Crosswell Seismic Profiling: The Decade Ahead

For many years Crosswell seismic profiles (XSP) have promised high-resolution images for purposes of reservoir characterization and monitoring. Designed to fill the gap in coverage and resolution that exists between surface seismic and borehole logs, the crosswell seismic profile has overcome numerous hurdles in technology development, operations, and commercialization. Where is crosswell technology today and how is it being used? In this talk, I’ll review the recent history and the state-of-the-art of modern crosswell seismic profiling. I’ll cover the major aspects of data acquisition techniques, data processing for velocity, attenuation and reflectivity, and image interpretation. Is the promise realized? I’ll attempt to answer this question with case studies from reservoir imaging and process monitoring studies. Finally, I’ll use this recent experience to identify some possible future applications of crosswell seismic profiles to problems found in natural resource management, groundwater systems and geotechnical engineering.