Reservoir time-lapse variations and coda wave interferometry

Coda waves are multiply scattered waves that arrive much later than the major waves. Small seismic velocity variations are observed in reservoirs because of small variations in reservoir properties, which affect the first arrivals. Hence, first arrivals cannot be used to detect small seismic velocity variations. However, small variations can be reliably detected by the coda waves because of the amplification owing to multiple scattering. We investigate the ability of coda wave interferometry to detect seismic velocity variations and monitor time-lapse reservoir characteristics using numerical simulations and experimental data. We use the Marmousi II model and finite-difference methods to build model seismic data and introduce small seismic velocity variations in the target layer. We examine the model seismic data before and after the changes and observe the coda waves. We find that velocity changes can be detected by coda wave interferometry and demonstrate that coda wave interferometry can be used in monitoring timelapse reservoir characteristics.