Regio Zuid-Holland | Feasibility study on near surface characterisation by non-linear 2D full waveform inversion

Traditionally, Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) methods are used to determine seismic migration velocity models which are used for imaging the subsurface (e.g., an oil or gas reservoir). DiReC invented a nonlinear FWI method for determining high resolution quantitative property models which can be directly interpreted, suitable for reservoir settings usually found bellow two kilometers depth, but not for nearsurface settings (0-500 meters depth) due to the complexity of this part of the subsurface...The innovation at hand is the development of an FWI-method for near surface characterisation, which has the potential to account for mode conversions and internal multiple reflections, allowing the inversion to adhere more closely to the physics of wave propagation. This means that the envisaged technology has the potential to generate high resolution (3 – 5m) quantitative elastic property models rather than seismic migration velocity models. On the other hand the developed method should be implemented in a market ready product, which requires innovative memory management to perform the inversion of extensive data sets on end user clusters with realistic power and memory settings...The near surface characterisation application contributes to more efficient, effective and safe exploration and drilling for subsurface oil and gas reservoirs. This is in-line with the themes in program line 29E in the roadmap of the topsector Energy: “Programmalijn: 29 – E – Gas - Voorraden: Upstream Gas”. The project is also in line with the major objective of the Regional innovation strategy (RIS), enhancing the economic competitiveness of the Western part of the Netherlands by increasing the investments in R&D and promoting innovation...The purpose of this feasibility study is to assess whether the technical and economic constraints provided in the development and commercialization of the new FWI technology potentially can be resolved by Delft Inversion. Once feasibility has been demonstrated, an R&D project will be launched..