AVO Analysis

In the search for solutions to address increasingly complex reservoir challenges, E&P companies push the demand for more sophisticated technology. Amplitudes Versus Offset (AVO) is an example of a technology maturing to meet these increasing demands. The AVO now being analyzed in non-traditional geologic settings, such as basins with compacted rocks and in the deepest part of younger basins, is a more complex type of AVO. This technique assesses variations in seismic reflection amplitude with changes in distance between shot points and receivers.

While traditional AVO methods are somewhat mature, we have developed next-generation AVO tools and approaches that extend the utility and application of the technique. One of the key tools is wavelet-based AVO, which builds off the foundations of Azimuth anisotropic processing.

The wavelet-based AVO extends applications of the more traditional AVO technique to harder rocks, deeper horizons, thinly-bedded or fractured reservoirs, and areas with low signal-to-noise ratios. The wavelet-based AVO utilizes a wavelet-based (rather than sample-by-sample) AVO calculation that improves the accuracy of 2- and 3-term AVO as well as azimuthally varying AVO. Less sensitive to NMO stretch and tuning than conventional AVO techniques, this technology enhances the ability to identify and evaluate AVO anomalies to more accurately predict the presence of hydrocarbons.