Reservoir Seismic Characterization of Brazilian Offshore and Pre-Salt Fields

This paper focuses on the strong impact that seismic technology has had on the production development of the Brazilian marine hydrocarbon fields starting from the first oil discovery in 1968 (Guaricema field) to 2006, when the pre-salt new province was revealed in Santos basin. The evolution of three main knowledge areas of seismic technology will be detailed, namely: acquisition, processing and interpretation. Seismic acquisition technology has experienced an increase in “information density” (seismic traces per square kilometer) which grew by one order of magnitude from less than 100,000 to 1,024,000), from 1978 (first 3D in Brazil) to 2010. In the seismic processing domain, the improvement of seismic algorithms and methodologies has allowed for better seismic data quality, resolution and imaging. In particular, the algorithms/techniques of 3D multiple suppression and 3D depth migration have significantly evolved in recent years. In the seismic interpretation area, geological context-oriented seismic attributes<br>algorithms/methodologies have made possible better reservoir characterization and monitoring in the deep and ultra deep-water Brazilian offshore basins.