SEMINAR: Full Waveform Seismic Inversion - how it will change the industry if we can just get it to work!

Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) is a data fitting technique in which we seek to find a three-dimensional model of the earth’s elastic parameters from the data recorded in a seismic experiment. FWI images could be used to explore for oil and gas targets in a basin, to plan and safely drill exploration wells avoiding shallow hazards (such as gas pockets and overpressured zones) and to monitor the production of hydrocarbons from a field. The better the resolution and accuracy in these images and the faster we can generate them, the greater the value. But right now there is still a sizeable gap between what is theoretically possible with FWI and what is achievable in practice. In particular, we need to start very close to the solution; we aren’t representing all of the physics of the problem; and it is very computationally expensive to run FWI on a real problem. In this talk I will highlight some of these issues and discuss some potential solutions that might be available in the near future. BIO: Tom Ridsdill-Smith is the Chief Scientist for Subsurface Technology at Woodside where he manages a portfolio of production, geoscience and petroleum engineering technology projects. His geophysics research interests include Full Waveform Inversion and seismic acquisition methods. Prior to this he has worked in a variety of roles including Chief Geophysicist and Subsurface Manager for the North West Shelf Greater Western Flank project. Woodside is Australia's largest publicly traded oil and gas exploration and production company and one of the world's leading producers of liquefied natural gas. Tom completed his PhD in Mathematical Geophysics and his BSc(Hons) at the University of Western Australia. He worked for 5 years in airborne geophysics at World Geoscience Corporation before joining Woodside in early 2000. Tom is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia and a member of the SEG and EAGE.