Seismic identification of ductile clay strata in the Northern North Sea
Hovedinnhold
Project description
Ductile clays can be used as natural barriers in well completion, and reliable identification of ductile clay strata is therefore important for well planning. Such clays exist in several strata in the North Sea, but they don’t set up coherent seismic reflectors that can be easily interpreted. Such ductile clays can potentially act as barriers to vertical migration, and according to some theories their bases may be preferred locations for remobilized sands.
This master thesis aims to find methods for seismic identification of ductile clays in the North Sea. The work will include seismic interpretation, seismic inversion and potentially seismic modelling, as well as inspection of well logs and drilling parameters. AI methods may be used as part of the analyses.
The desired outcome of the work is (a) a method for identification of ductile clays, and (b) an analysis of the co-location of sand injections and their relationship to ductile and low-density clays.
Proposed course plan during the master's degree (60 ECTS):
Autumn courses:
GEOV 272 (10) Seismic Interpretation | UiB
GEOV 274 (10) Environmental and Reservoir Geophysics | UiB
GEOV 276 (10) Introduction to Theoretical Seismology | UiB
Spring courses:
GEOV 218 (10) Rock Physics | UiB
GEOV 302 (10) Data analysis in earth science | UiB
GEOV 375 (10) Advanced Applied Seismic Analysis | UiB
External data
Well logs and 3D seismic data from Equinor
NB: This project is not yet approved by the program board