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Abu Dhabi Company for
Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) undertook a two well 3D
VSP pilot project in 2007. Because it was acquired
concurrently with a high resolution wide azimuth surface
seismic survey, it was at the time the largest 3D VSP
ever recorded anywhere in the world. The project
consisted of the following four main parts: acquisition,
processing, interpretation and quantifying value. The
acquisition and processing of the 3D VSP is described
with an emphasis on the lessons learned. Significant
advances in the VSP processing are described that
demonstrate how larger 3D VSP images with better
amplitudes and structural preservation can be produced.
The results of the 3D VSP interpretation and economic
evaluation effort are described. The 3D VSP
interpretation results illustrate the different ways
that a VSP image can help characterize a reservoir.
3D VSP technology has
advanced from being an experimental reservoir imaging
technique during the last decade to become one of the
standard methods used in the oil and gas industry for
high resolution reservoir imaging. There are a number of
benefits of using 3D VSP technology. First and foremost
is the higher VSP resolution, both vertical as well as
lateral, that helps provide additional detail of the
reservoir. The second benefit is that borehole seismic
imaging can be an extremely repeatable seismic
monitoring technique. Close proximity of the VSP
geophones to the imaging target and the fact that the
near surface problems contribute only once, results in a
higher signal-to-noise ratio and greater preservation of
higher frequency signal. Time lapse 3D VSP surveys could
be more economical and yield accurate information with
respect the dynamics of the reservoir as compared with
similar surface seismic surveys. Finally, the value
that 3D VSP surveys provide for improving surface
seismic processing has started getting attention in
terms of detailed velocity-depth and attenuation-depth
functions, anisotropy parameters as well as multiple
estimation.
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:Klaus
W. Mueller
is a Seismic Interpreter for ExxonMobil and currently
seconded to Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations
(ADCO). He received a Diploma in Geophysics from the
Technical University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld (1986), and
a PhD in Geophysics from the Freie University of Berlin,
Germany (1988). He has been working in the Oil Industry
for more then 20 years.
His past experience includes working in
acquisition, applied technology, training,
interpretation and successful exploration, development
and production projects. His technical expertises have
been used on clastic (deepwater turbitide and fluvial
system) and carbonate projects around the world to
perform detailed interpretation, risk assessment and
reserve adds. Before moving to ADCO in 2005, Klaus
started his career with Compagnie Generale de
Geophysique (1988), joined BEB Erdgas and Erdoel GmbH
(now ExxonMobil Production Germany, EMPG) in 1992 as an
Operations Geophysicist and Interpreter.
From 1997 to 2002 he worked as a Senior
Exploration Interpreter with ExxonMobil Exploration
Company in Houston, Texas, and as a Senior Development/
Production Interpreter for Esso Australia (2003 to 2005)
in Melbourne. Klaus’ interests include time lapse
monitoring, high resolution reservoir characterization
and monitoring of oil and gas reservoirs. He is member
of PESA, EAGE and ESG.
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