Constraining Pore Pressure Prediction Using Seismic Inversion

Abstract

This paper addresses utilizing borehole acoustic logs to predict pore pressure at the borehole and employing seismic inversion to extrapolate these predictions. We implemented common approaches with our proposed quality control steps to constrain the pore pressure prediction at the borehole using acoustic logs and normal compaction trend analysis. We formulated a research method to enable integration of multidisciplinary data sets with different scales to constrain our prediction. The contribution of the research is that it adapts post-stack deterministic and stochastic seismic inversion within a user-defined mesh based on geological settings in order to predict pressure. The study was carried out on offshore data from the Gulf of Mexico, where undercompaction is considered the primary source of overpressure. Results within connected sand bodies showed relatively close numerical pressure values when compared to disconnected sand bodies. The predicted pressure gradient could be used to infer pressure across specific formations along a vertical wellbore trajectory.