The analysis of seismic data structure and oil and gas prediction

In this paper, a new concept called numerical structure of seismic data is introduced and the difference between numerical structure and numerical value of seismic data is explained. Our study shows that the numerical seismic structure is closely related to oil and gas-bearing reservoir, so it is very useful for a geologist or a geophysicist to precisely interpret the oil-bearing layers from the seismic data. This technology can be applied to any exploration or production stage. The new method has been tested on a series of exploratory or development wells and proved to be reliable in China. Hydrocarbon-detection with this new method for 39 exploration wells on 25 structures indicates a success ratio of over 80 percent. The new method of hydrocarbon prediction can be applied for: (1) depositional environment of reservoirs with marine fades, delta, or non-marine facies (including fluvial facies, lacustrine facies); (2) sedimentary rocks of reservoirs that are non-marine clastic rocks and carbonate rock; and (3) burial depths range from 300 m to 7000 m, and the minimum thickness of these reservoirs is over 8 m (main frequency is about 50 Hz).