American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2020 - 72

Tech Trends
valuable time providing more insights
in areas where human experience cannot be replaced.
On the acquisition side, using nodes to
acquire data has enabled seismic surveys
with very high trace density by improving
operational efficiency. These high-density
seismic acquisition designs are already
considered the norm in regions such as
the Middle East, and they are now making
their way to U.S. unconventional plays.
In December, Fairfield Geotechnologies completed the acquisition of the CRanch/Mud City seismic surveys in the
Central Basin Platform in West Texas.
This project was designed to illuminate
up to 21 producing formations in the
greater Permian Basin, from the shallow
Yates down to the Woodford formation,
including the prolific Wolfberry play as
well. To do this effectively requires very
good coverage of both near and far offsets. This offset coverage is achieved by
acquiring seismic data with a very tight
bin spacing of 41.25 feet by 41.25 feet,
1,000-fold, with full-azimuth contributions out to 15,840 feet and maximum
offset of 22,400 feet.
The source and receiver density combined with a low-dwell vibroseis sweep
provides better sampling spatially, directionally and vertically to achieve highresolution data at all prospect depths. As

shown in Figure 2, this new high-channel
count acquisition design produces 10
times more traces per square mile than
seismic surveys acquired in 2018.
Data Processing
Acquiring dense seismic data is an important first step. However, to truly gain
its inherent value the data must be
processed carefully to ensure resolution is
not lost along the way. Furthermore, true
amplitude and consistent phase of the data
are imperative to use the data in quantitative interpretation workflows. High resolution seismic data enables better
integration of data at different scales (such
as core and wireline data) to produce stable, high-resolution earth models.
Another important aspect of new
seismic acquisition programs is frequency content. It is very important to
cover both ends of the spectrum. Lowfrequency content is necessary for implementing full-waveform inversion,
which has shown promising results in
resolving the complex near-surface, one
of the most common imaging issues in
the Permian Basin.
The industry has long been challenged
with having the right data to achieve a
good understanding of how producing
wells and new well completions interact
with one another, and how these interac-

tions impact well production and recovery rates. To properly address frac
hit/well interference issues, it is imperative to understand geological structures
away from the wellbore. Since seismic is
the only measure that can cover a large
area, demand is increasing for workflows
and processes that integrate seismic imaging with well information, rock properties, VSP, microseismic data, etc., to
yield accurate insights into the geomechanics of the reservoir.
None of these measurements are
complete on their own and each have
certain limitations. However, effective
integration of this information provides
a fuller and clearer picture of the reservoir. With improvements in data analytics, gains in processing efficiency and
reduced turnaround times, the integration of measurements is becoming the
norm. The geoscientists of today are
adding value by going beyond exploration. Equipped with high-resolution
seismic data integrated with other types
of subsurface information, they are helping to delineate finer scale structural features within the reservoir, which
provides additional information to improve the oil and gas company's ability
to design, steer, complete and produce
wells in unconventional resource plays.
❒

ELAINE
MATTOS

Elaine Mattos is senior vice president of geoscience and chief marketing officer at Fairfield
Geotechnologies in Houston. She joined the company in 2019 as vice president of data
processing services after 19 years at Schlumberger, which included serving as program
manager and business development manager for multiclient programs onshore Mexico, senior
marketing strategist for seismic imaging, and global quality manager for seismic imaging.
Mattos began her career in 1999 in WesternGeco's seismic processing group, and served for 10
years in a variety of technical roles. She holds a B.S. in geophysics from Universidade de São
Paulo and a master's in oil and gas industry management from Heriot-Watt University.
72 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2020

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