Application of Diffracted Wave

Analysis in 4D seismic for Gas

Leakage Detection
Faisal Alonaizi
Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
 Introduction
• Otway project stage II: CO2 injection into
Paaratte formation (saline aquifer).
• CRC-2 will be
used to study the
CO2 behaviour.
 Introduction
• 4D seismic for M&V:
– CO2 containment
– CO2 leakage

• 4D seismic resolution.
– Vertical,
Dominant wavelength
– Lateral, Fresnel zone

CO2
 The Objectives
• Study visibility of seismic data to monitor
small amount of CO2.
– Track CO2 front in the aquifer and identify
it in the seismic data.
– Diffracted wave enhancement techniques.
• Pre-stack domain.
• Post-stack domain.
 Work flow
• Two synthetic seismic sections (before and
after injection).
• Background noise generation.
• Data subtracting (isolate the diffracted
waves).
• Visibility study on different CO2 amounts (1k
– 10k tons).
• Produce Diffracted wave section (D-section)
that shows only the CO2 plume.
 2D Forward Modelling
• 200 shots , 301 receivers (SI,GI = 10m)
• f= 50hz, z=1450m
Pre-injection Vp =3380 m/s
Post-injection Vp =3211 m/s, (Wisman,
Urosevic & Dance, 2009)

≈ 220 m
Seismic Modelling of CO2 plume

100m
Before injection After injection after - before
 Noise Modelling
Based on the Repeatability
study done by R.Pevzner
et al., (2009). The NRMS
is 30-40% which give S/N
Paaratte (5-10)
Horizon
Paaratte
 2D/3D amplitude effect
Upper surface of
3D plume

R
3D CO2 L/2
Plume
a
2D Modelling

First Fresnel zone

“2D plume”

Rf  (vH / f / 2  220m
L2
F
4 R 2      sin     With plume diameter 100m,
F ≈ 0.2
  2 arccos(L / 2 R)
After R.Pevzner et al., 2009
10000t
10000t
with
noise
5000t
4000t
DMO Effect
 Semblance =

D-Section
• Calculate the traveltime of the zo point
diffractor (Kirchhoff integral):
4( x  x 0 ) 2
tx  t 0 
2

vrms 2

• Image diffraction in terms of semblance

function (amplitude independent).
CRGC Annual Meeting, December 2009
 CRGC Annual Meeting, December 2009

5000 tons

Before DMO After DMO

 CRGC Annual Meeting, December 2009

4000 tons

Before DMO After DMO

 CRGC Annual Meeting, December 2009

3000 tons

Before DMO After DMO

 Conclusions
• Diffracted wave analysis can add more
resolution to seismic data.
• Diffracted waves can provide valuable
information (CO2 plume location, faults, and
cracks)
• There are some application can enhance the
diffracted events either on pre-stack or
post-stack domain.
• A minimum of 4000t of CO2 can be detected.
• The sensitivity of the diffracted waves
energy to the amount of noise.
• More study needed on pre-stack data.