Seismic Integration to Reduce Risk
Despite the enormous advances in surface seismic acquisition,
processing and interpretation over the past decade, drilling still
involves uncertainty. These financial and economic risks, however,
are being ameliorated by new techniques that are emerging from
the combination of borehole- and surface-acquired seismic data.
Rune Hope From their first use in 1928, surface seismic
TOTAL Thailand surveys have been lauded for their effect on
Bangkok, Thailand exploration success, reducing risk apprecia-
bly.1 During the years since, surveys have
Dick Ireson extended from two-dimensional (2D) to
Scott Leaney three-dimensional (3D), and have expanded
Gatwick, England, UK to encompass the development and produc-
tion as well as exploratory phases of reservoir
Joerg Meyer life. Likewise, advances in seismic data pro-
Dallas, Texas, USA cessing utilizing massively parallel computers
and integrated reservoir imaging software
Wayne Tittle have improved the reliability of data interpre-
Sonat Exploration tation and thereby of drilling accuracy itself.
Tyler, Texas Risk, nevertheless, remains a major factor
in all phases of oil and gas reservoir exploita-
Mark Willis tion, and this is particularly true when mar-
Mobil Exploration and Production ket conditions drive operators to obtain
Dallas, Texas maximum value from their investment in
seismic data.
2 Oilfield Review
One sure way to increase the value of sur-
face seismic data is to incorporate borehole
seismic measurements. Integration of bore-
hole seismic and surface seismic data can
occur at two levels. The most basic is when
borehole seismic velocities are used to con-
vert seismic sections from time to depth and
when images are used to fill gaps where sur-
face seismic acquisition fails. The second,
and more far-reaching, is to use borehole
seismic measurements to get better surface
seismic results—to optimize survey plan-
ning, guide data processing, and produce
higher quality, quantitative, calibrated
images from the surface seismic data.
Surface seismic data created in this way pro-
vide a more consistent interpretation and a
more complete picture, or solution.
Surface and Borehole Seismic Basics
Surface seismic data are acquired with both
source and receiver essentially on the surface
of the earth. Sound energy generated by the
source propagates in all directions, but the
useful energy is that which travels down,
reflects at layer interfaces, and comes back
up to the receiver. The receiver records data
as wiggles with amplitude that varies with
time, and through sophisticated processing
these are turned into an image of the reflec-
tors. However, unless the velocities of the
layers are known, the image cannot be con-
verted accurately from time to depth. And if
there are obstructions on the surface that pre-
clude source or receiver placement, or if the
For help in preparation of this article, thanks to
Dean Clark, Ian Scott and Mark Wheeler, Geco-Prakla,
Gatwick, England, UK; Greg Lerigier, Geco-Prakla,
Houston, Texas, USA; Rutger Gras, GeoQuest, Gatwick;
Keith Tushingham, GeoQuest, Houston, Texas;
Steve Horne, Everhard Muyzert and Carl Spencer,
Schlumberger Cambridge Research, Cambridge, England.
Autumn 1998
subsurface properties are such that reflections
don’t travel back up to the receivers, then
there is no surface seismic image at all.
Borehole seismic techniques and data are
usually applied to overcome these limitations.
Borehole seismic surveys, also known as
vertical seismic profiles (VSPs) are acquired
with the source on the surface and receivers
at known depths in the borehole. Energy
from the source arrives at the receivers both
directly, as the first arrival, and also after
reflection from interfaces below the receiver.
The simplest borehole survey is the check
shot, or velocity survey, in which a receiver
is stationed at specific intervals—often sepa-
rated by hundreds of feet or meters—in the
ASI (Array Seismic Imager), CSI (Combinable Seismic
Imager), DSI (Dipole Shear Sonic Imager), FMI (Fullbore
Formation MicroImager), GeoViz, IESX and SAT (Seismic
Acquisition Tool) are marks of Schlumberger.
borehole while the surface source is fired
nearly vertically above. The receiver records
the traveltime from source to depth, at sev-
eral depths, and a table is constructed of the
seismic velocities between the depth sta-
tions. This velocity table can be used to con-
vert, albeit crudely, a surface seismic section
from time to depth, or logs from depth to
time.
A VSP provides more data than a check shot
because the distance between geophone
recording depths is far less—every 15 to 30 m
[49 to 98 ft]. In addition, VSPs collect not
only first arrivals of the seismic energy but the
entire wavetrain, which is processed for
upgoing and downgoing events.2
1. Hyne N: Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology,
Exploration, Drilling and Production. Tulsa,
Oklahoma, USA: PennWell Books (1995): 236.
2. Gadallah M: Reservoir Seismology: Geophysics in
Nontechnical Language. Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA:
PennWell Books (1994): 139-178.
3

A. Zero-offset VSP
Source
ltiple
oing mu
Downg
ave
Direct w
n
ne positio
Geopho
d prima
Reflecte
oin g
d upg
Reflecte ltiple
mu
ce
Subsurfa
reflector
■Some types of vertical seismic profiles (VSPs). The most common VSP surveys include: A. Zero-offset VSP, B. Offset VSP, C. Walkaway
VSP, D. Walk-above VSP, E. Salt-proximity VSP, F. Drill-bit VSP and G. Multi-offset VSP. Ray paths are shown as black lines.
Most VSP surveys are two-dimensional and
are achieved with a variety of configurations
(above). These include zero-offset VSPs,
where the source is near the wellhead
directly above the receivers; offset VSPs, with
the source on the surface some distance from
the borehole; walkaway VSPs, in which mul-
tiple sources are located along a line extend-
ing away from the well while an array of
geophone receivers is fixed in the borehole;
walk-above VSPs, where sources are posi-
tioned directly over receivers in a deviated or
horizontal well; salt-proximity VSPs, with a
source above the salt dome and receivers in
the wellbore in a vertical plane containing
the source; shear-wave VSPs, acquired with
shear-wave sources; and seismic-while-
drilling (SWD) drill-noise VSPs, where the
drill bit is itself the seismic source and
receivers are on the surface.3 Three-dimen-
sional VSPs are essentially walkaway profiles
in which multiple lines of sources or spiral-
ing lines of sources extend away from the
well and an array of geophone sensors is
deployed in the borehole.
Borehole seismic receiver tools are
designed for either cased or uncased holes,
or both, and have from 1 to 12 receiver lev-
els, with varying combinations of geophones
4 Oilfield Review
B. Offset VSP C. Walkaway VSP
offset
Time
E. Salt-proximity VSP F. SWD (drill-bit) VSP
Receivers
ry
Drill
bit
Salt
and hydrophones (next page, top left). There
are, in addition, borehole seismic tools that
can combine with themselves or other wire-
line logging tools for openhole VSP data
acquisition, or be run inside or conveyed on
drillpipe to acquire VSPs in highly deviated
and horizontal wells (next page, bottom).
Because the geophones are situated deep
within the strata when obtaining a VSP, some
of the disadvantages of surface seismic
acquisition are avoided. Accurate depths are
registered, and surface noise is reduced,
yielding data with less distortion and
enhanced frequency content. Furthermore,
the use of the full waveform allows better
identification and treatment of noise that can
contaminate surface seismic records.
The integration of borehole seismic and
surface seismic data is not entirely new.
Check-shot services for time-to-depth con-
version have existed in the oil field since the
1950s, but full-fledged waveform VSPs have
been tapped only since the 1980s. Through a
series of case studies, this article tracks
recent developments in existing methods,
then introduces some new integration tech-
niques that are also proving to reduce
drilling risk.
D. Walk-above VSP
G. Multi-offset VSP
Filling Gas Gaps
Phillips Petroleum Norway has been inte-
grating borehole seismic images with surface
seismic data to revitalize production from its
giant Ekofisk field in the Norwegian sector of
the North Sea. It had been highly productive,
generating oil and gas from the Danian- and
Maastrichtian-age chalk reservoir for more
than 26 years, but production was dropping,
and Phillips determined to redevelop the
field by drilling some 50 new wells, adding
a sophisticated waterflood system and
installing new surface facilities.
A major problem in mapping the field
using surface seismic data is the presence of
a gas “cloud” above part of the reservoir. In
this area, a surface seismic-derived image of
the reservoir is not achievable (next page,
top right). This means that wells drilled into
the crest of the structure are riskier as the
detailed fault patterns are not mapped
directly from the surface seismic data.
3. Christie P, Dodds K, Ireson D, Johnston L, Rutherford J,
Schaffner J and Smith N: “Borehole Seismic Data
Sharpen the Reservoir Image,” Oilfield Review 7, no. 4
(Winter 1995): 18-31.
 16,887 m
8787 m

2960 ms 3244 ms

■Ekofisk contoured seismic time surface. This

■Magnetically clamped ASI Array Seismic
Imager tool. This tool has five seismic
shuttles linked by a bridle to a signal-
conditioning cartridge. Each shuttle sensor
contains three fixed orthogonal geophones.
surface shows the area where the top of the Ekofisk
reservoir can be interpreted from surface seismic
data, and indicates the seismic time associated
with the reservoir top. The area in black cannot
be imaged with surface seismic alone and needs
integration of 3D VSP data.

Tension Resistivity Gamma Compression

sub spectroscopy sub

Sonic Gamma
density
Wet CSI Pressure
connect tool sampling Neutron
porosity

■Efficiency with the CSI Combinable Seismic Imager tool. This tool can combine with other logging tools and physi-
cally isolates its sensor module by anchoring it against the formation, achieving optimum acoustic coupling for its
three gimbaled geophones that is verified by a shaker source within the module.

Autumn 1998 5
1000 m

1000 m
4500 m
4500 m

■Filling the gap. This vertical cut in the 3D surface seismic data volume (left) is made along a line corresponding to a traverse in the
3D VSP data. The image of the structural crest is obscured by gas, which disrupts seismic wave propagation. With only interpolation
between existing well locations to rely on, confidence in positioning a crestal well to miss possible faults is low. The corresponding
traverse from the 3D VSP image (right) is superimposed on the first figure. It is clear that the hole in the data at and above the reservoir
level has been very effectively filled, providing increased confidence in planning crestal wells.

A combination of 2D and, recently, 3D
VSP techniques does, however, provide
images of the reservoir in the gas-obscured
area (above). This is achieved by placing
the VSP receivers below the gas cloud in
carefully selected wells. The use of the
direct arrival traveltimes obtained from
numerous source positions, particularly in
the 3D VSP, allows the existing velocity
model to be upgraded. When the reflection
data from the same VSP data set are
focused using this upgraded velocity
model, a clear image of the reservoir
emerges. The 3D VSP image can then be
combined with the existing 3D surface seis-
mic image to provide a continuous picture.
Thus, in gas-obscured areas where 3D VSP
data have provided images, the reservoir
structure can be mapped with greatly
increased confidence. This will dramatically
reduce the uncertainty associated with the
positioning of wells.
Borehole-Guided Processing
The second level of borehole-surface seismic
integration is achieved when VSPs provide
information to produce higher quality sur-
face seismic results. In the simplest cases,
VSP data, together with synthetic seismo-
grams derived from velocity and density log
data, have been used to determine the prop-
erties of the wavelet, or basic pulse response
from a reflector, contained within the
migrated surface seismic data. This knowl-
edge allows the surface seismic wavelet to
be “zero-phased,” providing optimal resolu-
tion for interpretation.
In order for this process to be successful, the
same sequence of wavelets must exist in both
data sets. Because they include both down-
going and upgoing waves, VSP data can be
processed in a straightforward manner to
remove multiples, or unwanted reverbera-
tions, and provide a sequence of wavelets
that relates directly to the local geology.
Surface seismic data, on the other hand, rely
upon more indirect techniques to remove
multiples and produce the correct sequence
of wavelets in both time and space.
A comparison between the desired seismic
response—provided by the VSP—and the
surface seismic response in the vicinity of the
well, at various stages during processing, can
indicate how well the surface seismic data
are converging to the desired result. The VSP
image is generally at a higher resolution than
the surface seismic data and is produced
without the necessity of a comprehensive
editing process that accompanies the genera-
tion of synthetic seismograms derived from
acoustic and density logs. Furthermore,
because the VSP reacts to dip in the same
way as the surface seismic data, images
extracted from the VSP data can be compared
directly with unmigrated surface seismic
data. This permits monitoring of parameter
and technique selection from the beginning
of the surface seismic processing sequence
without having to go through a costly and
time-consuming migration process to com-
pare the data sets.
In addition, it is very desirable to monitor the
effect of any process on the wavelet phase. By
extracting the embedded wavelets at any
stage during the processing, not just after
migration—the residual wavelet stage, in seis-
mic terms—it is possible to see how the
attributes of the extracted wavelet are affected
by any processing step and note any signifi-
cant variations between wells. These interwell
changes may be spatially mapped by looking
at the variations in statistically derived
attributes occurring in the surface seismic data
and calibrating them to the wells.

6 Oilfield Review
 East Shetland
platform

1 km
N

Beryl
field

1 km
6.5 58
Predictability, %

2.5 s

Crawford
spur South Viking
graben
0 mi 5

0 km 8 3.0 s

■The Beryl Field. The green area within the box represents the
approximate extent of the primary field.
In a North Sea example, the integration of
borehole data and surface seismic data pro-
duced a quantitative approach to the selec-
tion of a demultiple technique—a method
for removing seismic reverberations—and
parameters, thereby increasing confidence
in the conformation of the final surface data
to the reflection sequence derived from the
borehole data.4
The Mobil North Sea Ltd. Beryl field, UK
sector blocks 12 and 13, lies in a structurally
complex and highly faulted area (above).
Interpretation of its target zone was compro-
mised by reflections that were masked by
free-surface multiples in a low-reflectivity
portion of the survey area. The operator
acquisition, then a set of the VSPs was
selected from a vertical section of the well-
bore with sufficient receiver levels in the tar-
get zone to cover the field adequately. The
VSPs were dip-corrected for premigration
matching to the surface data.
The goal is to match surface seismic traces
in a small volume around each well to the
VSP traces acquired in that well. To deter-
mine the match “location” for each VSP, a
1-km2 [0.39-sq mile] data cube was extracted
from an existing stacked but unmigrated 3D
surface data set along the path of each well in
the target zone. Partial spectral coherence
matching was carried out to mate the trans-
posed and dip-corrected VSP trace with the
950 m
■Color-coded matching. The quality of the
position match for the VSP trace within the
surface seismic volume is shown by color,
with the best match in white (top). The
match is computed in a 1 by 1 km2
volume in a time window across the
reservoir. Inserting the dip-corrected VSP
into this best match position along a 2D
panel (bottom) from the stacked, newly
acquired surface seismic data confirms
the quality of the trace match.
4. Clark D, Scott I and Willis M: “Using Borehole Data
to Optimize Demultiple Parameter Selection—A
North Sea Example,” paper SP 9.7, presented at the
68th Annual International Meeting of the Society of
Exploration Geophysicists, New Orleans, Louisiana,
USA, September 13-18, 1998.

required better quality final 3D volumes to
achieve an improved structural interpreta-
tion, thus new 3D surface seismic acquisition
and processing were conducted. During the
past 20 years, there had been many check
shots and VSPs shot over the main structure,
and these data were used to assure an objec-
tive rather than subjective approach to
demultiple optimization.
Prior to the acquisition and processing of
the new 3D data, existing surface and VSP
data were used to optimize the design of the
seismic data in several time windows con-
centrated around the target zone, and pre-
dictability was assessed for each match, with
a predictability surface generated for each
match time window, from which the best
match locations in space and time were
determined. After the new 3D survey was
completed, traces covering the VSP locations
were examined, and the match was recon-
firmed (above right). Once that was done, the
data sets were used to optimize the selection
of demultiple technique and parameters.

Autumn 1998 7
 During the demultiple testing stage of the A choice of two demultiple techniques
project, the use of these small test data sets resulted from the optimization process, vari-
and repeated surface and borehole seismic able tau-p deconvolution and conventional
comparison made it possible to test numer- deconvolution before stack (dbs).5 The tau-p
ous combinations of techniques and parame- deconvolution emerged as the technique of
ters and to quantify even the most subtle choice following application by interpreters
differences. In addition, target-oriented statis- to make composite sections for each well. A
tical attributes were derived from the surface 0.5-km [0.31-mile] stack mini-cube was
seismic data set. These measurements were extracted from around each well at key stages
used to classify the target data’s geophysical in the processing sequence for added quality
characteristics spatially into a number of data assurance. This demonstrated that a straight-
types. This classification revealed how the forward approach to demultiple algorithm
results at a particular well were representative and parameter selection by integrating sur-
of the whole data set (below). face and borehole seismic data at a very early
stage provided confidence in the final 3D
data volume for interpretation and inversion.
Reef Steering
Borehole data can also be used later in the
processing sequence to enhance surface
seismic images and reduce drilling risk.
Sonat Exploration integrates its 3D surface
seismic data with VSP data to overcome
some of the limitations and pitfalls of 3D
seismic data while prospecting for very small
drilling targets—between 20 and 60 acres
[9 and 24 hectares]. Borehole and surface
seismic data integration allows the company
to carry out its final and most critical step,
seismic migration, properly. Migration per-
formed with the appropriate velocity func-
tion positions and focuses a reflection

42
Predictability, %

Predictability, %
40 59
56

30
420 Well A Well B 45 420
360
s

360
,m

20

s
300 36

m
300
gth

h,
20 240 4 240

gt
len

20

en
Pre 28 180 180
40 28

rl
tor

dic Pred 40
tion

to
60 120 60 120
era

72 ictio

ra
gap n ga 72

pe
,m
Op

s p, m

O
s

Surface A Surface B

60 60

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10

0 0
dbs tau-p dbs tau-p

Match power at Well A Seismic section Match power at Well B

■Comparing wells. The difference between data type areas is evident in this comparison of wells A (left) and B (right). The blue lines
in the lower middle image are the well locations on a panel between the two wells extracted from the 3D seismic volume. The left and
right upper images demonstrate the match surface obtained at each well by varying two parameters—the prediction gap and the
operator length—in a particular demultiple technique. The bottom left and right charts illustrate the optimum parameter selection
match for two different demultiple techniques. The upper middle image is a composite of four target-oriented statistical attributes
generated from the surface seismic data. The two wells are in different data-type areas, which may explain why there is variation in
the success of different demultiple techniques at the two locations.

8 Oilfield Review
element correctly in the subsurface to pro-
vide a sharper image for steering the drilling
into the target. Sonat has accomplished this
more than 20 times with extraordinary accu-
racy on the East Texas Cotton Valley Pinnacle
Reef trend, one of North America’s most
dynamic onshore plays (right).
The Cotton Valley Pinnacle Reef play is
a collection of Jurassic carbonate build-ups
with known reserves of up to 80 Bcf [2.265
Bm3] natural gas. Most reefs that are drilling
targets in the trend have an elliptical shape
and steep seaside flanks that can fall off
sharply. The relatively small lateral footprint—
a diameter of 600 to 800 ft [183 to 244 m]—
and depths to 18,000 ft [5486 m] compound
the complexity of accurately fixing the reef
anomaly in space. Vertical sections range
from 400 to 1300 ft [122 to 396 m].
Located at the transition from Bossier shale
to Cotton Valley limestone in Bossier sands,
the trend is characterized by a hostile envi-
ronment, with high temperatures at the tar-
get depth ranging from 375 to 400°F [190.5
to 204.4°C]. There is a pressure gradient of
0.8 to 0.9 psi/ft, so bottomhole pressures are
about 18,000 to 20,000 psi [124,105 to
137,888 kPa]. In addition, there are sour gas
and carbon dioxide contents that affect
drilling and logging tools. With such high
risks, completion costs per well range
between $5 million and $7.2 million, but
the rewards are significant; some wells have
tested 35 MMcf/D [991 MMm3/d] gas, and
some have sustained their initial production
of 5 to 10 MMcf/D [141,580 to 283,169
m3/d] gas for over a year.
Sonat attributes its success in the play to
the advent of affordable 3D seismic acquisi-
tion and its technical growth since the area
first was explored. Before 1995, more than
800 wells were drilled in the Cotton Valley
Pinnacle Reef trend based on 2D data, but
with poor results most of the time. The play
took off significantly in 1995, when 3D seis-
mology became a major tool in onshore
Autumn 1998
• Dallas
Northern play
Southern play
Outboard play
0 mi 30
0 km 48
■The Cotton Valley Pinnacle Reef play. The orange areas indicate a widespread onshore
gas play stretching across eight counties of East Texas. Areas with known reefs are
shown in blue.
exploration.6 There are still limitations, such
as having to operate with wavelengths on the
order of 400 ft [122 m], but it is possible to
obtain between 150- to 250-ft [46- to 76-m]
vertical resolution with surface seismic data.
It is also a challenge to identify small reefs
whose seismic expressions span only six
seismic traces.
Another limitation is to rely solely on sur-
face-based measurements for the analysis of
surface seismic data-processing parameters.
A critical step in obtaining a reliable image
of subsurface reflectors is creating the cor-
rect velocity model of the subsurface itself.
Louisiana
• Longview
• Tyler
Kilgore
•
Eastern play
Texas
This can be derived from surface seismic
data to some degree, but only borehole sur-
veys can extract seismic velocities of geo-
logic formations. It is here that Sonat made a
breakthrough by integrating borehole seis-
mic and surface seismic data.
The borehole seismic process measures the
true velocities of the subsurface instead of
attempting to derive them from measure-
ments on the surface. In addition, a measure-
ment of the seismic wavefield at depth is
obtained, and thus a much broader calibra-
tion toolkit is available for properly process-
ing surface seismic data. The VSP recordings
5. Tau-p is the name given to a coordinate space into
which seismic data are transformed for processing.
Tau has units of time and p has units of inverse veloc-
ity. Deconvolution is an inverse filtering process to
restore a wavelet to its original form.
6. Shirley K: “3-D Still Sparks Cotton Valley Play,” AAPG
Explorer 19, no. 9 (September 1998): 32-35.
9
■ Less uncertainty
with a VSP.
Surface seismic
waves, with their
lower frequencies
and greater
distance between
reflector and
receiver, can “see”
objects only if they
are big enough.
Small features,
such as reefs, fall
in a zone of uncer-
tainty (top). VSPs
have shorter
wavelengths and
shorter reflector-
receiver distance,
and smaller zones
of uncertainty
(bottom).
■Reefs or something
else? Reef-like
270
structures on surface
seismic images can
turn out to be
processing artifacts.
What appears to be
a reef before
integrating VSP
information (top) is
exposed as a fault
(red) after applying
the correct velocities
measured by the
VSP (bottom). As a
result of a look-
ahead VSP survey,
the drill bit could be
steered away from
the fault into the
nearby reef to make
a successful well on
the first attempt.
250
10
usually contain higher frequencies and pro-
vide a higher resolution image of subsurface
Potential well location
Surface seismic line features (left). Furthermore, a borehole seis-
mic survey using the offset VSP configura-
tions creates additional and calibrated
Zone of uncertainty images of the subsurface around the well
and even ahead of the drill bit. Today, the
most significant advances are made when all
Reef
the borehole seismic information—velocity,
amplitude, phase and polarization—is used
to quality control and improve the surface
seismic processing.
The borehole survey also provides a pre-
ferred recording environment, with less
noise related to traffic or weather. In the
openhole conditions of the Cotton Valley, the
Drilling rig
dual CSI Combinable Seismic Imager tool
with 60-ft [18-m] spacers is used for most
surveys. Flasked SAT Seismic Acquisition
Wellbore
Tool instruments are used for the hotter
Zone of uncertainty reduced holes. Data are recorded from up to four
offset locations per trip in the hole, with off-
Reef sets ranging from 3000 to 8000 ft [914 to
2438 m] away from the wellbore. Surveys
range in size from 3 to 14 offsets with up to
10 vibrator trucks per VSP job.
Before the use of borehole seismic tech-
niques, the overall success rate for new wells
was about 45% in the reef play. Today, Sonat
Exploration is the only operator in the trend
260 250 240 230 220 210 200
that runs borehole seismic surveys before
reaching the target depth on all of the wells it
drills, and it has had an unparalleled success
rate of 90% in the play, with failures occur-
ring when structures looked like reefs but, in
fact, were not. The breakthrough has come
575 ms
from using the borehole survey not only as a
diagnostic calibration tool—imaging after the
hole is drilled—but from exploiting its pre-
dictive features to look ahead and around the
drill bit in near real time as well.
To increase its success rate as well as
reduce exploration risk, Sonat employs two
approaches in the use of borehole seismic
8800 ft information.7 First, a zero-offset VSP is run
with the source in the vicinity of the rig, and
velocities and seismic waves are recorded in
240 230 220 210 200 the wellbore. This calibrated velocity infor-
mation is used as the main input for migrat-
ing surface seismic data. A small subvolume
of the 3D data around the wellbore is remi-
grated to update the drilling target location.
This operation, usually applied to poststack
data, can be conducted within a short
575 ms
turnaround time to facilitate drilling deci-
sions. In one case, by applying this technique
Sonat was able to avoid drilling a nonreef
structure that turned out to be a fault (left).
In this example, artifacts caused by incor-
rect migration velocities created a seismic
anomaly that looked like a reef. After remi-
gration and offset VSP interpretation, the drill
6600 ft
Oilfield Review
 Cook #2

Pinnacle reef

1.4 s
1.4 s
Haynesville reflector
Shale

Limestone

Surface seismic VSP

Salt

8700 ft 8700 ft
■Surface seismic image before and after VSP integration to image a reef. The surface seismic image (left) shows a hint of a reef as
a disruption of the regional limestone reflector. With the VSP image inserted, the disruption of the regional reflector is clearer,
delineating the extent of the reef (right). The well trajectory is indicated by the vertical line.

bit could be steered a couple of hundred feet

away to intersect a reef and make a success- Cook 2
ful well. This example emphasizes that the VSP Original hole
critical seismic processing step of migration arm 2
has to perform the task of not only properly VSP
arm 1
positioning reflections of the subsurface, but Sidetrack
also focusing structure, particularly around
abrupt changes like faults.
Reef fringe •
The second reef-finding approach Sonat
employs, developed since June 1996, applies
the look-around and look-ahead capability of •
borehole surveys. In employing it, the drilling Cook 2
operation is temporarily suspended at a cer- Reef core
tain depth above the target to map the actual •
position of the reef in 3D with a sequence of
offset VSPs distributed radially around the
wellbore. These additional VSP data are then VSP
integrated with the surface seismic data using arm 3
IESX seismic interpretation software and
GeoViz 3D interpretation and geovisualiza-
Surface
tion software. The new interpretation is used location
VSP
VSP arm 4
for a final update of the drilling direction and interpretation
New
to steer the subsequent drilling down to the production
well 0 m 122
reef target (above).
Cook 3
The technique has been termed RSVP, for
0 ft 400
reef steering by vertical seismic profiling, a
real-time survey while drilling that requires
only one to two days downtime for the VSP ■Multiple interpretations of the Cook field reef in the Cotton Valley Pinnacle Reef play.
acquisition. Drillers are finding it worth their The original well, Cook 2, was drilled to a nonpay zone on the fringe of the reef, then side-
while to be idle for the additional two days it tracked east into a dry hole. Four VSPs (arms 1, 2, 3 and 4) were shot to illuminate the reef
by imaging the extent of the regional limestone reflector that is disrupted by the presence
takes to complete the processing and inter- of the reef. The segments of the limestone reflector imaged by the VSPs are shown as green
pretation while geoscience colleagues lines. The absence of a green line means the presence of a reef, indicated by the dashed
update the subsurface model and provide purple circle. Following this interpretation, Well Cook 3 was drilled into the center of the
new coordinates for optimum reef intersec- reef and is now producing, at a distance of only 400 feet from the abandoned Cook 2. The
blue elongated feature with a pink core is the new interpretation of the reef shape based
tion. This additional time, however, has been on surface seismic data remigrated with VSP velocities.
used to acquire other wireline logs at this
intermediate depth.
7. Meyer J and Tittle W: “Exploration Risk Reduction
Sonat’s experience has shown that the best Using Borehole Seismic: East Texas Pinnacle Reef
production resulted from wells that penetrate Applications,” paper BH 4.3, presented at the 68th
Annual International Meeting of the Society of
the reef near the core. The offset VSPs help Exploration Geophysicists, New Orleans, Louisiana,
locate the center of these features by imaging USA, September 13-18, 1998.
the limits of the regional limestone that sur-
rounds them (right).

Autumn 1998 11
 For those unwilling to hold up drilling, a
third technique—the reef recovery method
—applies when the drilling target has been
missed. In this remedy, wireline logs are run
and a borehole seismic survey is performed
to recover the reef location. Typically, an FMI
Fullbore Formation MicroImager log is
acquired to get the drape pattern and the ori-
entation of the carbonate buildup, then an
offset VSP survey is shot along this selected
direction to locate the actual position of
the reef and steer the drillstring into the car-
bonate buildup.
More Than Velocities
As discussed in the Sonat example, velocities
measured directly in borehole seismic sur-
veys can be used to fine-tune surface seismic
processing. But borehole surveys can pro-
vide more than just interval velocity. With
the proper geometry, VSPs can also measure
amplitude variation with offset (AVO), atten-
uation, and velocity anisotropy, all of which
can be used to correct surface seismic data
for better results. The next example demon-
strates how TOTAL Thailand, a subsidiary of
Shot points
■Bongkot VSP surveys. The borehole seismic shot points (red) and receiver locations
(blue) in the Bongkot field are diagrammed here. Two walk-above (vertical-incidence)
VSPs and 33 multi-offset, walkaway VSPs were acquired.
12
France’s TOTAL S.A., now plans its strati-
graphic targets in the Bongkot field in the
Gulf of Thailand by analyzing borehole-
guided, long-offset AVO effects.
The Bongkot field is situated in the North
Malay basin, Gulf of Thailand, 800 km
[497 miles] south of Bangkok. One of the
largest and most prolific in the region, the
field has been in production since 1993.
TOTAL Thailand was the operator of the
Bongkot Joint Venture until July 1, 1998,
when operatorship was handed over to the
Thai state oil company, Petroleum Authority
of Thailand Exploration and Production PLC
(PTTEP), which holds 40% interest. TOTAL
holds 30%, BG, 20% and Den Norske Stats
Olijeselskap (Statoil), the remaining 10%.
Prior to relinquishing operatorship, TOTAL
undertook a new development phase on
Bongkot that has increased the gas production
to 550 MMcf/D [16 MM m3/d], liquid pro-
duction to 12,000 BOPD [1430 m3/d] and
maintained reinjection of all produced water
to reduce the environmental impact of the
operations. Beyond this stage, another level of
development is expected to provide further
Fault at target depth
Receivers
8 km
production increases of an additional 250
MMcf/D [7 MM m3/d] gas and 8000 BOPD
[954 m3/d] of petroleum liquids.
Bongkot’s hydrocarbons are distributed
over a 2000-m [6562-ft] gross pay zone
(1000- to 3000-m [3281- to 9843-ft] depth)
of Miocene age. Around 70 separate fluvio-
deltaic sand reservoirs 1 to 25 m [3 to 82 ft]
thick can be encountered in a single fault
block. As a result, the critical factors are
reservoir size, orientation and quality.
Until recently, Bongkot development
drilling was focused on drilling wells in
structurally closed, tilted fault blocks or four-
way dip closures, with multiple stacked tar-
gets. Field development is maturing,
however, with higher risk stratigraphic traps
located outside closure being drilled. These
wells target only a few reservoirs and often
require expensive extended-reach wells.
TOTAL had been using a 3D lithology
probability cube it had generated through a
poststack migrated 3D volume inverted for
acoustic impedance, combined with other
attributes calibrated to logs. Although these
cubes were very helpful, they nevertheless
predicted sand in some situations where
drilling encountered organic-rich shales and
coals. Typically, predictions for gas were
between 70 and 75% successful, acceptable
for the traditional multitarget prospects, but
not for wells drilled to just a few strati-
graphic targets.
Almost all seismic attributes that could be
derived from poststack data were investi-
gated without solving the problem of organic
shales and coals, thus it was necessary to go
to the prestack domain to move forward.
Plans were made to achieve good prestack
data suitable for AVO analysis. AVO has
been widely used to identify reservoir sands
because it allows recovery of a seismic
attribute related to Poisson’s ratio contrasts,
which can be related to lithology contrasts.
Four deviated wells were drilled in
November and December 1996. In two of
these wells, DSI Dipole Shear Sonic Imager
logging for both compressional and shear
wave velocity was carried out to perform
synthetic modeling of the expected AVO
response. Furthermore, vertical-incidence or
Oilfield Review
walk-above VSPs were acquired in the
same two wells, and some 33 multi-offset Vp/Vs Ac. Imp.
VSP walkaway surveys were conducted in 15 50 75 100 0 1000 2000 3000
1.4 1.4
three of the four wells. Because VSP data
were being acquired while subsequent wells
1.45 1.45
were being drilled, a substantial borehole
seismic data set was acquired at no effective 1.5 1.5
rigtime cost to TOTAL. In all, two sets of
seven lines were obtained for AVO measure- 1.55 1.55
ment (previous page). Organic shale
The AVO walkaways were acquired, in 1.6 1.6

Time, s
part, to measure AVO effects directly on top
of a channel with two different lithology 1.65 1.65
fills—a sand and an organic-rich shale—to
verify the modeling and to get an idea of off- 1.7 1.7
Gas sands
sets needed to expose the AVO effects with
greater clarity. The modeling confirmed that 1.75 1.75
10° 25° 40°
lithology could be differentiated, demon-
1.8 1.8
strating that the gas sands showed a positive
AVO effect while the organic shale showed
1.85 1.85
dimming with offset (right). For the first time, 15 50 75 100 0 1000 2000 3000
a method had been found, modeled and offset, m
borehole-measured that could discriminate 0 3300
target Bongkot lithologies that all appear
■Ray-trace AVO synthetic, or modeled, traces. The first track shows Vp /Vs ratio
as high amplitudes in stacked surface
measured from sonic logs, the second track, acoustic impedance. The synthetic traces
seismic sections. (center)—a normal-moveout corrected common-midpoint (CMP) gather—show different
Modeling and multi-offset VSP measure- amplitude variations with offset for different lithologies. Significant AVO is seen only
ments indicated that AVO could be used to beyond 30 degrees. Superimposed are contours of equal incidence angle. At the right
distinguish the organic shale-filled channels are three AVO attribute traces of gradient, intercept and product which characterize the
AVO behavior. The right-most track is the trace obtained by stacking, or averaging, all
from channel gas sands, but only at relatively synthetic traces out to 33° (the trace is repeated five times for visibility). Stacking, a step
large offsets—larger than those used in con- in conventional processing, obliterates AVO signatures. The horizontal scale on the
ventional processing and corresponding to synthetic traces is offset in meters.
incidence angles well in excess of 30 degrees.
The seismic data had been acquired with suf-
ficiently long offsets, so TOTAL agreed to a
Density Vp/Vs Ac. Imp.
proposal to reprocess the surface seismic data
2 1 2 5 10 0 250 500 750 1000
in which maximum use would be made of the 1.4 1.4
borehole data. Over a period of months,
1.45 1.45
a borehole-guided, long-offset processing
sequence was developed that enabled reflec- 1.5 1.5
tion amplitude variations out to 60 degrees to
1.55 Dimming
Dimming 1.55
be recovered, dramatically improving the Organic
Organic shale
shale
effectiveness of seismic lithology classification 1.6 1.6
Time, s

(right). As a consequence, where once about Brightening

30% of the predicted stratigraphic reservoir 1.65 Brightening 1.65
targets in Bongkot were being misidentified,
1.7 1.7
long offset AVO is now being used to plan
Gas sands
well trajectories, avoiding false targets and hit- 1.75 Gas sands 1.75
ting gas sands with an increased drilling suc-
cess ratio.8 1.8 1.8

8. Leaney S and Hope R: “Borehole-Guided Long Offset 1.85 1.85

AVO Processing for Improved Lithology Classifi- 2 1 2 5 10 0 250 500 750 1000
cation,” paper AVO 3.2, presented at the 68th Annual
International Meeting of the Society of Exploration Processed AVO Walkaway Data offset, m
Geophysicists, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA,
0 1000
September 13-18, 1998.
■VSP AVO measurement. Properly designed multi-offset VSPs can provide actual mea-
surement of the angle- or offset-dependent AVO response of an interface. The wavelet is
measured just above the reservoir so propagation losses that affect AVO can be
measured and removed through processing. In this measurement of the processed AVO
walkaway reflections at Bongkot, true relative amplitude data are shown. To correspond
with the offset of the surface seismic CMP, these offsets must be approximately doubled.
The organic shale event can be distinguished as dimming with offset, while some deeper
sand events show noted brightening.

Autumn 1998 13
■ Offset-dependent An important factor in the success of the
amplitude losses long-offset AVO approach was making use of
3.5 3.5
measured with a MVSP-calibrated borehole-derived parameters in the surface
multi-offset VSP
(MVSP). The combined Conventional processing
seismic data processing. Parameters describ-
3.0 3.0 ing frequency-dependent attenuation and
effects of geometrical
spreading and anisotropy were measured from the multi-
frequency-dependent 2.5 2.5 offset VSP data using novel algorithms, and
attenuation at long Spreading x Q

Gain
the derived parameters were then used in the
offsets are almost Spreading (ray theory)
twice that assumed in T-squared surface seismic processing sequence.9 This
2.0 2.0
conventional seismic Q (135 @ 26 Hz) allowed long offset reflection amplitude data
processing (t-squared). to be retained, information discarded in con-
The horizontal axis is 1.5 1.5 ventional AVO processing. For example,
CMP offset-to-depth
ratio for a reflector at inverting the multi-offset VSP direct arrivals
1.5 s two-way time. for offset-dependent attenuation allowed the
1.0 1.0
1 2 long-offset surface data to be compensated
to true amplitude (above left). Estimating
Offset, X/Z
effective anisotropy allowed events on com-
mon-midpoint (CMP) gathers to be flattened
at long offsets (left). This step improved
10 ms migration focusing (below left). The impact
Data minus hyperbolic fit
Anisotropic fit minus hyperbolic fit of borehole-guided, long-offset processing
was that it revealed lithology differences in
the AVO response between 30 and 60
degrees incidence angle (next page, top).
Data TOTAL’s financial risk is reduced apprecia-
Anisotropic fit bly by this integrated approach to AVO.
Hyperbolic fit
Before selecting a stratigraphic target, seis-
mic data are processed to take advantage
of the longer offsets. The AVO responses of
-10 ms
all potential bright spot targets within the
1.3 X/Z 1.3
radius of a well are examined and the tra-
Walkaway times Times minus hyperbolic fit jectory is optimized. Money was saved by
deciding to terminate a well above a target
■Effective anisotropy measured from multi-offset VSP traveltimes. Conventional where AVO predicted an organic shale and
processing assumes a hyperbolic fit to moveout times, but the data do not fit this
assumption (left). The residuals show a higher order variation that can be fit with by hitting a large gas reservoir based on its
an anisotropic model (right). positive long-offset AVO response. Further
work is being done to see if lateral variations
within the same sand may suggest variation
in fluid content.
Offset, m Offset, m Overall, TOTAL says the impact of this new
3000 2900 2800 2700 3000 2900 2800 2700 technology has been impressive. It helps them
1.0 to decide between two anomalies or channel
shapes that look the same. One could result in
$1 or 2 million in drilling costs for absolutely
nothing; the other may hold the potential of mil-
lions of dollars in revenue (next page, bottom).

9. Anisotropy is the variation in a physical property

1.5 depending on the direction in which it is measured.
For a discussion of the role of anisotropy in identify-
ing stratigraphic traps: Caldwell J, Chowdhury A,
van Bemmel P, Engelmark F, Neidell N and
Sonneland L: “Exploring for Stratigraphic Traps,”
Oilfield Review 9, no. 4 (Winter 1997): 48-61.
10. Chapman C, Farmer P, Fryer A, Paul A and Sandvin
O: “3D Tomographic Inversion and Depth Migration
of VSP Data,” paper ST15.2, presented at the 67th
Annual International Meeting of the Society of
2.0 Exploration Geophysicists, Dallas, Texas, USA,
November 2-7, 1997.
Isotropic Time, s Borehole-calibrated anisotropic

■The impact of anisotropy on imaging. Prestack time migration stacked sections use an
isotropic model (left) and a borehole-calibrated anisotropic model (right). The organic
shale-filled channel event at 1.5 s is better focused using anisotropic migration.

14 Oilfield Review
The Future
The integration techniques discussed here are
a small sample of the potential ways that
borehole seismic data can enhance the value
of surface seismic data and reduce drilling
risk. Methods that are still being developed
include converted wave applications and
anisotropic depth imaging. Converted waves
in VSP data—waves that begin as compres-
sional or shear waves and convert to the
other upon reflection—contain a wealth of
information. They are valuable for selection
of surface survey acquisition parameters, for
1.10
1.20
1.30
1.40
Time, s
deterministic processing parameter selection,
and in the analysis and interpretation of the
processed data. It is hoped that converted
wave interpretation can reveal the complete
fluid and lithology content of the subsur-
face—part of the impetus behind new multi-
component seafloor sensors for marine
seismic acquisition. Converted waves are
vital for studying the feasibility of these mul-
ticomponent seabed surveys. As this method-
ology improves, borehole seismic integration
will evolve as well. VSPs will be instrumental
in establishing where the mode conversion is
30° 60°
Gas sand
taking place and in discriminating between
simple compressional-to-shear (P-S) reflec-
tions and more complicated P-S-S modes,
which can be very significant in amplitude.
Anisotropic depth imaging, likewise, is still
in development. Anisotropic seismic migra-
tion can dramatically improve the quality and
positional accuracy of a seismic image.
Estimating the model anisotropy parameters
required for optimum imaging is difficult
from surface data alone, however, and for
anisotropic depth imaging, determining the
required anisotropy parameters is impossible
without borehole information. Calibrating an
anisotropic 3D velocity model with VSP
traveltimes is therefore essential if depth
migrations are to be on depth. Development
of anisotropic prestack depth migration, uti-
lizing an anisotropic ray tracer, is now in
development at the Schlumberger Cambridge
Research Center, Schlumberger Kabushki
Kaisha (SKK) and Geco-Prakla.10
The examples presented in this article are
but the beginning of a major technological
movement anticipated during the next decade

1.50 in integration of borehole and surface seismic

Organic shale
data. Other advances that will contribute to
1.60
successful integration are now on the wish
Gas sand
lists and in many cases the drawing boards of
geoscientists: simultaneous surface and bore-
1.70
hole acquisition, continuous updating via
seabed sensors and drill-bit sources, targeting
1.80 of “sweet spots” by generating attributes in
real time, immediate drilling of further wells
1.90
after the first success, permanent sensors,
passive event monitoring, quantifying
Offset, m uncertainty, more flexible acquisition geome-
0 3300
tries via seafloor cables, and integration
■Borehole-guided, long-offset AVO processing for three potential drilling targets. of VSP and surface seismic data with other
Significant amplitude variation is seen only beyond 30 degrees. borehole information. —DG, LS

1.40
Organic shale
Gas sand
1.50

1.60

1.70
Time, s

1.80

1.90
Well deviated to hit false target,
additional cost greater than $300,000
2.00

2.10
Final target missed, but drilled from an adjacent
2.20 platform paying for the well five times over

2.30
1 km

■The benefits of seismic integration. A well was deviated to hit a false organic shale
target, adding an estimated $300,000 in cost. The deeper target was missed with this
well but was drilled based on long-offset AVO and will pay for itself about five times over.

Autumn 1998 15