FAULT DETECTION USING BOREHOLE
SEISMIC SURVEYS
J.W. MUNNS
AMOCO Europe, London, U.K.
D. MULLEN
Schlumberger Norway, Tananger, Norway
INTRODUCTION
The Amoco-operated Valhall field lies to the east of the UK-Norway
median line in the North Sea (Figure 1). It is an oil field with the pay in the
high-porosity Tor Chalk. Although a large structure, Valhall has proven
difficult to develop because of the presence of an extensive gas cloud
caused by charging of the overlying Tertiary clastic sequence. The gas
cloud results in severe pull-down of the underlying chalk reflections on the
surface seismic data, together with a degraded common mid-point stack
response, multi-pathing and possibly intrinsic attenuation. As a result, the
identification of faulting in determining well locations and prognoses is
very difficult in the gas-affected area.
INITIAL DRILLING RESULTS
Well 2/8 A-12 St-1 was drilled as a long stepout to the north and west
of the structure (Figure 2). It found a 90-m-thick, high-porosity Tor
sequence with an apparent oil-water contact that is unusually high,
resulting in an oil column of only 21 m. Figure 3 displays the interpretation
of the open-hole logs in which the hydrocarbon-bearing zone is
characterized by porosity readings in the range of 37 to 40 porosity units
(p.u.). However, the oil saturation is comparatively poor, being around
70% for the upper 9 m of the hydrocarbon-bearing interval and degrading
to 40% in the lower part of the interval. As the Tor Chalk is overpressured
with a much higher porosity than its depth of burial would normally
suggest (Munns, 1985), the low lithification of the chalk matrix was not
likely to permit production without subsequent formation damage and
water breakthrough from the underlying section. Lithification in the entire
Tor section appears to have been arrested by the overpressuring,
irrespective of the saturating fluid. Marginal hydrocarbon saturation and
Munns and Mullen
low reservoir competency combined to prevent completion of the well and
resulted in the decision to seek an alternate target location.
BOREHOLE SEISMIC SURVEY
To achieve local reservoir delineation, a vertical ray path, deviated-well
vertical seismic profile (VSP) was shot, together with two Walkaway
Seismic Profiles (WSP; see Christie and Dangerfield, 1984, for a
description of this technique). Previous experience in Valhall suggested that
if the geophone were placed deeper than (about) 2000 m, we could get a
clear image of the Tor. With the geophone close to the target, the gas effect
is reduced and the single trace processing used in VSP avoids problems of
CDP stack degradation caused by a rapidly varying velocity field. A good
image was indeed obtained and showed convincing evidence of faulting.
Figure 4 shows the interpretation of the processed vertical ray path
survey, in which the seismic source was located directly above the
geophone in the deviated well. A synthetic seismogram, computed from the
sonic and density logs in the well, is correlated with the VSP at about 2610
msec where the Tor reflection intersects the time-depth curve. Because the
source and geophone are moving laterally with each other, subsurface
coverage over the top of the Tor and deeper reflectors has been obtained.
Identification of the top of the Tor and the apparent oil-water contact can be
made from the synthetic seismogram and correlated with the VSP. Tracing
the reflectors toward the platform, there is good evidence of a reverse fault,
some 5 or 6 traces from the time-depth curve, which throws the Tor
Formation down toward the platform. The downthrow corresponds with a
change of character of the combined reflection response. At about the 16th
trace from the time-depth curve, there is very clear evidence of a normal
fault. Confidence in this fault is high because the direction of throw is
contrary to the regional pull-down caused by the increased gas charging of
the overburden in the direction of the platform. On the far side of the
second fault, in the platform direction, the original doublet character of the
combined reflection response returns for some 5 traces, but as the reflection
rises in time, its character gradually changes before dying out as the
geophone enters the more strongly gas-affected zone.
Based on the time-rise of the Tor reflection on the far side of the Figure 2. Well log from the 2/8 A-12 St-1 well drilled in Valhall
downthrown fault block, a sidetrack location was chosen to achieve a gain Figure 1. Location map of Valhall field, Norwegian
field, North Sea, showing the top of Tor section (a 90-m thick,
Sector, North Sea. high-porosity sequence), including an oil column of 21 m.
Fault detection using borehole seismic surveys 117
in elevation of the Tor with an accompanying increase in thickness of the
oil column. Interpretation of the two walkaway VSP lines, which were
shot on the platform side of the fault system (not shown here), revealed no
apparent faulting in the vicinity of the chosen sidetrack location. Using
interpolated velocity information, the predicted gain in relief of the Tor was
48 m.

SIDETRACK DRILLING RESULTS

Figure 5 shows the interpreted open-hole logs from the sidetrack
location. As expected, the Tor came in with an increase in elevation of 50
m. Unfortunately, the thickness of pay was not correspondingly increased,
although the 28 m found represented a real improvement in thickness, in
porosity (about 40 p.u.), and in hydrocarbon saturation (>90% over the
upper 20 m). The overall thickness of Tor reduced from 90 m in the
original well to 28 m in the sidetrack well because of the rise in the
underlying Hod Formation. The top of the Hod marked the base of the pay
zone. However, because the Hod is a competent, low-permeability
formation, the sidetracked well was completed by perforating and
producing the Tor oil through hydraulically induced fractures.

GEOLOGICAL MODEL
After the sidetracked well had been logged, the geological model
displayed in Figure 6 was generated to explain the borehole seismic
observations. As discussed above, the doublet character of the Tor
reflection at the time-depth curve is believed to be due to the combined
reflection response of the top of the Tor and the change in fluid saturation.
This is supported by the synthetic seismogram. The change of character on
entering the downthrown block of the reverse fault is consistent with
lowering the top of the Tor toward the apparent oil-water contact, assuming
the fault is non-sealing. On the upthrown side of the normal fault the
original doublet character returns for a few traces, but then the more rapid
rise of the underlying Hod, at the expense of the thinning Tor, causes a
change in the doublet character. This subtlety would have been difficult to
interpret before the drilling of the new sidetrack. Indeed, an interpreted rise
in the Hod may have mitigated against the sidetrack decision.
The well was subsequently completed as a 3000 bbl/day producer.

REFERENCES CITED
Munns, J.W., 1985, The Valhall field—a geological overview: Marine and Petroleum
Geology, v.2, p. 23-43.
Christie, P.A.F., and J.A. Dangerfield, 1984, Borehole seismic profiles in the Ekofisk field: Figure 4. Correlation of synthetic seismic data with VSP. The synthetic is computed from both density and sonic logs.
54th Annual Meeting, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (Atlanta), Abstracts and
Correlation is at 2610 msec, where the Tor reflection intersects the time-depth curve.
Biographies, p. 21-23. Also submitted to Geophysics (in press). Figure 3. Structural contour map of Valhall field, showing well locations and
borehole survey design

Fault detection using borehole seismic surveys 118