China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation

Bp Corporation North America Inc.

Sinopec Tech Houston, LLC

Min Zhou

Joseph Anthony Dellinger

John Theodore Etgen

Raymond Lee Abma

Brian Edward Hornby

Andrew James Brenders

Mingqiu Luo

Changhua Zhang

Franklin Ruiz

David John Howe

John Naranjo

Gabriel Perez

Bin Yu

Method and apparatus for performing a seismic full waveform inversion independent of a source wavelet to generate a final velocity model of subsurface formations of a survey region are provided. The method includes positioning seismic data recording sensors in the survey region; blasting at points of incidence in the survey region to generate seismic waves; and sensing and recording the seismic waves using the seismic data recording sensor. The recorded seismic waves are seismic data. The method further includes transmitting the seismic data to a computer system including one or more memories and storing the seismic data in one or more memories; storing a source wavelet in the one or more memories; performing, by the computer system, a forward modeling operation using the source wavelet; and generating, by the computer system, the final velocity model for the seismic full waveform inversion using the forward modeling operation.

Methods and apparatuses for seismic characterization of subsurface formations

A computer-implemented method and system implementing the method, are disclosed for computing small cave recognition models, using seismic reflection data. User inputs and earth-model data are obtained over points of incidence of a survey region, at various angles of incidence. Various models are then computed that serve for cave identification and take part in preliminary seismic exploration and reservoir characterization. Therefore, the attributes developed by the computer-implemented method and system serve as indicators of low velocity and density cave recognition which are capable of separating the cave events from the normal layer events; identifying caves with size larger than half to one wavelength of the dominant signal; and identifying cave diffractions from caves that contain a local maximal/minimal at around nine degrees in amplitude versus angle models.

Computer-implemented method and system for small cave recognition using seismic reflection data

A method for seismic processing includes steps of receiving seismic data comprising seismic waveforms acquired from a plurality of seismic receivers and a plurality of seismic sources in a subterranean area; generating a plurality of full wavefields at a plurality of corresponding propagation time steps based on a seismic velocity and a density model of the subterranean area; and applying a wavefield filter to the plurality of full wavefields to obtain a plurality of filtered wavefields. Each of the plurality of full wavefields propagates in all directions. On the other hand, each of the plurality of filtered wavefields is attenuated in or opposite to a target direction. The target direction is selected by the user.

Method and device for enhanced seismic imaging based on one-way wave equation

A method for use in vertical seismic profiling includes: independently and simultaneously shooting a plurality of seismic sources in a plurality of shooting areas to impart seismic signals into a water bottom: receiving reflections of the seismic signals from a subterranean formation beneath the water bottom at a plurality of seismic receivers; and recording the received reflections; wherein, one of the seismic sources and the seismic receivers are disposed in a wellbore in the water bottom.

Independent simultaneous shooting acquisition with vertical seismic profile recording

The presently disclosed seismic acquisition technique employs a receiver array and a processing methodology that are designed to attenuate the naturally occurring seismic background noise recorded along with the seismic data during the acquisition. The approach leverages the knowledge that naturally occurring seismic background noise moves with a slower phase velocity than the seismic signals used for imaging and inversion and, in some embodiments, may arrive from particular preferred directions. The disclosed technique comprises two steps: 1) determining from the naturally occurring seismic background noise in the preliminary seismic data a range of phase velocities and amplitudes that contain primarily noise and the degree to which that noise needs to be attenuated, and 2) designing an acquisition and processing method to attenuate that noise relative to the desired signal.

Seismic acquisition method and apparatus

The instant invention is designed to provide an adaptive approach to removing short-period time/phase distortions within a downward-continuation process that is a key component of seismic migration algorithms. Using techniques analogous to residual statics corrections that are used in standard seismic processing, one inventive approach estimates and removes the effects of short wavelength velocity disruptions, thereby creating clearer seismic images of the subsurface of the earth. Additionally, the instant method will provide an updated velocity model that can be used to obtain further image improvement.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Min Zhou