Thematic Set: Full waveform inversion: the next leap forward in imaging at Valhall

Abstract

We present the results of applying full waveform inversion at the Valhall Field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The resulting velocity model not only substantially improves the depth-migrated image, but also offers an excellent basis for detailed interpretation itself, because it reveals many geological features not visible in the migrated image. These results demonstrate that full waveform inversion can produce spectacular results on industrial-scale real 3D seismic data.