Qualifying Wireline DAS VSP Technology for Vertical Exploration Wells

In early 2025 a wireline vertical seismic profile (VSP) logging benchmark test was conducted in a hydrocarbon exploration well drilled offshore Norway. The test compared distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data, which were recorded using a hybrid optical-electric logging cable, to conventional geophone array data. The objective was to determine if the DAS approach could eliminate the need for a dedicated geophone VSP logging run in future drilling campaigns. This approach would reduce rig time by approximately 12 hours and CO2 emissions by tens of tons per well, while meeting the geophysical objectives of recording reliable time-depth-velocity data and true-amplitude zero-phase corridor stacks. In this case study, we review some of the key aspects of the technology and of acquiring, processing, and interpreting DAS VSP data.