Poroelastic property analysis of seismic low-frequency shadows associated with gas reservoirs

Abstract

Seismic low-frequency amplitude shadows have been widely used as a hydrocarbon indicator. This study investigates the effect of reservoir properties and seismic wave mode conversion on the characteristics of the low-frequency amplitude shadows in gas-bearing reservoirs. The target gas reservoirs are typically related to the lithology of tight sandstone with strong heterogeneity. Pore-fluid distribution within the reservoirs presents patchy saturation in the vertical and horizontal directions, and this patchy saturation easily induces low-frequency shadows beneath gas-bearing reservoirs. These low-frequency shadows are validated by using a poroelastic simulation method. The results of our field case-based study indicate that pore-fluid property, plus the thickness and heterogeneity of reservoirs are the key elements in the generation of low-frequency shadows. The results also indicate that the poroelastic simulation method can be used to effectively predict the spatial distribution of gas-bearing reservoirs, by directly verifying the low-frequency shadow phenomenon existing in the seismic data.