2011 31st Annual GCSSEPM Foundation Bob F. Perkins Research Conference
"Attributes: New Views on
Seismic Imaging—
Their Use in Exploration and Production"
December
4-7, 2011
Hilton Houston North, Houston, Texas
The aim of the 31st Bob F. Perkins Research Conference is to establish the value and limitations of both modern seismic attributes and their interpretation workflows in improving our understanding of the earth's subsurface as illuminated by modern 3D seismic reflection data. Geoscientists apply attributes in two ways. The first application is to use attributes to illuminate subtle features that allow us to reconstruct the depositional, tectonic deformation, and diagenetic history of the imaged earth volume. From these images we use principals of seismic geomorphology, structural geology, and fluid flow to infer lithology, the presence of fractures, or diagenetic alteration to enhance or destroy porosity. The second application is more quantitative, where densely-sample attributes sensitive to reservoir thickness, porosity, and fluid product are correlated to sparse well logs and/or production data to provide predictions of the well or production property on a dense grid. Multiattribute analysis tools range from simple animation, through more sophisticated multiattribute visualization and cluster analysis, to geostatistics.
The 1996 GCSSEPM Research addressed how seismic attributes such as AVO can aid geologists in predicting lithology and fluid product. Since that time, spectral decomposition, coherence, volumetric curvature, and elastic impedance inversion, as well as the 3D visualization, neural network, and geostatistical tools to analyze them have become available to almost all seismic interpreters.
Papers are solicited to span multiple scales—from basin analysis to reservoir characterization, and diverse lithologies—carbonates, clastics, intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks in the sedimentary section as well as fractured basement. The emphasis of the papers should be on interpretation and workflows and they should deal with the following themes:
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Attributes that predict fluid lithology and predict fluid product—AVO, acoustic/elastic impedance inversion, Q estimation and other reservoir attributes
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Attributes and workflows to map natural fractures, induced fractures, and present-day stress fields—Azimuthal velocity analysis, AVAz, curvature, and other related attributes
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Attributes and workflows to enhance or extend vertical resolution—spectral decomposition, spectral inversion, high-frequency reconstruction, etc.
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Attributes that map angular and depositional discontinuities
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Integration of attributes with seismic geomorphology interpretation workflows
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New multiattribute visualization tools and workflows
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Algorithms and workflows to accelerate interpretation—multiattribute geobodies, automatic channel detection, success and failure in automatic fault detection
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Algorithms and workflows that improve attribute performance—prestack gather conditioning, structure-oriented filtering, footprint suppression, enhanced diffraction illumination
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Multiattribute analysis using supervised and unsupervised classification
Authors of accepted papers will be required to submit a manuscript for a short paper of no fewer than four published pages (including illustrations) for publication on the CD-ROM proceedings of the conference. We do not anticipate setting a maximum page limit. Animations or movie files can be used to illustrate the papers in addition to static images. All authors should also prepare a poster for the conference poster session in addition to their presentation.
Authors interested in presenting a paper at the conference should submit by e-mail a preliminary title and 250-word abstract to Kurt Marfurt or Dengliang Gao by October 1, 2010.