Gulf of Mexico E-Wave

Advanced imaging project

The E-Wave advanced imaging project covers over 1,800 OCS blocks across four protraction areas, spanning some of the most prospective acreage in the subsalt Middle to Lower Miocene, Lower Tertiary (Wilcox), and subsalt Pliocene plays.

Notable fields and discoveries in the area include Tahiti, K2, Heidelberg, Shenandoah, Buckskin, Moccasin, Lucius, and Hadrian.

The region is characterized by a variety of structural styles and complex salt geometries, including deep suprasalt minibasins, amalgamated salt stock systems, and tabular salt canopies.

E-Wave advanced imaging project.

Enhanced imaging: subsalt and intrasalt.

Survey challenges, processing, and interpretation

Multiple attenuation and elimination
Accurate determination and application of tilted transverse isotropy (TTI) anisotropic parameters
Building of accurate, detailed velocity model
Integration of well velocity information
Accurate, detailed seismic imaging
Verification of imaging through well ties
Subsalt velocity determination
Accurate interpretation and refinement of salt bodies
Intrasalt velocity determination
Subsalt illumination
Well tying and integration

Processing highlights

Advanced data processing technologies used to address these geophysical challenges include

true azimuth 3D GSMP generalized surface multiple prediction and attenuation
well-controlled provision of initial TTI anisotropic parameters
benchmarking of well velocities and depths throughout data processing
3D prestack acoustic full-waveform inversion (FWI) using wave equation to produce high-resolution velocity models
FWI iterations performed on the supersalt sediments, salt body, intrasalt velocity variation, and the subsalt
accurate imaging in presence of structural and velocity complexities through two-way prestack wave equation reverse time migration (RTM)
monitoring of imaging improvement and refinement of salt body interpretation throughout processing with RTM.