Electromagnetic resolution—a CSEM study based on the Wisting oil field

Abstract

SUMMARY We consider marine controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) data and demonstrate that a typical CSEM survey is associated with significant data redundancy. Thus, it should be possible to obtain a high-quality inversion result by using only a subset of the original data. Moreover, in survey design, effort should be made to optimize the placement of the receivers. This study therefore investigates the challenges of data decimation and survey design in the case of repeated surveys by use of the data resolution matrix and model resolution matrix. A framework of analysis has been developed to efficiently use these quantities. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated using both synthetic data computed from an interpreted model of the Wisting oil field in the Barents Sea, as well as actual field data from the same oil field.