Think Before You Shoot! Simulation and Imaging for Acquisition Scenario Testing
Speaker: Morgan Brown
Partner
Wave Imaging Technology, Inc.
Biography:
Morgan Brown has worked in seismic signal processing, depth imaging, and velocity estimation R&D for over 10 years, first as a PhD at the Stanford Exploration Project, and later at Hess and 3DGeo. In 2007 he joined industry veteran Joe Higginbotham as a partner in Wave Imaging Technology Inc., which specializes in applying wave equation depth imaging technologies to tough imaging problems around the world.
Abstract:
Once a computationally intractable task, the simulation and imaging of large-scale 3D synthetic seismic surveys is now much cheaper than the corresponding real data acquisition. At the same time, a considerable number of recent acquisition innovations (Ocean bottom nodes, wide azimuth streamer, 3D VSP, to name a few) complicates the task of picking the "right" acquisition for today's explorationist. By creating an earth model, specifying an acquisition geometry, solving the acoustic wave equation to simulate shot records, and migrating the resultant dataset, we can faithfully reproduce the key elements of the actual seismic experiment. By applying an efficient 3D angle decomposition scheme for shot record migration, the subsurface illumination may be analyzed for AVA and azimuthal effects - even under salt.