Chevron U.s.a. Inc.

Marek Kacewicz

Maisha Lara Amaru

Weihong Fei

Sankar Kumar Muhuri

One embodiment of generating a pore pressure prediction through integration of seismic data and basin modeling includes crossplotting seismically derived velocities and effective stress at spatial coordinates; defining seismic transform functions and an uncertainty range from the crossplotting; transforming the seismically derived velocities into calculated effective stress using selected seismic transform functions and calculating pore pressure using an equation transforming the calculated effective stress into calculated pore pressure; identifying a subset of the selected seismic transform functions, where the subset is identified in response to the calculated pore pressure being adequate based on a comparison; using an inverse of the subset to convert the effective stress from the basin model into basin model derived velocities; building a hybrid velocity model by selecting velocities from the basin model derived velocities or from the seismically derived velocities in each region; and generating a digital seismic image using the hybrid velocity model.

Pore pressure prediction based on an integrated seismic and basin modeling approach

Methods and systems for historical, geological modeling for producing an estimated distribution of hydrocarbons trapped in subsurface clathrates are disclosed. One method includes instantiating a basin model of a geological area of interest, and, for each of a plurality of predetermined geological times up to a geologic present day: determining one or more changes to the basin model, calculating, at each of a plurality of locations within the basin model, a temperature and a pressure, determining an existence and a location of a clathrate stability zone based on the calculated temperatures and pressures, and estimating one or more clathrate concentrations and hydrocarbon volumes in the clathrate stability zone. The method further includes calibrating a present day clathrate concentration and hydrocarbon volume derived from the basin model against calibration data obtained from one or more locations within the geological area of interest, thereby providing a model of the present day clathrate concentration and hydrocarbon volume at each of the plurality of locations.

Methods and systems for historical, geological modeling to produce an estimated distribution of hydrocarbons trapped in subsurface clathrates

A method of developing a velocity model for processing a seismic dataset is implemented at a computer system having a processor and memory. The method includes: deriving a first velocity model from the seismic dataset; building a basin model based on the first velocity model and interpretation of the seismic dataset; validating the basin model using calibration data; deriving a second velocity model from the validated basin model; and updating the first velocity model based, at least in part, on the second velocity model.

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Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Marek Kacewicz