A new seismic attribute for ambiguity reduction in hydrocarbon prediction

Hydrocarbon prediction from seismic amplitude and amplitude-versus-offset is a daunting task. Amplitude interpretation is ambiguous due to the effects of lithology and pore fluid. In this paper, we propose a new attribute “J” based on a Gassmann–Biot fluid substitution to reduce ambiguity. Constrained by seismic and rock physics, the J attribute has good ability to detect hydrocarbons from seismic data. There are currently many attributes for hydrocarbon prediction. Among the existing attributes, far-minus-near times far and fluid factor are commonly used. In this paper, the effectiveness of these two existing attributes was compared with the new attribute. Numerical modelling was used to test the new attribute “J” and to compare “J” with the two existing attributes. The results showed that the J attribute can predict the existence of hydrocarbon in different porosity scenarios with less ambiguity than the other two attributes. Tests conducted with real seismic data demonstrated the effectiveness of the J attribute. The J attribute has performed well in scenarios in which the other two attributes gave inaccurate predictions. The proposed attribute “J” is fast and simple, and it could be used as a first step in hydrocarbon analysis for exploration. © 2016 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers