Chevron Research Company

Clint W Frasier

William J Ostrander

Earl F Herkenhoff

This invention relates to a method of increasing resolution of high-intensity amplitude events in seismic records provided by common midpoint collection methods (CMP) wherein nonsymmetrical travel paths of incident and reflected rays of the generated conventional waves are taken into account prior to trace stacking irrespective of dip or depth of the target reflector. In accordance with the invention, the converted phases of the conventional seismic wave, are processed as to define a series of common reflection point (CRP) coordinates each associated with a gather of converted traces as if a source associated with a given corrected trace was placed at each CRP and activated followed immediately by the relocation of a detector at the CRP and the reception of converted phases of the generated wave comprising the trace.

Method of seismic processing involving converted P- or S-wave data

This invention relates to a method of increasing resolution of high-intensity amplitude events in seismic records provided by common midpoint collection methods (CMP) wherein nonsymmetrical travel paths of incident and reflected rays of the generated conventional waves are taken into account prior to trace stacking due to the dip and depth of the target reflector. Then in accordance with the invention, the converted phases of the conventional seismic wave, are processed as to define a series of common reflection point (CRP) coordinates each associated with a gather of converted traces as if a source associated with a given corrected trace was placed at each CRP and activated followed immediately by the relocation of a detector at the CRP and the reception of converted phases of the generated wave comprising the trace where the equation of coordinate transformation is selected from the group comprising: ##EQU1## where ##EQU2## Vp and Vs are the P-wave and Sv-wave velocities, respectively, of the overburden;

Method of seismic processing and displaying simultaneously collected

This invention relates to a method of increasing resolution of high-intensity amplitude events in seismic records provided by common midpoint collection methods (CMP) wherein nonsymmetrical travel paths of incident and reflected rays of the generated conventional waves (due to dip and depth) are taken into account prior to trace stacking. Then, in accordance with the invention, the converted phases of the conventional seismic wave, are processed as to define a series of common reflection point (CRP) coordinates each associated with a gather of converted traces as if a source associated with a given corrected trace was placed at each CRP and activated followed immediately by the relocation of a detector at the CRP and the reception of converted phases of the generated wave comprising the trace wherein the equation of coordinate transformation is selected from the group comprising:

Method of seismic collection utilizing multicomponent processing

In accordance with the present invention, progressive changes in amplitude as a function of offset of common gathers can be more easily identified by emphasizing the degree of amplitude variation between traces of each gather along a seismic line, and after generating semblance coefficients, displaying the resulting 'weighted' offset traces or representations of such traces as function of either horizontal offset or centerpoint values. A significant --and progressive --change in P-wave reflection coefficient as a function of the angle of incidence (within sections) indicates valuable characteristics, say the fluid hydrocarbon-bearing potential and/or lithology of the reflecting horizon.

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

Clint W Frasier