Unconventional 3D Seismic Land Acquisition in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) recently acquired a land vibroseis 3D seismic survey in high dunes area where through extensive pre-survey modeling of reservoir requirements and matching with survey design and acquisition parameters, excellent data quality has been achieved at target levels with successful and highly efficient operational performance. Traditionally, land 3D seismic data acquisition in Abu Dhabi has been characterized by large source and receiver arrays, many long high frequency sweeps, large migration aperture area and limited number of active channels caused by equipment limitations. Over the years the survey geometries have evolved to the use of smaller source and receiver arrays and smaller source arrays with single sweeps. In this project, the near-surface conditions in the form of 300 meters high and steep sand dunes interrupted by numerous sabkhas coupled with target reservoirs which are significantly different and much deeper than the rest of the province, presented significant challenges. This led to the need for different set of parameters for a fit-for-purpose seismic survey for reservoir characterization requirements at a certain formation at a specific depth range in a difficult data area. Additionally, project duration and cost requirements dictated the need to optimize migration aperture and patch layout.