Unveiling Accurate Seismic Imaging through the Advanced Target-Oriented Kirchhoff Migration Method

A major challenge for the oil and gas industry is expediting the exploration geophysics activity. It is necessary to produce fast and accurate image of the targeted hydrocarbon reservoir, yet it involves extensive dataset due to the target location lies in deeper subsurface. Therefore, target-oriented oil and gas-reservoir imaging is currently seen as more attractive than conventional full-volume migration, in terms of computation efficiency. Through the integration of seismic redatuming with Kirchhoff migration, we presented a target-oriented imaging workflow that can effectively reduce computational cost while simultaneously enhancing the accuracy of the migrated image. Kirchhoff migration is renowned for being one of the simplest and flexible migration techniques, making it straightforward to implement. However, this migration approach is typically avoided in the presence of complex geology, as it tends to introduce artifacts in the images, thereby disrupting the interpretation beneath the complex overburden. Therefore, this paper highlighted the advantages of utilizing seismic redatuming to retrieve data beneath the overburden, followed by the utilization of the redatumed data as input for Kirchhoff migration. With an improved signal to noise ratio, the primary reflection events were amplified, providing clearer representation of the subsurface structure within the hydrocarbon reservoir or targeted area. Additionally, we utilized the benefits of Kirchhoff migration and explored the feasibility of performing patch-based migration in several areas of interest beneath the salt layer. This approach aimed to reduce both the turnaround time and the associated seismic migration costs. The developed workflow then was subsequently put to the test and applied to both a sub-salt SEG Advanced Modeling (SEAM) model and field data situated in East Malaysia. Based on the outcomes of the target-oriented migration, the proposed methodology demonstrated its capability to generate better quality and instant migrated images within the designated region. Furthermore, the feasibility of target-oriented imaging with Kirchhoff migration was substantiated through the integration of seismic redatuming, resulting in significant benefits towards seismic processing, imaging, and interpretation.

Automated summary

This paper presents a target-oriented imaging workflow that combines seismic redatuming with Kirchhoff migration to reduce computational cost and improve the accuracy and quality of migrated images. The developed methodology was tested using a sub-salt SEG Advanced Modeling (SEAM) model and field data in East Malaysia, demonstrating its capability to generate better quality and instant migrated images within the designated region.