PROJECT DETAILS ONLY - NO DATA. We propose to develop innovative seismic techniques for establishing links between hydraulic or fluid flow properties (porosity, permeability, connectivity) and seismic properties (impedance, velocity, attenuation), and for improving the remote determination of the hydraulic properties from surface seismic and borehole data. A significant part of this project will involve the development of theoretical models of seismic wave propagation in rocks with realistic distributions of fractures and faults, with fluid-rock interaction included in the seismic wave propagation theory. The project will combine analytical studies and numerical modelling tools for simulating wave propagation in fractured porous rock. The research will be guided by, and benefit from, application to field data supplied by the industrial collaborators. The proposed research will improve both seismic wavefield theory and modelling of fluid flow in fractured rock and will have direct application in recovering the critical fluid-flow parameters. The work will fill the gap existing in characterising fluid-rock interaction using seismic methods, and it is expected to provide a strong theoretical basis for time-lapse seismic monitoring of spatial and temporal changes in underground reservoirs. The output will be of direct relevance to the detection of oil/gas migration in reservoirs and groundwater flow in aquifers using field seismic measurements.
