Enhancing Paleoreef Reservoir Characterization through Machine Learning and Multi-Attribute Seismic Analysis: Silurian Reef Examples from the Michigan Basin

Abstract

Historically, Silurian pinnacle reef complexes in the Michigan Basin have been largely identified using 2D seismic with very little research on the reservoir characterization of these reefs using 3D seismic data. By incorporating a high-resolution 3D dataset constrained by a well-studied and data-rich paleoreef reservoir, the Puttygut reef, seismic attributes were correlated to petrophysical properties through machine learning and self-organizing maps (SOMs). A suite of structural and frequency-based attributes was calculated from pre-stack time migrated (PSTM) seismic data, with only a subset of them selected as SOM inputs. Structural attributes enhanced details in the reef but frequency attributes were overall more useful for correlating with reservoir quality. A strong relationship between certain combination percentages of attributes and certain sections of the reef with porosity and permeability was found after the SOM results were compared to wireline log and core analysis data. Areas with high permeability and porosity correlated with the average frequency and spectral decomposition at 29 and 81 Hz. Areas with high porosity and varying permeability correlated with the average frequency and spectral decomposition at 29, 57, and 81 Hz. Areas with intermediate porosity correlated with the average frequency and spectral decomposition at 29 and 57 Hz. The efficacy of the procedure was then demonstrated on two nearby reefs with very similar results.