Well-Log and Seismic Data Integration for Reservoir Characterization A signal processing and machine-learning perspective

Reservoir characterization (RC) is a process of finding petrophysical properties of the subsurface mainly from the seismic and well-log data. The nonlinear and heterogeneous nature of the subsurface is the major bottleneck in estimating the reservoir properties. In the past two decades, the RC has eventually turned out to be an interdisciplinary field of research involving computational science, signal processing, geostatistics, and geophysics. This article provides the interdisciplinary perspective in RC focusing on the applications of signal processing and machine learning (ML). We provide an account of various state-of-the-art algorithms while categorizing them into three stages in an RC framework: preprocessing, prediction, and postprocessing. RC has been known to be a highly data-driven problem. Huge volumes of seismic and well-log data are cleverly integrated by experts to decipher the subsurface properties. Some of the anomalies may lead to the existence of a potential reservoir. The signal processing tools are primarily required for information matching, preprocessing for noise and artifacts, and postprocessing for removing irregularities in the prediction, whereas the ML tools are required to map the seismic data to well logs. This article provides a comprehensive study on the recent advances in RC involving seismic volumes and well logs. © 1991-2012 IEEE.