Foinaven: 4D processing comes up trumps

A good 4D image shows the effect on the seismic of production-related changes from within and sur-rounding a reservoir. It is well understood that the quality of 4D images is driven by two main ingredients: the quality of the acquisition and the quality of the processing. While 4D acquisition has been taking the limelight recently, the evolution of 4D processing algorithms has been steadily, and perhaps quietly, enhancing the quality of 4D images, including data acquired before the advent of carefully designed, dedicated 4D surveys. Using data from the Foinaven Field, one of three BP-operated fields in the West of Shetlands area, this paper shows how such improvements in processing technology over the last decade have enhanced the quality of the 3D imaging, the 4D seismic difference image, and improved the 4D repeatability.