Towards More Geologically-Consistent Seismic Amplitude Modelling

How can the potential value of seismic attributes for predicting reservoir properties in a vertically and horizontally heterogeneous reservoir be assessed? We answer this question by combining statistical modeling of the subsurface with theoretical modeling of its seismic response. Starting with a geocellular model with depofacies classes, lithology layers are simulated using a conditional-hierarchical approach. Elastic properties are subsequently populated using lithology trends to which variability is added at multiple, geology-based scales. Offset synthetics are generated and interrogated for the predictive relationship between net-pore-feet of reservoir and lambda-rho. The improvement in reservoir prediction with improved seismic bandwidth is quantified - a key piece of information in deciding whether to reprocess or reacquire seismic data. <br>This paper presents an integrated workflow for reservoir characterization. A realization of a synthetic seismic volume is generated, based on a coarse, reservoir-simulation-scale model and fine-scale lithology and elastic property information from well logs. Elastic properties are modeled in a geologically-consistent manner, and the correlation between reservoir properties and seismic attributes can be calculated for different levels of data quality. The synthetic volume can be compared with actual seismic data for validation of the reservoir model. <br>