Analyzing the seismic response characteristics of P-, SV-, and SH- waves to reservoir parameters using physical modeling

Changes in reservoir parameters cause differences in seismic response characteristics, which can reflect changes in the formation lithology and fluids. Herein, seismic physical modeling and seismic response characteristic analysis of P-, SV-, and SH- wave fields were conducted. A seismic physical model was developed in the laboratory, which included several groups of sandstone blocks for simulating reservoir parameters, such as different fluid and clay contents. Two-dimensional wave field data of P-P, SV-SV, and SH-SH waves were acquired and processed in the laboratory. Compared with P- waves, SV- and SH- waves were insensitive to oil and air mediums and were almost unaffected by pore fluids, and the SH- stack profile was superior to the SV- stack profile. Compared with P- waves, shear waves are insensitive to fluids and are less affected by fluid saturation. The reflection events at the interface were slightly better for the SH- wave section than for the SV- wave section. The reflection coefficient of P- waves varied greatly on AVA gathers and was significantly influenced by factors, such as fluids. The variation in the SV- wave reflection coefficient on AVA gathers was not as significant as that of P- waves, and SV- and SH- wave were more conducive to identifying whether the block contained clay. The SH- wave was more reliable for seismic imaging. Overall, this study can assist in combining different seismic wave data for better hydrocarbon identification and reservoir description.