Velocity Model ....................... 1-5
Velocity Modeling Overview ............................................................................. 1-8
Velocity Basic Concepts ................................................................................ 1-10
Chapter 2 Importing Data ................................................................................... 2-1

Chapter Overview............................................................................................ 2-2
Creating Project and Importing Interpretations ................................................ 2-4
Task 1 Creating Project ............................................................................ 2-5
Task 2 Importing Fault, Horizon, and Salt Data ......................................... 2-6
Importing Seismic and Velocity Data ............................................................... 2-8
Task 1 Importing Seismic Cube ................................................................ 2-9
Task 2 Importing RMS Velocity Functions ............................................... 2-10
Task 3 Importing Checkshot Data ........................................................... 2-12
Importing Well and Marker Data .................................................................... 2-15
Task Importing Well Data ........................................................................ 2-16
Summary ....................................................................................................... 2-20
Chapter 3 Building a Velocity Model.................................................................. 3-1

Chapter Overview............................................................................................ 3-2
Building the Velocity Model.............................................................................. 3-3
Task 1 Creating a Voxet............................................................................ 3-4
Task 2 Creating Interval Velocity Property by Applying Dix to Vrms .......... 3-7
Task 3 Interpolating the Interval Velocities .............................................. 3-12
Task 4 Converting Interval Velocities into Average Velocities.................. 3-15
v
Contents Paradigm™
Calibrating the Velocity Model........................................................................ 3-17

Task 1 Calibrating Velocity Model with Checkshot Data .......................... 3-18
Task 2 Calibrating the Velocity Model with Well Markers ......................... 3-21
Converting the Model to Depth ...................................................................... 3-28
Task 1 Converting the Interpretation to Depth ......................................... 3-29
Task 2 Converting the Seismic Cube to Depth ........................................ 3-31
Summary ....................................................................................................... 3-34
Index ............................................................................................ Index-1
vi Velocity Modeling Workshop

1
Introduction to Velocity Modeling 1 r e t p a h C
In this chapter
1  “Depth Conversion Methods,”  “Velocity Modeling Overview,”
page 1-2 page 1-8
 “Data Types and Sources Used for  “Velocity Basic Concepts,”
Velocity Modeling,” page 1-3 page 1-10
Overview
2 This lesson introduces some of the methods used to perform depth
conversions, and the data types and sources used to perform velocity modeling.
1-1
Chapter 1 Introduction to Velocity Modeling Paradigm™
Depth Conversion Methods 1 .
This section describes the various methods used to convert a model from the
time to the depth domain.
Methods available in
1 Several methods are used in the oil and gas industry to perform time to depth
industry conversion. Some of them are:
 Simple multiplication of a constant velocity with an interpreted time horizon
 Multiplication of a laterally varying velocity with a series of time horizons
 Creation of a complex velocity model with subsequent depth conversion
 Iterative modeling of complex models using ray tracing to create synthetic
time and depth models
Velocity modeling
2 3D modeling of subsurface velocities is used most often to perform time to
using a 3D model depth conversion when the data and other factors support this method.
This approach has many advantages when compared with using simple 2D
maps:
 Three-dimensional models not only convert 2D maps, but also are used for
the conversion of 2D and 3D seismic data, faults, wells, reservoir grids,
stratigraphic models, and so on.
 Integration of 3D data reduces the discrepancy and errors in the input data.
 The 3D model uses all data within the geologic and geophysical model,
including events above, below, and away from the reservoir.
Tools available in
3 Tools available in the GOCAD 2009.2 Velocity Modeling and Time Depth
GOCAD Conversion module are structured to build a full 3D velocity distribution using all
appropriate data. Once the velocity model is constructed, you can use a choice
of velocity data—interval velocity (Vint), root mean squared velocity (Vrms),
average velocity (Vavg), and so on—using established formulas and
relationships.
1-2 Velocity Modeling Workshop

Paradigm™ Chapter 1 Introduction to Velocity Modeling
Data Types and Sources Used for Velocity Modeling 2 .
Numerous data types and sources are used to construct a velocity model,
including:
 Well Velocity
— Calibrated integrated sonic logs
— Checkshot
— Pseudo velocity
 Seismic Velocity
— RMS or stacking velocity
— Interval velocity
— Average velocity
— Vertical seismic profile (VSP)
— Ray tracing
 Other methods based on either intuitive or prior Knowledge
Seismic Velocities . .
Seismic velocity
1 Seismic velocities represent the best source for large-scale velocity information.
However, it is important to be aware of data limitations, particularly with older
data:
 If velocity picking was performed manually, or if QC analysis was
inadequate, the velocity model data will have undesirable noise
(inconsistent velocities) which needs to be edited or removed if significant.
 Several factors that affect velocities are:
— Structural dip
— Lithology
— Differential compaction
— Overpressure
— Overall geologic structure
— Multiples
— Uncommon raypaths.
GOCAD® 2009.2 Data Types and Sources Used for Velocity Modeling 1-3
 Velocities derived from the seismic velocity data frequently differ from the
true average velocity (Vavg) because the actual raypath and travel time are
impacted by:
— Initial incidence angle at each layer
— Interbed multiples
— Conversion from P-waves (compressional waves) to S-waves (shear
waves)
— Structural dip
— Significant stratigraphic interfaces and dip
— Refraction and subsequent reflection
— Lateral anisotropy due to lithology (heterogeneity), particularly in shales
Importing seismic
2 Within GOCAD, the seismic velocity is imported as a property (velocity) from a
velocities in curve. The velocity property corresponds to a stack velocity approximated to:
GOCAD root mean square velocity—Vrms (for information, see “Velocity Basic Concepts”
on page 1-10).
GOCAD provides converters to import different types of data. The most

common file types for velocity data are:
— .velf (Western Geophysical)
— .avf (Landmark)
Data Integration in the Model . .
The data must be integrated in a consistent manner and carefully checked by a

quality control (QC) process before interpolating and extrapolating in all three
dimensions. Above all, the data integration and QC process must also be
consistent with the geology, accounting for, among other factors: structure,
lithology, compaction rates and trends, overpressure, and stratigraphy.

The algorithms behind the interpolation and calibration of the velocity model
range from the simpler algorithms such as linear interpolation, to more complex
tools such as kriging with external drift—which requires the use of variograms.
Once you define the velocity for each point in the 3D model, each objective can
then be converted from time to depth. This is a simple conversion of a vertical
ray path, which is done directly within GOCAD. The velocity cube generated
inside GOCAD can be exported to other programs to be used in more complex
conversions.
Using Interpreted Horizons for Building the

Velocity Model . .
The incorporation of interpreted horizons is not required to build the velocity

model, that is, in the method that involves the direct interpolation of Vrms without
the use of interval velocity. However, it is far better to have this information
within the model to account for geologic events above the objectives.
Horizon types
1 It is important to differentiate between two types of horizons used for the
creation of the 3D model:
 The first type corresponds to the top and base of the reservoir. They will not
be incorporated on the model itself because they represent local horizons.
They can be considerably smaller when compared to the field area. They
are the horizons that will be converted using the model.
 The other horizon type includes the horizons used for the creation of the
interval velocity model. They are regional horizons and usually cover the
whole extension of the field. These determine the boundaries of a geologic
sequence and are picked because they represent, or define, a strong
velocity variation, such as the salt and the seabottom.
Importing horizons
2 You can import interpreted horizons and faults into GOCAD as PointsSet or
in GOCAD Surface objects. Figure 1 shows several horizons and a salt dome imported as
PointsSets.
Figure 1 Interpreted horizons and salt dome
In GOCAD, you can load objects in depth or time. All time and depth domain
objects are loaded into the same project and can be simultaneously displayed in
the 3D Viewer. This is a significant advantage because separate time and depth
models are not needed (unlike in other programs).
When loading an object into GOCAD (from an import converter or in the
GOCAD format), you will have to determine the object domain (time or depth).
The default selection is the same that was chosen when you first started the
project and specified the preferred z-axis.

How to determine the domain of an object in your project?
To determine the domain of an object in a project, do one of the following:
 Click Get XYZ Coordinate , and then click the object in the 3D Viewer
to get the coordinates. In the pane that then opens in the left corner of the
window, the units indicate depth or time: meters (m) and feet (ft) for depth;
milliseconds (ms) for time.
 Open the Attributes pane for this object. The domain is also indicated in
the information area of an object (in attributes).
Figure 2 Retrieving object domain information in GOCAD
Tip If your object was not imported in the correct domain, simply reassign
the domain. On the Commands menu bar, select Velocity mode, click the
Time to Depth Conversion menu, and then click Reassign Correct
Domain. This is not a time-to-depth conversion; it is just a simple unit
reassignment.
Velocity Modeling Overview 3 .
This section reviews the entire process you will follow in this course.
Figure 3 Velocity modeling flow chart
Import Data
1 To begin velocity modeling, the initial step is to organize and import the various
data types you will use in the modeling process.
Build the velocity

2 The next step is to begin the construction of a 3D model. A voxet will be the
cube support for the velocity interpolation. As the flow chart in Figure 3 shows, two
commonly accepted methods to build the model in GOCAD are:
 From seismic velocity. Direct interpolation of the velocity (Vrms) inside the
cube, with no structural control.

 From interval velocities. Interpolation of the velocity (Vint) inside of

different stratigraphic units (commonly referred to as a layer cake model)
and following the trends defined by the structural model built in the time
domain. Interval velocity is then converted to Vavg and transferred to the
velocity cube.
Calibrate average
3 The Vavg cube must be calibrated with direct velocity measurements, if
velocity available:
 Calibration with checkshots
 Calibration with well markers
Depth convert the

4 With the calibrated model, perform time-to-depth conversion of the seismic cube
interpretation and and the horizons previously constructed in the structural model.
seismic cube
Notes This workflow is an example of two typical methods of velocity modeling,
but:
• The two methods are not mutually exclusive and can both be used.
• There are many other possible methods, depending on the data available.
GOCAD, being very flexible, does not limit velocity modeling to the two methods
described.
GOCAD® 2009.2 Velocity Modeling Overview 1-9

Velocity Basic Concepts 4 .
Velocity terminology has to be defined within the context of the requirements,

data, geologic, or geophysical environment, and the tools being used.
 Vint (interval velocity). Velocity corresponding to a distance interval or,
between two defined points, and the associated transit time.
 Vrms (root mean square). In seismic reflection, it is the velocity defined by:
   v 2 t i 
vrms   i  , where,
  t i 
 
vi = vint = interval velocities and ti = time interval.

 Vavg (average velocity). Average velocity defined by:
vavg 
 v t
i i
, where,
 t i
vi = interval velocities and ti = respective time interval.

2
Importing Data 2 r e t p a h C
In this chapter
1  “Chapter Overview,” page 2-2  “Importing Well and Marker Data,”
 “Creating Project and Importing page 2-15
Interpretations,” page 2-4  “Summary,” page 2-20
 “Importing Seismic and Velocity
Data,” page 2-8
Overview
2 In this chapter, you import and verify the data files you use to create the model.
2-1
Chapter 2 Importing Data Paradigm™
Chapter Overview 1 .
This section discusses the process you follow in this chapter and the data to be
loaded into a new project.
Process
1 Figure 1 shows you where you are in the course and provides an overview of
the process that you will complete in Chapter 2, “Importing Data.”
Course Chapters Sections
Velocity Modeling Creating Project and Importing

Importing Data
Workshop Interpretations
Importing Seismic and Velocity

Building a Velocity Model
Data
Importing Well and Marker Data
Figure 1 Process diagram for Chapter 2, “Importing Data.”
Summary
2 In this course, you work in a new project VMCalibration.prj with the following
coordinate system:
Setting Value
Area units Meters
Depth unit Meters
Time unit Milliseconds
Depth axis positive values Downward
Preferred z-axis Time
Table 1 on page 2-3 lists all the data that you need to load in this chapter.
Figure 12 on page 2-20 displays the data in the 3D Viewer.

Paradigm™ Chapter 2 Importing Data
Table 1 Data to be imported into a new project

Data Type Path Format Domain
Faults FAULTS/ SeisWorks Fault Sticks Time
 Cadetblue.dat  Magenta.dat
 Cornflowerblue.dat  Orange.dat
 Cyan.dat  Pink.dat
 Forestgreen.dat  Red.dat
 Green.dat  Salmon.dat
Horizons HORIZONS/ XYZ ASCII File Time

 CARACAS_pst
 HOUSTON_pst
 KOBE_pst
Salt Surface HORIZONS/SALT Irap RMS Triangle Time

Surface
Amplitude SEISMIC/amplitude.sgy SEG-Y 3D Time

Cube
RMS Velocity VELOCITIES/seismic_velocity.velf Velf ASCII Traces Time

Functions
Well VELOCITIES/Checkshot_Velocity.txt Column-based File Time

checkshots
Well path and WELLS/ LAS Depth

logs
 Agate-H6.las  Cobalt-B2.las
 Amethyst-3.las  Diamond-14.las
 Apatite-E13.las  Dolomite-B1.las
 Barite-C1.las  Emerald-A9.las
 Basalt-B6.las  Flourite-A7.las
 Bauxite-B5.las  Gypsum-A6.las
 Beryl-B4.las  Halite-A5.las
 Calcite-32.las  Jade-A4.las
 Chalcopyrite-B3.las  Jasper-D1.las
 Citrine-1.las  Mica-A3.las
 Talc-A1.las
GOCAD® 2009.2 Chapter Overview 2-3

Creating Project and Importing Interpretations 2 .
In this section you create a new project and load the fault and horizon
interpretations.
Process
1 Figure 2 shows the tasks for this part of the process.
Chapter Sections Tasks
Creating Project and Importing

Importing Data Creating Project
Interpretations
Importing Seismic and Velocity Importing Fault, Horizon, and Salt

Data Data
Importing Well and Marker Data
Figure 2 Process diagram for “Creating Project and Importing Interpretations.”

Task 1 Creating Project 1 k s a T
In this task, you create a new project and select the modules required for the
course.
Create a project
1 1 If you have not already created a project, do so now. We recommend that
you select at least the following modules:
Geosciences Interpretation
3D Viewer Velocity Modeling and Time Depth
Conversion
Foundation Modeling and Editing
Map, Cross Section and Log

Display
Structural Framework Builder
2 When prompted, select the following project units:

Setting Value
Area units Meters
Depth unit Meters
Time unit Milliseconds
Depth axis positive values Downward
Preferred z-axis Time
Check the user level

2  Once the GOCAD session is created, ensure the user level is set to
Advanced in the Preferences.
GOCAD® 2009.2 Creating Project and Importing Interpretations 2-5

Task 2 Importing Fault, Horizon, and Salt Data 2 k s a T
In this task you import the time interpretations for the faults, horizons and salt
surface (see Table 1 on page 2-3).
Import the faults as

1 1 Select File > Import Objects > Fault Interpretations > SeisWorks Fault
Curve objects Sticks.
2 In the Import SeisWorks Fault Sticks dialog box, browse and select the
following files (your instructor will provide the file path for the data):
 Cadetblue.dat  Pink.dat
 Magenta.dat  Forestgreen.dat
 Cornflowerblue.dat  Red.dat
 Orange.dat  Green.dat
 Cyan.dat  Salmon.dat
Note Follow the normal import procedure for this file type. All faults are in the
time domain.
Import the salt

2 1 Select File > Import Objects > Fault Surfaces > Irap RMS Triangle
dome as a Surface Surface.
object 2 In the Import Irap RMS Triangle Surface File dialog box, browse and
select the SALT file.
Note Follow the normal import procedures for this file type. The salt dome is
in the time domain.
Import the horizons

3 1 Select File > Import Objects > Horizon Interpretations > XYZ.
as PointsSet
2 In the Import X Y Z ASCII File dialog box, browse and select the following
objects files:
 CARACAS_pst
 HOUSTON_pst
 KOBE_pst
Note Follow the normal import procedure for this file type. All horizons are in
the time domain.
View the horizons

4 1 Display the horizons and the faults in the 3D Viewer.
and faults
Note GOCAD assigns colors to the fault sticks (curves) randomly. A
command script was created for automatically setting your data to match the
figures in this training manual.

2 Select File > Run Script, then open the script

edit_interpretation_colors.script. GOCAD automatically edits the object
colors. Your results should look similar to Figure 3.
Figure 3 Fault and horizon interpretations (Z-scaling = 3)
3 Verify the data. Note any irregularities.

The horizons are typical of Gulf of Mexico salt domes, that is, radiating
faults, complex geology, and marked velocity changes between the salt and
the sediments.
GOCAD® 2009.2 Creating Project and Importing Interpretations 2-7

Importing Seismic and Velocity Data 3 .
In this section you load the seismic volume, velocity functions and checkshot
data.
Process

Importing Data
Interpretations

Importing Seismic Cube
Data
Importing Well and Marker Data Importing RMS Velocity Functions
Importing Checkshot Data
Figure 4 Process diagram for “Loading Seismic and Velocity Data.”

Task 1 Importing Seismic Cube 1 k s a T
In this task you import the seismic SEG-Y data.
Import the seismic

1 1 Select File > Import Objects > Seismic Data > SEG-Y 3D as Voxet.
SEG-Y data as a 2 In the Import SEG-Y 3D as Voxet dialog box, browse and select the file
Voxet object amplitude.sgy.
3 Ensure that the Property is signed setting is turned off (on the Advanced
tab in the SEG-Y 3D Import Settings dialog box).
4 View the voxet, which fully correlates with the data already loaded. Figure 5
Tip To reverse the
shows the CARACAS_pst horizon and the seismic data.
colormap, access the
Attribute toolbar for the
Z property, hold down
CTRL, and then right-
click the colormap. On
the shortcut menu, click
Reverse colormap.
Figure 5 Seismic amplitude cube (inline = 117) and CARACAS_pst horizon

interpretation (Z-scaling = 3)
GOCAD® 2009.2 Importing Seismic and Velocity Data 2-9

Task 2 Importing RMS Velocity Functions 2 k s a T
In this task you import the RMS velocity functions as curve objects.
Import the seismic

1 1 Select File > Import Objects >Velocity Data > Velf.
stacking velocities 2 In the Import Velf ASCII Traces file dialog box, browse and select
(Vrms) seismic_velocity.velf. The converter loads the data as a Curve object
named seismic_velocity.
3 Verify that the data loaded correctly by hiding all objects and then displaying
seismic_velocity and the seismic cube in the 3D Viewer. Your display
should look similar to Figure 6.
Figure 6 RMS velocity curves and seismic amplitude cube (Z-scaling = 3)
Edit the RMS curves

2 Do the following to improve the image and get a display similar to Figure 7:
display
1 In the Object Tree, under Curve, expand seismic_velocity, then do the
following:
a Rename the property velocity to RMS.

b Display the RMS property.
2 In the 3D Viewer, double-click seismic_velocity to display its Attribute
toolbar at the bottom of the GOCAD window. Click Nodes to show the
curve points.

3 Display the colorbar scale of the RMS property and the compass in the
3D Viewer by doing the following:
a In the Camera Snapshot and Options toolbar, click Colormap .
b Click Orientation Symbol .
Figure 7 RMS velocity curves after editing the display
Check RMS velocity

3  Calculate the histogram of RMS, and then evaluate the data distribution
values shown. Key questions to answer are:
 Are the velocities and data distributions reasonable and realistic?
 Are any anomalies present?
The data is marginally acceptable; for this region, no velocities below 1600
meters/second should be present. Outside a training class, you usually
would edit the data.
You will continue to build the model in the next step: Task 3, “Importing
Checkshot Data” on page 12.

Task 3 Importing Checkshot Data 3 k s a T
After learning about checkshot surveys and how you check their quality, you will
import the checkshot data.
Overview of checkshot acquisition and processing
A checkshot survey, when done correctly, is the fundamental link between

time and depth. Assume for this description that the well is vertical. An energy
source is placed proximal to the wellhead. If the rig is offshore, an airgun is
placed 20 to 40 feet below the water surface; if onshore, either an airgun in a
mud pit or another energy source will be used, again, proximal to the
wellhead. The geophone is attached to the wireline logging cable and lowered
into the wellbore. Because the wireline logging system has a very accurate
depth measurement, the depth of the geophone is always known. The
geophone is anchored to the wellbore sidewall. The energy source is
triggered, creating a compressional wave (P-wave) propagating downward at
the formation velocity. When the P-wave passes the geophone, the formation
particle motion causes the geophone to move down, then up, resulting in an
electrical response which is then received in the logging unit, recorded as the
transit time; the transit time is the difference in time from the energy source
activation to the geophone movement. A simple correction called the cosine
correction is applied to account for the slightly longer transit time from the
source to the geophone because of the source offset from the wellhead. The
geophone is then decoupled from the wellbore and raised to the next
recording station; the process is repeated until the received signal can no
longer be recorded as a result of casing ring or other spurious high-energy
noises.
The transit time measured is the travel time from the energy source, through
the earth formations, to the geophone. If the recording stations are chosen
based on significant formation changes as identified from openhole logs, for
example, the interface between massive sand and a massive shale body or
from shale to carbonate, the transit time measured is the actual formation
velocity and is considered to be the interval velocity of that formation.
However, many checkshot surveys were and are acquired using a fixed
spacing of 200 to 500 feet or 50 to 200 meters, providing an average velocity
over the interval, but not an actual formation velocity. Depending on the
region, the checkshot velocity measurement will be referred to in the local
terms, that is, true interval velocity, formation velocity, or average formation
velocity. If the checkshot data is then used to do a sonic log calibration, the
resultant calibrated integrated sonic log is a true formation interval velocity.
For our purposes and consistency in this manual and course, Vavg is defined
to be the checkshot data.
Many types of checkshots and vertical seismic profiles (VSPs) exist: zero-
offset, offset, deviated well, vertical incidence, and hybrids. Regardless of the
type of acquisition and the terminology used, whenever possible, verify that
the checkshot acquisition was done correctly, that the processing was done
correctly, and that an integrated calibrated sonic log is used as the input for
the velocity modeling workflow.

Import the
1 In GOCAD, the checkshot data can be imported as a curve or as discrete
checkshot data as a points. For the purpose of this exercise, you will import the data as a curve in a
Curve object column-based file. Associated with the curve nodes is the property
Vavg_checkshot, corresponding to an average velocity.
1 Select File > Import Objects > Velocity Data > Velocity Functions >
Column-based File.
2 Browse and select the file Checkshot_Velocity.txt file and follow the
wizard to reach the Column Assignment panel:
— File type is delimited.
— File delimeters are tabs.
— The ASCII file contains X, Y, Z, and Segment ID columns.
— Name the object using the file name.
— The curve parts are not closed.
3 On the Column Assignment panel, define the correspondence between
GOCAD object property and the column number in the ASCII file. Do not
forget to add an extra property line and call it Vavg_Checkshot.
Note Import the checkshot data in the time domain.
In some other cases, the checkshot data may appear as TD (time-depth)

tables. If so, you load the "time log" in the well. Then, later on, you create
the average velocity property in the well, and use it to calibrate the velocity
cube.

Display the
2 1 In the Object Tree, under Curve, display only Checkshot_velocity and the
checkshot curves seismic cube.
2 Show the Attribute toolbar for the curve, then change the points size to 7.
3 Display the property Vavg_checkshot and its colormap. The data displayed
are the velocities associated with each well, as shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8 Checkshot curves and seismic amplitude cube
You next load the actual well paths and the horizon markers.
QC of checkshot data
Checkshot data, if acquired correctly, is the best source of velocity data.

Check the acquisition technique in terms of:
 Well deviation versus source offset
 Structural dip versus source location
If the structural dip is low, the well is close to vertical (little or no deviation),
and the energy source is proximal to the wellhead, the checkshot survey
should be reliable. If the well is highly deviated and the source is proximal to
the wellhead, the measured and computed velocities can be incorrect; the
causes are dominantly due to anisotropy and/or unusual raypaths. If,
however, the well is highly deviated and the source is offset, or even vertically
incident to the receiver, the checkshot survey should be very high quality.
In summary, verify the acquisition and processing before using a checkshot
survey, and perform a quality check on all velocity inputs.

Importing Well and Marker Data 4 .
In this section you load the well data (path, log and markers).
Process

Importing Data
Interpretations

Data
Importing Well and Marker Data Importing Well Data
Figure 9 Process diagram for “Loading Seismic and Velocity Data.”
GOCAD® 2009.2 Importing Well and Marker Data 2-15

Task Importing Well Data k s a T
In this task, you import the wells and the well marker data from LAS files. Unlike
the data you imported so far, the well data is in the depth domain. The LAS files
include the deviation survey information.
Import the well data

1 1 Select File > Import Objects > Well Data > Path and Logs > LAS.
2
 3
 3

4
2 Browse and select all the LAS files, which include the well paths, logs, and
well markers.
3 The LAS file includes the well location, so click Well location in LAS file,
then do the following:
a Select the X check box, and then change the keyword to XCRD.
b Select the Y check box, and then change the keyword to YCRD.
c Select the KB check box, and then change the keyword to DATUM (you
must type it).

4 Select the Deviation survey information is in the LAS file(s) or in

external files check box, and a new dialog box opens in which you specify
where the deviation information is (which columns of the LAS file) and the
kind of deviation (absolute, relative, and so on).
5a
a Click Deviations are absolute values

b Click Close.
5 In the Import LAS Data File(s) dialog box, click OK to load the wells.
GOCAD scans the log data and detects the log facies that could be
associated to a classification. For the purpose of the course, it is not
mandatory to have a classification.
7
6 To the question Do you want to associate a classification with it?,

answer No to All.
The files will be imported as Well objects. A total of 21 wells should be
visible when you display them.

Verify the well data

2 1 Show the wells in the 3D Viewer.
2 Check that each checkshot corresponds to a well. Some wells do not have
checkshot information associated with them.
Figure 10 Well data, checkshot curves and seismic amplitude cube

(inline = 206, Z-scaling = 3)
3 Ensure that your wells were imported in the proper domain and coordinates
by checking the Citrine-1 well:
 (X,Y) coordinates of Citrine-1 is (1 610 108, –171 296) meters.
Tip Right-click on the
well, then select  TVDSS of bottom hole for Citrine-1 is 2101.139 m.
Spreadsheet > path to
get the exact values for Notes To determine the domain of a well, you can do the following:
well path geometry. • Click Get XYZ Coordinate , and then click the well path in the
3D Viewer to get the coordinates. In the pane that then opens in the left
corner of the window, the Z units indicate depth or time.
• The domain is also indicated in the information area of an object (in
attributes).
4 Save your project.

Display markers
3 1 Hide the checkshot curves.
2 In the Attributes manager, display all the markers on the wells.
3 Edit the color of the markers to match the color of horizons.
a In the 3D Viewer, hold on CTRL and right-click the well Barite-C1, then
select Edit Well Markers and Stratigraphic Units.
3b
b For each marker, double click the Color column then select the color.
The marker color in the 3D Viewer automatically updates.
Note If the marker color does not update on the other wells, hide all the
wells AND all the markers, then redisplay them.
c Close the dialog box. Your display should look similar to Figure 11.
Figure 11 Well markers and seismic cube

Summary 5 .
When you complete Chapter 2, “Importing Data,” you should have successfully
loaded and verified the following:
 Horizon interpretation data
 Faults
 SEG-Y data, imported as a voxet
 Vrms from the stacking velocities
 Vavg from the checkshots
 Well markers
 Well directional data
Figure 12 shows all the data you imported in the chapter.
Figure 12 Overview of all the data imported in Chapter 2, “Importing Data.”

3
Building a Velocity Model 3 r e t p a h C
In this chapter
1  “Chapter Overview,” page 3-2  “Converting the Model to Depth,”
 “Building the Velocity Model,” page 3-28
page 3-3  “Summary,” page 3-34
 “Calibrating the Velocity Model,”
page 3-17
Overview
2 In this chapter, you learn how to create, calibrate, and perform quality checks on
a velocity model.
3-1
Chapter 3 Building a Velocity Model Paradigm™
Chapter Overview 1 .
This section details the process you follow in this chapter.
Process
1 Figure 1 shows you where you are in the course and provides an overview of
the process that you will complete in Chapter 3, “Building a Velocity Model.”
Course Chapters Sections
Velocity Modeling
Importing Data
Workshop
Building a Velocity Model Building the Velocity Model
Calibrating the Velocity Model
Converting the Model to Depth
Figure 1 Process diagram for Chapter 3, “Building a Velocity Model.”

Paradigm™ Chapter 3 Building a Velocity Model
Building the Velocity Model 2 .
After all the data is loaded, the next task is to integrate the information and build
the velocity model.
As stated in the introduction, you can use two different methods using two types
of input data:
 Modeling the velocities from the seismic velocity. Simple interpolation
(DSI, kriging) of the original seismic data (Vrms) in a 3D voxet.
 Modeling of the velocities from interval velocities. Definition of different
units to be filled with the appropriate interval velocity.
Both methods use a voxet as a support of the velocity model. In this exercise,
you use only the first method.
In this section you create a new project and load the horizon surfaces.
Process
Building a Velocity
Building the Velocity Model Creating a Voxet
Model
Viewing the 3D Velocity Model

from Seismic Velocities
Creating Interval Velocity Property

by Applying Dix to Vrms
Interpolating the Interval

Velocities
Converting Interval Velocities into

Average Velocities
Figure 2 Process diagram for “Building the Velocity Model.”
GOCAD® 2009.2 Building the Velocity Model 3-3

Task 1 Creating a Voxet 1 k s a T
To be able to proceed with the velocity interpolation, it is necessary to create a

cube (voxet) that is used to support the interpolation.
You can build a voxet from several sources. One could be an already existing
seismic cube, since the velocities need to be computed in the same 3D space.
But if you are starting from scratch or the seismic cube is not available, you can
just interpolate the velocities in the 3D space around the velocity functions. Both
methods are described next; you can use either one in this workshop.
About the Voxet object
A voxet is a regular grid (that is, formed by cells of regular dimensions) whose
properties are stored in the center of each cell. The first task is to create the
regularly spaced cells in three dimensions (the voxet) and then follow this
step by adding the properties, in this case, the Vrms velocities.
Grid node
A voxet cell with a

node in the center

Method 1: Build a
1 Every object in GOCAD has a cage. The cage indicates how much space is
voxet from an occupied by the object: the range in the x, y, and z directions. You can use this
object cage cage to define the voxet, your velocity cube.
Difference between an object box and cage
You may have noticed that you have another option, From Object Box. An
object box is the minimum cage that can contain the objects with the axis
oriented in the direction of x, y, and z. The From Objects Cage command
creates a voxet that is tightly wrapped around the objects.
1 Select Voxet > New > From Objects Cage.

2 Change the scale W dimension to 1.01.
Tip If you plan to con-
vert a seismic cube to
depth with the velocity
voxet, it is best practice
to include the seismic

voxet in the list of
objects that will define 2
the final voxet cage.
3
 4
3 Change the number of sections for Nu and Nv to 120. Change Nw to 200 in

this case because you want to have good vertical sampling—not too fine,
but not too coarse either.
Note The vertical resolution of the voxet is directly dependent on the seismic
data resolution. Assuming that your computer hardware is sufficiently robust
to handle large data sets in terms of processor speed, RAM, and graphics
capabilities, then data decimation is not necessary. If, however, the data set
exceeds the hardware capabilities, decimate the data. In this case, an
acceptable sampling rate will be 4 to 5 times greater than the seismic

resolution; that is, if the trace sample rate is 4 milliseconds, decimate to 16 or

20 milliseconds.
About the From Objects Cage command parameters
The From Objects Cage command requests a name for the velocity
cube; the objects that define the cage; and Nu, Nv, and Nw. Scale W
dimension is 1.1 to ensure that everything is vertically contained. A value
of 1.1 means that GOCAD is exceeding the dimension of the velocity
cube vertically by 10 percent. If you do not want to exceed the
dimension, set the value to 1.
Now, what about Nu, Nv, and Nw? This is the number of sections that will
be available in every direction (x, y, and z). It is the equivalent of space
resolution. If the range of the objects cage in the x direction is 1000 feet,
and you want to have values every 20 feet, the number of sections
needed is n = (1000/20) + 1. Why do you add one? You must account for
the first (or the last) section.
Method 2: Build a
2 If you want to build the voxet from the seismic cube that you imported earlier,
voxet from an show the seismic cube amplitude in the 3D Viewer. You will extract a voxet
existing seismic from the seismic cube and then you will coarsen it, because you do not need as
cube much resolution as the seismic information.
1 Select Voxet > New > Extracted from Voxet.
2
3
4
2 Name the voxet Velocity_ Cube.

3 Change the value for jump u, jump v, and jump w to 4, 2, and 2, respectively.
4 Turn off the Copy properties setting because you do not need the seismic
data in the velocity cube.
With either of the two methods, you have now successfully created the voxet.
The next step will be to fill the voxet with the desired property, Vrms.

Task 2 Creating Interval Velocity Property by Applying

Dix to Vrms 2 k s a T
in this task you convert the RMS velocity to interval velocity using the DIX
formula (see Equation 1).
There is no direct command in GOCAD to convert a RMS velocity to an interval
velocity for curve objects. That is why you need to apply the DIX formula using
the property script.
For simplifying the process, you will use a wizard that was created for you.
About the RMS velocity curves
The velocity values are stored only on the node curves and are not regularly
spaced, but the segments between nodes carry linearly interpolated values.
Therefore, the resolution is infinite.
Since the values in the segments are linearly interpolated, you need to work
with a property that is linear. The stacking velocities are not linear. In fact, the
stacking velocities can be assumed hyperbolic for near offsets. Therefore, we
need to provide a linear property, such as the interval velocity. To do so, we
are going to compute the interval velocity using the Dix equation.
Dix, in 1955, stated that:
Vint2(Z i) = (Vrms2(Z i)  Zi - Vrms2(Zi-1)  Z i-1)/(Z i - Zi-1) Equation 1
where:
Vint2(Zi) = square of the interval velocity at the depth/time location i
Vrms2(Zi) = square of the stacking velocity at the depth/time location i
Vrms2(Zi-1) = square of the stacking velocity on the previous sample in

depth/time
Prepare the view

1  Show only the velocity curves seismic_velocity and the velocity cube.

Load the wizard

2 To load the wizard that converts RMS velocity to interval velocity on curve
objects, do the following:
1 On the Applications menu, select Wizards > Load Wizard.
2 Browse and select GOCAD / WIZARDS /
convert_RMS_to_INT_curves.wz.
Compute interval
3 1 On the Applications menu, select Wizards > Convert RMS to Interval
velocity Velocity on Curves using DIX Equation.
Tip When you have a

series of commands that
you often use together,
you can create your own
wizard.
For more information 2

about wizards, see the
answer database on the 3
Paradigm support site:

http://pdgm.cus-
thelp.com 4

5
2 In the Velocity_Function box, select seismic_velocity.

3 In the RMS_Velocity box, ensure RMS is selected.
4 In the Interval_Velocity box, type INT.
5 Click Create interval velocity from RMS. A property INT is computed on
seismic_velocity.
6 Close the wizard.
Inspect the interval

4  Inspect the interval velocity that the wizard created on seismic_velocity in
velocity the 3D Viewer and in the histogram. Your results should look like Figure 3.

You can see that there are some values below 1500 meters per second. You
need to delete them.
Figure 3 Interval velocity computed from RMS on seismic_velocity curves

(Z scaling = 3)
About the wizard process
The Convert RMS to Interval Velocity on Curves using DIX Equation

wizard uses the following process:
1 Create a new property INT on velocity function curves.
2 Compute an ID to identify each velocity function curve part (used in the
property script after).
3 Apply a property script that computes INT from RMS using DIX formula.

Clean the low values

5 Do the following to delete the unwanted values:
1 Create a region named badnodes on the set of velocity functions, by using
the Create From Property Range command.
2 Clean the badnodes region of its values by initializing the region with a
constant, -99999 (or INT_NDV).
3 Initialize the property to remove the no-data values. To access the

command, select Curve > Interpolation > Initialize Property.

4 Check the property range of interval velocity (see Figure 4). The interval
velocity now has values everywhere, and all of them are higher than 1500
meters per second.
Figure 4 Interval velocity on velocity curves after editing low values

In the next section, you will interpolate the velocities inside the cube
(Velocity_Cube) created earlier.
Again, you are working with interval velocities because the transfer of the
properties from a curve to a voxet or stratigraphic grid (SGrid) is designed for
linear properties.

Task 3 Interpolating the Interval Velocities 3 k s a T
The flow chart in Figure 5 shows the process that goes from the treatment of the
curves until the interpolation of the velocity values inside the voxet.
Tip Remember that the

grid could be populated
using the Reservoir
Properties Workflow,
where a complete suite
(more choices and
options) of geostatisti-
cal algorithms is avail-
able.
Figure 5 Modeling velocities from seismic velocities
In this task you follow the process described in Figure 6. First you paint the
voxet with the interval velocity in the curves. Then you extrapolate the interval
velocity in the voxet using an interpolation technique (DSI in this case).
Figure 6 Velocity Vrms modeling process

Transfer interval
1 To interpolate the interval velocities, you first need to copy them into the voxet.
velocity to the 1 Select Voxet > Property > Paint - with Curve.
velocity cube
2 Enter the voxet name, the curve name, and the property to copy.
Once the interval velocities are copied into the voxet, you interpolate them.
Interpolate interval
2 1 Select Voxet > Interpolation > Initialize Property (Multi-Grid).
velocity
2
2 In the Advanced area, change the default values for jump u, jump v, and
jump w to 2. The jump is the degree of smoothness, so the larger the
number, the greater the smoothness. By lowering the jumps to 2, you will
see more details.

3 Click OK to interpolate the property and close the dialog box. This may take
a few minutes to run. Your resulting velocity voxet should be similar to
Figure 7.
Figure 7 Interval velocity interpolated in the velocity cube (crossline = 90,

Z-scaling = 3)
At this stage, you have a voxet filled with Vint velocities. The next step is to
convert these to Vavg.

Task 4 Converting Interval Velocities into Average

Velocities 4 k s a T
The velocities that will be used for the time-to-depth conversion are the average
velocities (Vavg). Therefore, it is necessary to convert the interval velocities (Vint)
into average velocities (Vavg) to make a continuous velocity cube.
Convert interval to
1 1 Select Velocity > Velocity Conversion menu >Voxet: In One Domain.
average velocity
2 As the voxet velocity cube, enter Velocity_Cube, the voxet that holds the
property to be converted.
3 Select the velocity property INT.
4 As the velocity type, select two-way time interval.
5 As the velocity unit, select m/s (two way time).
6 Name the property that will be created AVG.
7 Select the output velocity type, in this case, two-way time average.

The process runs very quickly, making a new voxet property named AVG, which
you use in the next series of exercises.
Figure 8 Average velocity cube (crossline = 90, Z-scaling = 3)
You have successfully made a continuous velocity cube; this cube is necessary
for future steps and processes.

Calibrating the Velocity Model 3 .
At this stage, all steps use velocity information solely from the seismic stacking
functions. Although a good source of 3D velocity information, the stacking
functions are not direct measurements of the earth; you must use the well
velocity information, which is a direct and true measure of the velocities at each
well location. The calibration of the velocity model is done from checkshot data
and well markers. The flow chart in Figure 9 shows the general calibration
process that you will use for the remainder of this course.
Figure 9 Velocity model calibration
Process
Building a Velocity
Building the Velocity Model
Model
Calibrating Velocity Model with

Checkshot Data
Calibrating the Velocity Model with

Well Markers
Figure 10 Process diagram for “Calibrating the Velocity Model.”
GOCAD® 2009.2 Calibrating the Velocity Model 3-17

Task 1 Calibrating Velocity Model with Checkshot

Data 1 k s a T
The easiest way to correct the average velocity is to use a correction factor.
That correction factor will set the average velocity equal to the checkshots at the
well location and smooth the transition in between. Other options are to use the
kriging with external drift method available in the Reservoir Properties Workflow.
Prepare the view

1  In the 3D Viewer, show only the average velocity cube and the checkshots.
Create and calculate

2 To compute the correction factor (CF), you need to transfer the checkshot
the Correction velocity to the voxet. To do so, you paint the voxet with a curve property, as you
Factor (CF) did previously with the RMS velocities.
1 Paint the checkshot velocity onto the voxet. To access the command, select
Voxet > Property > Paint - with Curve.
2 Create the correction factor in the voxet. Still on the Voxet menu bar, click
the Property menu, click Create, and then name the property CF.
3 Compute the correction factor by using a property script. The equation is:
Correction_Factor = Checkshot_Velocity/Seismic_Velocity
Remember to select the Check no data values automatically check box.

Tip To avoid typograph-

ical errors when entering
the script, use Calcula-
tor Script to select
the properties and math
operations.
After this operation, you have the correction factor, computed at the well
location, in the voxet. Confused? You did paint the voxet with the checkshot
velocity. Therefore, these values only exist where the checkshots cross the
voxet.
Next, you need to interpolate the correction factor to the entire voxet. If you
look at the correction factor, you will notice that the values range from 0.96
to 1.08. This means to correct the average velocity from RMS by -4 percent
to 8 percent (-4 percent means velocity is too high and needs to be lowered,
and vice versa: 8 percent means the velocity is too low and needs to be
raised). Once the correction factor is interpolated, you will have a
continuous, and smooth, correction factor.
4 Interpolate the correction factor. Still on the Voxet menu bar, click the
Interpolation menu, click Initialize Property (Multi-Grid), and then ensure
your velocity cube is selected as well as the correction factor property.

Apply the correction

3 The last step is to actually calibrate the seismic velocities using the correction
factor factor.
1 Create a property AVG_corrected on the velocity cube.
2 Run the following script:
AVG_corrected = AVG_Seismic_Velocity  Correction_Factor
Original model Corrected model

Figure 11 Comparison of original average velocity with average velocity
calibrated to checkshots

At this stage, you have built a velocity voxet and calibrated the voxet to the well
checkshots.

Task 2 Calibrating the Velocity Model with Well

Markers 2 k s a T
If the well checkshots have been previously calibrated to the well markers and
the interpretation, you now have a velocity model ready for depth conversion. If
the well checkshots have not been calibrated, or you are not aware of it, the
velocity model must undergo a second update, based on the calibration with the
well markers.
When you put together the interpretation, in time, and the well markers, in
depth, you have a discrete time-depth relationship. You will use this discrete
relationship to update the corrected average velocity. For this you will use a
wizard, a set of commands incorporated into a mini-workflow.
The steps you follow are:
 Create a point set from the well markers (in depth)
 Create unfaulted surfaces for the time interpretation available
 Transfer the time value associated to the well marker to the point set
 Move the point set to time by using the time values
 Update the average velocity cube using the velocity wizard
Create a point set

1 1 To create a point set from each of the well markers, select PointsSet > New
from the well > From Well > Well Markers.
markers (in depth)
2 Repeat this operation for each well marker that you want to use for the
update, that is, use:
 CARACAS to create CARACAS_mrkr
 HOUSTON to create HOUSTON_mrkr
 KOBE to create KOBE_mrkr
Create unfaulted
2 To project the data in time to the well marker point set in depth, you need to
surfaces for the create a continuous surface from the interpretation, in time.
time interpretation 1 In the Workflows tab, create a new Structural Modeling workflow study.
available

2 In the Data Managing panel, do the following:

2a
2b
2c

2d
a Select time data.

b To the question Do you want to add/remove fault data?, answer No.
c To the question Do you want to add/remove horizon data?, answer
Yes. The Add/Remove Horizon Data window opens.
 On the left side of the window, select the horizon points

CARACAS_pst, HOUSTON_pst, and KOBE_pst, then click to
select them.
 Close the window.
d Do not define a volume of interest, then navigate to the Build Horizon
Surfaces panel.

3 In the Build Horizon Surfaces panel, do the following:
a In the Horizons box, ensure that the three horizons are selected.
b Click to build the surfaces. Your results should be similar to

Figure 12.
Figure 12 Time horizon surfaces

Transfer the time

3 For every well marker point set, you next transfer the time value from the
value associated to surface to the point set, generating an X, Y, Z, Time collection for every well
the well marker to marker.
the point set 1 Select PointsSet > Property > Transfer Property - By Vertical
Projection.
2 Repeat the operation for each well marker point set (that is,
CARACAS_mrkr, HOUSTON_mrkr, and KOBE_mrkr).
Move the point set

4 Before you move the point set to time, you need to complete a couple of
to time by using the operations. The first is to create a Depth property on the point set, because Z
time values can be depth or time, and you need to have access to its proper value at any
time (whether it is depth or time).
For every point set created from a marker, do the following:
1 Create a property named DEPTH.
2 Run a script, copying the Z values (depth values for now) into the property
called DEPTH.
DEPTH = Z;
Next you will reassign the point sets to the proper domain (that is, time), so
they can be used to update the velocity model that is in time.
3 To do this, on the Edit menu, click Reassign Correct Domain.
Tip Be careful; the com-
mand automatically lists
anything showing in the
3D Viewer, so you will
need to select your
objects properly.

4 After the data is in time (units-wise), change the Z value to the time value by
running a script.
Z = TWT;
The marker point sets should look like Figure 13.
Figure 13 Marker point sets changed to time objects and time horizon
surfaces in 3D Viewer (Z-scaling = 3)
Merge marker point

5 Before you start the velocity wizard, you need to consolidate all the different
sets to one object point sets from well markers into a single point set.
 To create this point set, select PointsSet > New > From PointsSet, Curve,
or Surface.Remember to copy properties because you will use them (Time
and Depth) in the wizard.

Update the average

6 1 To start the wizard, on the Applications menu, select Wizards > Velocity
velocity by using Refinement with Markers.
the velocity wizard The wizard presents some objects to be chosen, such as the point set from
the well markers with depth and time properties, the name of the average
velocity property from well data to be created, and the velocity voxet with the
average velocity to be corrected.
 2
 3
 4
 5
2 Select your point set and your time and depth properties, and then click
Create and Compute Local Velocity.
Important Ensure that you changed the correction factor to +2000

because the Depth axis positive values of the project is set to
Downwards.

3 Select your velocity cube and its average velocity to be updated, and then
click Transfer Average Velocity from Voxet to PointsSet.
4 Compute the correction factor in the point set by clicking Create and
Compute Correction Factor, and then copy it back to the voxet by clicking
Copy and Initialize Correction Factor in Grid.
Note If you want to smooth the correction factor, click Interpolate.
5 Finally, click Apply Correction Factor to Average Velocity. This action
overwrites the AVG_corrected property of the velocity cube (it does not
create a new property).
Your velocity model has been updated to the well marker data as well as the
checkshots and should look like Figure 14.
Figure 14 Average velocity calibrated to markers
Summarizing what
7 The Vavg velocity voxet can now be used to convert any interpretation (horizons,
has been done faults, grids, and so on) or seismic cube to depth.
Anything that you convert to depth now ties to the well data. Why?...because the
velocity model has been updated to tie to the well markers. The velocity model
may not tie in between well markers, but how do you know? You do not have
any interpretation in between marker. If you did, you would have used it to
correct the velocity model!

Converting the Model to Depth 4 .
In this section you convert the interpretations and the seismic volume to depth.
Process
Building a Velocity
Building the Velocity Model
Model
Converting the Interpretation to

Depth
Converting the Seismic Cube to

Depth
Figure 15 Process diagram for “Converting the Model to Depth.”

Task 1 Converting the Interpretation to Depth 1 k s a T
Now that you have the final velocity model, you can convert all the
interpretations to depth.
About the time-depth conversion method
In GOCAD, the time-depth conversion of the objects is based on the vertical

stretch technique. The relation between the true vertical depth (D) and the
two-way travel time is established by Equation 2. The variables of this
equation are illustrated in Figure 16.
2000  D V  TWT
V = ------------------------  D = ------------------------ Equation 2
TWT 2000
With:
 V, the average velocity [m/s]
 D, the true vertical depth [m]
 TWT, the average time [ms] for a wave to
travel from the source to the reflection
D
point and return to a receiver on surface,
i.e. 2xD.
TWT
 The factor 2000 corresponds to the
conversion of TWT to seconds (x1000)
and to a one way travel time (x2). Figure 16
Prepare the display

1  Hide all the objects currently displayed in the 3D Viewer, and then show all
the objects you want to convert to depth:
 Horizon interpretations
 Faults
 Salt dome
Figure 17 Interpretation objects to convert to depth domain (Z-scaling = 3)
GOCAD® 2009.2 Converting the Model to Depth 3-29

Convert
2 1 To access the command, on the Commands menu bar, select Velocity
interpretation to mode, click the Time-Depth Conversion menu, and then click Convert
depth Objects Using Velocity.
The command selects everything in the 3D Viewer to be converted to depth,
using the velocity voxet. Ensure that the voxet is not selected in the object
list because this is not the procedure to convert a voxet to depth. A voxet
has a certain vertical sample rate, and the object converted to depth must
be resampled to its new depth sample rate.
2 Select the objects to be converted to depth and your velocity voxet. Ensure
you have Copy Objects Before Conversion turned on, so you can tell
which objects are in depth (there will be a depth_ prefix added to every
object converted to depth), and they tie to the well data!
3 Check the data you converted to depth against the well data. Your results
should match Figure 18.
Figure 18 Interpretation objects converted to depth domain and well data

(Z-scaling = 3)

Task 2 Converting the Seismic Cube to Depth 2 k s a T
Before you convert the seismic cube to depth you need to determine the
extension and the resolution of the cube in depth domain.
Determine the
1 As shown in Figure 19 using the time volume settings, you need to compute the
seismic cube starting depth (Dmin), the ending depth (D max) and the sample rate of depth axis
extension in the (D step) of the depth seismic volume.
depth domain
(A) Time Volume (B) Depth Volume
Tmin = 0 ms D min = ?
Tstep = 4 ms D step = ?
D max = ?
Tmax = 3476 ms 1338 < Vavg < 2460
Figure 19 Time and depth volume vertical extension and resolution (step)
Using Equation 2 on page 3-29, you obtain these parameters:

 D min = 0, because Tmin = 0.
 D max can be over-evaluated by over-evaluating all the terms of Equation 2.
V max  T max 2460  3476

D max  -------------------------------- = ------------------------------- = 4276
2000 2000
 D step should be computed in order to get the maximum fidelity at the
reservoir level. You can estimate the depth step using the following
equation:
V mean  reservoir   T step

D step = ------------------------------------------------------------------
2000
With:
 Vmean(reservoir), the mean average velocity at the reservoir level
 Tstep, the sample rate of time axis

Assuming that the most important part of the model lies at 2500 ms, set a
depth step of 5 m.
2500  4
D step = ---------------------- = 5
2000
Important GOCAD requires a number of steps along the depth axis.

You can easily compute these steps from the other parameters:
D max – D min
Nb Dstep = ceil  -------------------------------- = ceil  ---------------------- = 856
4276 – 0
 D step   5 
With ceil(x) providing the smallest integer greater than or equal to x.
Convert the
2 You will use the same velocity cube for the depth conversion of the seismic
amplitude volume cube.
1 Select Velocity > Time-Depth Conversion > Seismic Cube Conversion.
2 For the starting Z, type 0.

3 For the ending Z, type 4276

4 For the depth sample rate, type 856.

5 For the interpolation algorithm, select wavelet interpolation because you
are converting seismic amplitude to depth.
In cases where you are converting other properties or seismic attributes,
you can use linear interpolation (applies to interval velocities, for example)
or closest value (applies to seismic facies, for example).
Your results should match Figure 20.
Figure 20 Final depth converted model (Z-scaling = 5, inline = 206)

Summary 5 .
Here is a summary of the steps you completed in this chapter. You:

 Built a velocity voxet
 Populated the velocity model with interval velocity
 Converted interval velocity to average velocity
 Calibrated the velocity model with checkshots
 Calibrated the velocity model with well markers
 Converted horizon interpretations, faults, and the seismic cube to depth

Paradigm™ Index
Index x e d n I
Symbols I
.avf velocity type 1-4 import checkshot data 2-13
.velf velocity type 1-4 import fault and horizon data 2-6
import modeling data 1-8
import seismic data 2-8
B import well and marker data 2-15
begin velocity modeling 1-8
S
C seismic velocity types 1-4
calibrate model using checkshot
data 3-17
converting interval velocities to aver- T
age velocities 3-15 techniques for depth conversion 1-2
create voxet 3-4
V
D velocity basic concepts 1-10
data types for velocity modeling 1-3 velocity modeling data types 1-3
depth conversion techniques 1-2 voxet, create 3-4
GOCAD® 2009.2 Index-1

Index Paradigm™
Index-2 Velocity Modeling Workshop

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Velocity Modeling Workshop

Printed March 9, 2010

About this course

Who should attend

Instructions in this training manual assume that:

iv Velocity Modeling Workshop

Before You Begin..................................................................................iii

Chapter 1 Introduction to Velocity Modeling .................................................... 1-1

Chapter 2 Importing Data ................................................................................... 2-1

Chapter 3 Building a Velocity Model.................................................................. 3-1

Calibrating the Velocity Model........................................................................ 3-17

Index ............................................................................................ Index-1

vi Velocity Modeling Workshop

Depth Conversion Methods 1 .

1-2 Velocity Modeling Workshop

Data Types and Sources Used for Velocity Modeling 2 .

GOCAD provides converters to import different types of data. The most

Data Integration in the Model . .

The data must be integrated in a consistent manner and carefully checked by a

1-4 Velocity Modeling Workshop

Using Interpreted Horizons for Building the

The incorporation of interpreted horizons is not required to build the velocity

Figure 1 Interpreted horizons and salt dome

1-6 Velocity Modeling Workshop

How to determine the domain of an object in your project?

To determine the domain of an object in a project, do one of the following:

Figure 2 Retrieving object domain information in GOCAD

Velocity Modeling Overview 3 .

Figure 3 Velocity modeling flow chart

Build the velocity

1-8 Velocity Modeling Workshop

 From interval velocities. Interpolation of the velocity (Vint) inside of

Depth convert the

GOCAD® 2009.2 Velocity Modeling Overview 1-9

Velocity Basic Concepts 4 .

Velocity terminology has to be defined within the context of the requirements,

vi = vint = interval velocities and ti = time interval.

vi = interval velocities and ti = respective time interval.

1-10 Velocity Modeling Workshop

Course Chapters Sections

Velocity Modeling Creating Project and Importing

Importing Seismic and Velocity

Importing Well and Marker Data

Figure 1 Process diagram for Chapter 2, “Importing Data.”

2-2 Velocity Modeling Workshop

Table 1 Data to be imported into a new project

Horizons HORIZONS/ XYZ ASCII File Time

Salt Surface HORIZONS/SALT Irap RMS Triangle Time

Amplitude SEISMIC/amplitude.sgy SEG-Y 3D Time

RMS Velocity VELOCITIES/seismic_velocity.velf Velf ASCII Traces Time

Well VELOCITIES/Checkshot_Velocity.txt Column-based File Time

Well path and WELLS/ LAS Depth

GOCAD® 2009.2 Chapter Overview 2-3

Creating Project and Importing Interpretations 2 .

Chapter Sections Tasks

Creating Project and Importing

Importing Seismic and Velocity Importing Fault, Horizon, and Salt

Importing Well and Marker Data

Figure 2 Process diagram for “Creating Project and Importing Interpretations.”

2-4 Velocity Modeling Workshop

Task 1 Creating Project 1 k s a T

Foundation Modeling and Editing

Map, Cross Section and Log