Multi-Component Processing on Land for Complimentary PP and PS Imaging and Characterisation

The use of multi-component seismic data has risen steadily since the ‘pure’ shear-wave acquisition activity onshore of the 1980s, through the converted-wave ‘revolution’ offshore in the 1990s and beyond. To benefit the most from multi-component seismic we hope for a situation where data quality of the entire elastic wavefield is similar which allows the complimentary information from compressional and shear waves to contribute together. Where either of these waves are compromised, the combined potential will necessarily be sub-optimal. To respond to Canada's Northern Alberta shallow unconventional reservoirs and provide high resolution imaging and characterisation, the industry has developed using point source and multi-component point receiver seismic. We describe the challenges addressed in processing for high resolution PP and PS imaging which deliver improved images and complimentary PP and PS attributes for characterisation. In this heavy oil unconventional reservoir setting, PS images are revealing new details about the geology not previously seen on P-wave data alone. The multi-component data have positively influenced an appraisal drilling program and subsequent pad layout, to take advantage of the geological variations and high grade the reservoir development plan.