An Improved Method for Q Factor Estimation based on Frequency Weighted Exponential Function

Summary The quality factor is a powerful tool for hydrocarbon detection and reservoir characterization in seismic data processing and interpretation. There are various methods for Q estimation, such as centroid frequency shift method (CFS), frequency weighted exponential method (FWE) and peak frequency shift (PFS). However each method has its own limitations. Compared with the CFS method which is under the assumption of particular source wavelet types, the FWE method is applicable for various wavelet types. In this paper, we proposed a novel method to calculate the two parameters of FWE function by the mean frequency and its deviation of power spectrum. Meanwhile we developed a new relationship between FWE function and the Q factor of the media. Synthetic data prove that the proposed method is more robust to random noise compared with traditional FWE function. Meanwhile field data test using this method also demonstrates its potential in reservoir characterization.