N172 Depth Conversion Methods and Pitfalls
N172 Depth Conversion Methods and Pitfalls
This is a course for practicing seismic interpreters tasked with creating depth maps for volumetrics and well planning. Time is split equally between teaching and exercises which are designed to illuminate concepts and cement understanding through hands-on application. The course incidentally provides attendees with a geophysics refresher, mapping and interpretation tips and several efficiency enhancing spreadsheets to take away.
A five-day classroom course where a variety of exercises using Excel and easy-to-use mapping software are interspersed with lecture material including case-studies, recommended workflows, and tips on dealing with problems. A final comprehensive depth conversion exercise consolidates understanding of the workflow.
Participants will learn to:
Depth conversion is approached as part of the geological-geophysical interpretation process, starting during seismic time interpretation and ending with maps for STOIIP/GIIP calculations and well planning. Tips and techniques in data QC, practical velocity modelling methods, and recognition of geological and geophysical pitfalls are emphasised. The course is equally appropriate for those with sophisticated depth conversion tools who must understand the ‘black box’, and for those who have to depth convert using only mapping software and a spreadsheet. Attendees will learn how to maximise use of their velocity data, see how greater control on the velocity model can be achieved by incorporating geological understanding, and recognise the importance of appropriate well tying. A wide range of experience will be catered for in the course which is biased towards worked examples.
Introduction
Geological factors influencing velocity
Sources of velocity data and their problems
Synthetic seismograms and time-depth relationships
Analysing velocity data
Velocity model building methods
The process of depth conversion
Tying to wells
Depth domain seismic techniques
Quality control: tips and techniques
Dealing with geophysical pitfalls
Dealing with geological pitfalls
Quantifying uncertainty
Geologists, Geophysicists, and Technical Support staff engaged in producing depth maps from seismic interpretations, as well as technical management and other subsurface professionals involved in evaluating and using depth mapping results. Those with less experience will benefit from the practical lectures and worked examples, while those with greater experience will treat the classroom exercises as a workshop for exploring new techniques.
A basic understanding of geology, seismic interpretation and the seismic method is required, for instance from attendance of N085 (Introduction to Seismic Interpretation) or N080 (Geophysics for Subsurface Professionals).
Stochastic methods and uncertainty are taken further in N224 (Methods for Quantifying and Communicating Uncertainty in Depth Conversion and Volumetrics).
Click on a name to learn more about the instructor
Background
Alan has over thirty years of exploration, field development, and production geoscience experience with operators in West Africa, South Asia and the North Sea.
Specializing in the application of high end geophysics to structural and stratigraphic seismic interpretation, his areas of expertise are reservoir characterization (using pre-stack inversion, AVO analysis) and velocity modelling (pre-stack depth migration and depth conversion).
He started his career working the North Sea with Phillips Petroleum and Amerada Hess in London, and subsequently moved to CNR International, working Angola and Côte d’Ivoire. He then moved to Cairn Energy, living and working in India, and becoming Chief Geophysicist during their successful Rajasthan campaign. Here, he supervised several significant seismic acquisition and processing programmes, and managed a geophysical studies team undertaking, amongst other projects, AVO modelling work and pioneering 4D studies on India’s largest onshore fields.
Alan now works as an independent consultant, based in Surrey, South East England, primarily advising on reserve evaluations for a variety of clients worldwide.
Affiliations and Accreditation
MSc University of Newcastle upon Tyne - Geophysics
BSc University of Hull - Physics
SEG, EAGE, SPE and PESGB (Active Member)
Courses Taught
N172: Depth Conversion Methods and Pitfalls
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