Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

General Electric Company

Mark Wayne Dobin

Chul-Sung Kim

Ali Can

Yao-Chou Cheng

Shubao Liu

James E Holl

Xiaojie Huang

Mary Katherine Johns

Weina Ge

Erhan Bas

Leslie A Wahrmund

Dominique Gillard

Ross Whitaker

John F Schuette

Guo-Shi Li

Eric A Schmidtke

Patricia Montoya

Thomas A Hauge

A method of identifying bounded hydrocarbon formations of interest in a seismic data set includes obtaining a seismic data set, pre-processing the seismic data set, inputting the plurality of graphical model inputs and one or more rules to a graphical model, wherein the rules define a relationship between a plurality of attributes of a bounded hydrocarbon formation, running a graphical model on the graphical model inputs, post-processing the graphical model outputs, and displaying the ranked clusters in order of rank.

Context based bounded hydrocarbon formation identification

A method of analyzing hydrocarbon-related data is disclosed. Data representative of a hydrocarbon entity is presented. A physiological response of a viewer of the data is sensed. The physiological response is associated with the data. The data and a representation of the associated physiological response is outputted.

Method of using human physiological responses as inputs to hydrocarbon management decisions

A method for identifying a plurality of features of interest in a seismic image includes ranking each feature of interest. The method also includes modeling a relationship between the rank of each feature of interest and a user rating of the feature of interest. The method further includes updating the ranking of the plurality of features of interest, including (1) receiving a user rating for one feature of interest that has not been previously rated by a user; (2) updating the model of the relationship between the rank of each feature of interest and the user rating of the feature of interest based on the user rating; (3) applying the model to the ranking of the plurality of features of interest; and (4) repeating steps (1)-(3) until a termination criterion is met.

System and method for seismic data interpretation

A method includes accessing a seismic image comprising a plurality of features of interest. The method also includes defining a plurality of configuration files for a plurality of graphical models. The method further includes applying the plurality of graphical models to the seismic image. The method also includes generating a plurality of scores for each feature of interest, wherein each graphical model generates a score for each feature of interest. The method further includes combining the plurality of scores for each feature of interest into a plurality of combined scores, wherein each feature of interest has a combined score.

System and method for optimizing seismic data analysis

Method for determining visualization rendering parameters for seismic data to heighten subtle differences. The full data volume and at least one sub-volume are processed in the inventive method (). Statistics are extracted for the data or attributes of the data (). Rendering parameters are derived based on comparing and computing the statistical information for the volume and sub-volumes ().

Method for region delineation and optimal rendering transform of seismic attributes

Systems and methods which utilize functional objects in connectivity analysis are shown. Functional objects may be denoted by a geological feature, a user-defined location, a critical point in a connection network, a region within a 3D volume, etc. Each functional object preferably possesses and/or has associated therewith an ability to obtain information such as relevant connection pathways, linked regions of interest, statistical connection information, etc. Such functional objects may have dynamic regions associated therewith, such as to define an area of uncertainty, for facilitating exploring connectivity. Desired connectivity information can be revealed interactively from within a confusing web of connection pathways through use of the functional objects. Through interactive manipulation of functional objects analysis may be refined or revised. Additionally or alternatively, logical operations may be applied with respect to one or more functional objects to extend or reduce the connectivity of interest.

Systems and methods for connectivity analysis using functional objects

Method for mitigating coherent noise and seismic data using an adaptively varying filter. The strongest and most coherent pattern (), generally associated with the geology, is adaptively removed () from the original seismic data, producing an intermediate product that consists predominantly of noise. These noise data are then removed from the original input data () to produce a significantly more interpretable seismic volume.

Method for post-stack noise mitigation

There is provided a system and method for creating model of a subsurface region based on multiple depth values. The method includes selecting seeds that represent a starting location within a desired horizon surfaces and generating a plurality of candidate horizons from the selected seeds. A number of depth values from the candidate horizons may be combined into a representative depth value and an uncertainty may be computed based on discrepancies among the depth values. A model of the subsurface region may be created using the depth values and the uncertainty.

Method of generating and combining multiple horizons to determine a seismic horizon and its uncertainty

Distinct paths (), e.g., locally optimal, are determined in a heterogeneous velocity field () between a source object and a target object () using gradients () of a two-way total arrival time field (). The foregoing technique may be used to assess hydrocarbon reservoir connectivity.

Method for determining distinct alternative paths between two object sets in 2-D and 3-D heterogeneous data

A method and system are described for identifying a geologic object through cross sections of a geologic data volume. The method includes obtaining a geologic data volume having a set of cross sections. Then, two or more cross sections are selected and a transformation vector is estimated between the cross sections. Based on the transformation vector, a geologic object is identified within the geologic data volume.

Tracking geologic object and detecting geologic anomalies in exploration seismic data volume

A method of creating a visual display based on a plurality of data sources is provided. An exemplary embodiment of the method comprises extracting a set of extracted data from the plurality of data sources and processing at least a portion of the extracted data with a set of knowledge agents according to specific criteria to create at least one data assemblage. The exemplary method also comprises providing an integrated two-dimensional/three-dimensional (2D/3D) visual display in which at least one 2D element of the at least one data assemblage is integrated into a 3D visual representation using a mapping identifier and a criteria identifier.

Functional-based knowledge analysis in a 2D and 3D visual environment

A method is disclosed for determining the connectivity architecture of a hydrocarbon reservoir in terms of locally optimal paths between selected source points, e.g. wells. In one embodiment of the invention, a fast-marching method () is used to compute the distance field (or the time of arrival field) from N selected source points in a heterogeneous media, i.e. in a non-uniform velocity field. This is done by propagating N labeled () fronts simultaneously from N objects. Then, a method () is disclosed for detecting Voronoi curves or Voronoi surfaces, where fronts of differing labels meet each other. Then, saddle points are found on the Voronoi curves or surfaces (), and each saddle point is used to determine a locally optimal path () between a pair of equidistant (from the saddle point), closest (to the saddle point) source points.

Determining connectivity architecture in 2-D and 3-D heterogeneous data

Methods for analyzing the connected quality of a hydrocarbon reservoir are disclosed. A model of a portion of the reservoir is divided into cells, each cell having a volume and some attributes, and wherein a speed function is assigned to a portion of the cells. A reference cell is chosen. A connectivity between cells in the reservoir is determined by solving an Eikonal equation that describes the travel time propagation, said propagating front progressing outward from a reference cell until an ending condition is met, said Eikonal equation being solved by a fast marching method with propagation velocity as a function of spatial position being provided by the speed function. Regions of the reservoir are characterized by their connective quality to the reference cell using the connectivity.

Rapid method for reservoir connectivity analysis using a fast marching method

A method to extract fault surfaces from seismic data () is disclosed. The method comprises: (a) generating at least two fault sticks () from the same fault from at least two slices of the seismic data wherein each slice comprises at least one fault stick from the same fault, (b) constructing an initial three-dimensional fault surface () containing the fault sticks, and (c) reconstructing the initial fault surface () using a deformable surface model to fit discontinuity or coherency information in the seismic data in an iterative process. Techniques are disclosed for constructing the initial fault surface from interpreter-provided fault nodes, and for performing the deformable surface iteration by defining an energy function for the fault surface and then minimizing the surface energy.

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The Woodlands, TX, United States of America

Mark Wayne Dobin