Westerngeco L.l.p.

Western Atlas International, Inc.

Geoquest Systems B.v.

Geco Technology B.v.

Alfonso Gonzalez

Ronald E Chambers

Clement Kostov

Luis Canales

Toshi Thomas Chang

David Nichols

Massimiliano Vassallo

Robin Fletcher

Subhashis Mallick

Everett C Mobley

Maud Cavalca

Cintia Lapilli

Ruoyu Gu

Ryan King

Jeffrey E Griffin

Chunpeng Zhao

Systems, media, and methods for processing seismic data are disclosed. For example, in one embodiment, the method may include receiving a plurality of partial image partitions of a migrated seismic image, and stacking the plurality of partial image partitions such that a first image is generated. The method may also include aligning the plurality of partial image partitions based at least partially on the first image. Aligning may include adjusting at least one of the plurality of partial image partitions and generating a displacement field. The method may also include, based at least in part on the displacement field, stacking the plurality of aligned partial image partitions to generate a second image. The method may further include based at least in part on the second image, realigning the plurality of aligned partial image partitions.

Iterative stacking of seismic image partitions

A technique includes determining at least one attribute of a slowness vector associated with a seismic gather based on pressure data and an indication of particle motion that is measured by at least one seismic sensor while in tow.

Estimating and using slowness vector attributes in connection with a multi-component seismic gather

A method for generating an illumination map. The method includes receiving an earth model that represents one or more properties of the earth. The method then includes receiving a target area in the earth model and propagating one or more wavefields from the target area to a potential seismic data acquisition region in the earth model. After propagating the wavefields, the method includes decomposing the propagated wavefields into one or more subsets of the propagated wavefields and creating the illumination map based on the subsets of the propagated wavefields. The illumination map may indicate one or more contributions of one or more synthetic source and receiver pairs for illuminating the target area in the earth model. The method may then include creating a seismic survey design based on the contributions.

Wave equation illumination

A method for generating a synthetic seismogram. In one implementation, the method may include generating a first seismogram in a tau-p domain for a wavefront that moves through an overburden to an upper boundary of a reservoir. The first seismogram is based on a common shot point gather. The method may further include generating a second seismogram in the tau-p domain for the wavefront moving from the upper boundary to a lower boundary of the reservoir and reflected back up to the upper boundary; generating a third seismogram in the tau-p domain for the wavefront moving from the upper boundary of the reservoir through the overburden; and adding the first seismogram in the tau-p domain, the second seismogram in the tau-p domain, and the third seismogram in the tau-p domain.

Hybrid modeling in the tau-p domain

A method for generating a synthetic seismogram. In one implementation, a ray tracing may be performed on a subsurface. The ray tracing may generate a plurality of rays. A first seismic wavefront may be reconstructed by triangulating a first plurality of control points that correspond to the plurality of rays. Each control point may represent an end point of a ray at the first seismic wavefront. The plurality of rays may be propagated to a second seismic wavefront. The second seismic wavefront may have a hole associated with at least one missing ray at the second seismic wavefront. A plurality of points on a circle may be defined that correspond to a second plurality of control points defining the hole. The second seismic wavefront may be reconstructed based on the plurality of points on the circle.

Adaptive wavefront reconstruction

To generate an absorption parameter model, estimated values of an effective absorption parameter are received, where the estimated effective absorption parameter values represent absorption encountered by a seismic wave in a subterranean structure. Based on the estimated effective absorption parameter values, an absorption parameter model is generated that varies absorption parameter values along at least one dimension of the subterranean structure.

Creating an Absorption Parameter Model

A method for measuring the principal axis of fracture-induced formation anisotropy. Amplitude vectors are measured from CMP gathers oriented along in-line and cross-line wavefield trajectories. The amplitude vectors are resolved with the known orientations of the seismic lines of survey to estimate the azimuth of the anisotropic axis.

Method for determining the principal axes of azimuthal anisotropy from

The relative amplitudes of seismic reflection data contains very useful information about the subsurface earth formations. Surface and subsurface-consistent amplitude processing identifies and corrects for the variability introduced by instrumentation and surface distortions. Dynamic amplitude decomposition, the subject of this disclosure, identifies and compensates for reflection amplitude fading due to subsurface transmission absorption media.

Method for compensating seismic wavefield amplitudes for transmission

A three dimensional residual modeling operator is applied to seismic times that have been preprocessed by application of NMO and velocity independent DMO. The residual operator compensates for vertical velocity variation and anisotropy and its use precludes the need for ray tracing.

Method for compensating 3D DMO for the effects of an inhomogeneous earth

A method for removing boundary-generated artifacts in synthetic and actual seismic data. After seismic data processing, undesirable boundary-generated artifacts appear in the final seismic section. To remove this unwanted noise from the section, zeros are added to the lower boundary of the seismic section. This essentially pushes the sources of the noise downward in time in the section. After padding with zeros, the seismic data is collapsed to their point sources of origin using the Stolt migration/diffraction algorithm. Once the data are collapsed, the size of the seismic section is reduced to its original size. Following the resizing of the section, the inverse of the earlier applied Stolt algorithm is applied to return the seismic data to its original form, minus the boundary-generated artifacts.

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Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Alfonso Gonzalez