Foster Findlay Associates Limited

Jonathan Henderson

James Lowell

Dale Norton

Stephen James Purves

Gaynor Suzanne Paton

Adam John Eckersley

Nicholas McArdle

Steve Purves

Techniques for generating a geological model from 3D seismic data and rock property data are disclosed. Rock property data and 3D seismic data are received. Based on the rock property data and the 3D seismic data, an adaptive geological model is generated. The adaptive geological model includes a characteristic geological property. Synthetic seismic data is generated from a first region of interest of the adaptive geological model. The synthetic seismic data is adapted to facilitate a comparison between the first region of interest and a corresponding region of interest of the received 3D seismic data. The characteristic geological property is adjusted until the comparison indicates a result that is within a predetermined threshold region of the corresponding value from the rock properties. A validated geologic model is then generated.

Method for validating geological model data over corresponding original seismic data

A computer executable algorithm adapted to propagate a boundary surface of a seed that is placed within a region of interest of a visual representation of a 3D seismic data so as to follow a natural contour of said region of interest, wherein said algorithm is executable to: (i) generate at least one attribute volume comprising at least on attribute derivable from said 3D seismic data set; (ii) generate at least one characteristic parameter for a plurality of candidate events of said 3D seismic data within a predefined gate region located forward of said propagating boundary surface; (iii) generate and assign a probability characteristic for said plurality of candidate events based on said at least one attribute volume and said at least one characteristic parameter; and propagate said boundary surface towards and incorporating any one of said plurality of candidate events that fulfils an acceptance criteria of said probability characteristic so as to generate a surface along the natural contour of said region of interest.

Adaptive horizon tracking

A method for adaptively determining one or more faults from geological survey data includes: (a) generating at least one attribute volume comprising a plurality of attributes from said geological survey data; (b) identifying at least one region of interest on a predetermined cross-section of said at least one attribute volume; (c) adding at least one seed to said at least one region of interest; (d) defining at least one representative area in accordance with said region of interest; (e) starting an initial generation of at least one basic geological object by adapting said at least one seed and/or representative area; (f) selectively determining growth confidence levels for any of said at least one basic geological object based on a realistic geological principles, and mapping said at least one basic geological object with colour-coded data of said growth confidence levels; (g) monitoring a visual representation of said at least one basic geological object during said initial generation; (h) selectively stopping said initial generation of said at least one basic geological object; (i) generating at least one optimized geological object through manipulation of at least part of said at least one basic geological object, wherein said at least one basic geological object is generated by applying a mesh propagation algorithm adapted to generate a surface mesh from said at least one seed, and which includes at least on predetermined constraint, including at least one external force, obtained from empirical geological data, and at least one internal force adapted to maintain the surface shape of said surface mesh.

Adaptive fault tracking

A method of 3D object delineation from 3D seismic data comprising the steps of, providing 3D seismic data; processing the data based on at least one characteristic whereby said characteristic is extracted from the data and compared with at least one reference characteristic and delineated based on the comparison, and defining a geological element based on the delineation. The characteristics may be adjusted. Data can be processed based on one characteristic then processed based on a second characteristic or data is processed based on two characteristics substantially simultaneously. Data may be processed n times producing n delineations from which the geological element is defined. An algorithm is provided for processing the data which may shift an evolving shape description of an object between explicit and implicit representations, where each shift applies a transformation to the object. Multiple sources of data may be utilized simultaneously to drive the delineation process.

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Morpeth, United Kingdom

Jonathan Henderson