Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Mahdi A AbuAli

Maher I Almarhoon

Khaled Arouri

Mokhles Mustapha Mezghani

Si-Hai Zhang

Yin Xu

In an example method, one or more processors receive a plurality of rock fragment images. Each of the rock fragment images represents respective rock fragments obtained from a subsurface formation during well bore drilling. The one or more processors select one or more portions of the rock fragment images, and generate a geological formation image based on the one or more selected portions of the rock fragment images. The geological formation image is indicative of one or more geological characteristics of the subsurface formation along the well bore.

Generating synthetic geological formation images based on rock fragment images

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for detecting seepage of hydrocarbons in subterranean zones. In one aspect, a method includes detecting hydrocarbon seepage at multiple different sampling depths from a surface in a surveyed geographic region, comparing each of the hydrocarbon seepage at the multiple different sampling depths, wherein hydrocarbon seepage at a reference depth is known, and determining hydrocarbon seepage through the surveyed geographic region based on a result of the comparison.

Sampling techniques to detect hydrocarbon seepage

The disclosure provides methods and systems for characterizing depositional features. The methods and systems include accessing data encoding seismic waves as seismic traces reflected from cells at various locations within a particular stratum in response to a seismic source. The cells are classified into multiple non-overlapping groups according to the amplitude values or other seismic attributes of the seismic waves reflected from the various locations within the particular stratum. One or more subgroups of adjacent cells are identified. A subgroup area metric is calculated for each subgroup of cells by combining individual area metrics from adjacent cells in a given subgroup and subsequently assigning the calculated subgroup area metric to each cell of the given subgroup. One or more depositional features within the stratum are characterized based at least in part on the variation map based on the subgroup area metric of each cell.

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Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Mahdi A AbuAli