Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Pavel Dimitrov

Matthias Imhof

Martin J Terrell

Krishnan Kumaran

Partha Sarathi Routh

Anoop A Mullur

Dominique Gillard

Antonio R C Paiva

Stefan Hussenoeder

Dominique G Gillard

Dennis E Willen

Jerome R Krebs

John Patrick Kaufhold

Thomas A Dickens

Sunwoong Lee

Yaxun Tang

Reeshidev Bansal

Matthew S Casey

Young Ho Cha

Ganglin Chen

Fred W Schroeder

William Curry

Jingbo Wang

Ethan J Nowak

Kelly E Wrobel

Nathan Downey

Amit Kushwaha

William A Burnett

Robert L Brovey

Arrian M Brantley

Guy F Medema

John S Lien

Laurie D Gibson

Aleksandar Bobrek

Christopher S Beard

Michael B Townsley

Matthias G Imhof

Kelly Wrobel

A method, including: determining, with a computer, point spread functions for a plurality of parameter locations by performing at least a portion of a first iteration of an iterative full wavefield inversion process; determining at least one property for each of the point spread functions; and evaluating a candidate survey design based on the at least one property for each of the point spread functions.

Method to design geophysical surveys using full wavefield inversion point- spread function analysis

System and method for scalable and reliable scheduling of iterative seismic full wavefield inversion algorithms with alternating parallel and serial stages of computation on massively parallel computing systems. The workers are independent, initiating actions and unaware of each other, and given limited information. This enables application of optimal scheduling, load-balancing, and reliability techniques specific to seismic inversion problems. The central dispatcher specifies the structure of the inversion, including task dependency, and keeps track of progress of work. Management tools enable the user to make performance and reliability improvements during the execution of the seismic inversion.

Scalable scheduling of parallel iterative seismic jobs

A method to select a representative subset of a plurality of horizon surfaces or surface patches from geophysical subsurface imaging data, including: defining a score function on one or more horizon surfaces or surface patches; calculating, by a computer, the score for each of the plurality of horizon surfaces or surface patches with regard to other horizon surfaces or surface patches and whether the other horizon surfaces or surface patches have been selected or not for inclusion or exclusion in the subset of the plurality of horizon surfaces; selecting, by a computer, one or more of the plurality of horizon surfaces or surface patches to be included in the subset of the plurality of horizon surfaces or surface patches or excluded from the subset of the plurality of horizon surfaces or surface patches based on their respective scores; iteratively repeating the selecting and calculating steps until a stopping condition is reached and the subset of the plurality of horizon surfaces or surface patches is determined; and performing interpretation on the subset of the plurality of horizon surfaces or surfaces patches.

Method for selecting horizon surfaces

A system and methods for analyzing seismic data are provided herein. The method includes identifying, via a computing device, a representation of a seismic data set () and determining a number of feature descriptors corresponding to each of a number of aggregates within the representation (). The method also includes identifying a query relating to the representation and one or more vocabulary definitions relating to the query (), analyzing the representation to compute a likelihood that each of the aggregates satisfies the query (), and returning a result of the query ().

Analyzing seismic data

A deterministic method for selecting a set of encoding weights for simultaneous encoded-source inversion of seismic data that will cause the iterative inversion to converge faster than randomly chosen weights. The encoded individual source gathers are summed (), forming a composite gather, and simulated in a single simulation operation. The invention creates multiple realizations of the simulation (), each with its own encoding vector () whose components are the weights for the shots in the composite gather. The encoding vectors of the invention are required to be orthogonal (), which condition cannot be satisfied by random weights, and in various embodiments of the invention are related to eigenvectors of a Laplacian matrix, sine or cosine functions, or Chebyshev nodes as given by the roots of Chebyshev polynomials. For non-fixed receiver geometry, an encoded mask () may be used to approximately account for non-listening receivers.

Harmonic encoding for FWI

Method and system are described for modeling one or more geophysical properties of a subsurface volume. The method includes computing vector volumes from geophysical data to enhance subsurface features, where the vectors may be estimated by steps, including the following. Samples are extracted from a neighborhood around a selected data location (). Coordinates are assigned to each sample (). A weight is assigned to each sample as a function of the sample value (). The sample coordinates and weights are used to fit a polynomial (). A new value is then determined for the data location based on the polynomial fit, e.g. from the slope ().

Vector based geophysical modeling of subsurface volumes

Method and system are described for modeling one or more geophysical properties of a subsurface volume. The method includes computing vector volumes to enhance subsurface modeling and update these vector volumes. The vectors are estimated () from the data, for example dip or azimuth, and then the vector volume may be updated by an optimization process (). Flattening the original data () may assist the vector estimation, and associating data traces and samples of traces with labels () may assist the flattening. The vector volume may then be used to extract horizons () and generate a stratigraphic model () to enhance the process of producing hydrocarbons ().

Method and system for geophysical modeling of subsurface volumes based on computed vectors

Method for performing simultaneous encoded-source inversion of geophysical data to estimate parameters of a physical property model (), especially adapted for surveys without fixed-receiver acquisition geometry, such as marine seismic surveys with moving source and receivers. The encoding functions () used on the sources to generate one or more simultaneous encoded-source gathers of data (), as well as to simulate the same (), are orthogonal or pseudo-orthogonal with respect to cross-correlation. In addition, receivers are also encoded, with the receiver encoding being designed to make a given receiver less sensitive to sources to which it was not listening during the survey (). The encoding functions may be temporal bandpass filters differing one from another by central frequency, phase, or both. Efficiency of the method may be further improved by grouping several sources into a super-source, grouping the corresponding gathers into a super-gather, and then applying the above encoding strategy.

Orthogonal source and receiver encoding

Method and system are described for modeling one or more geophysical properties of a subsurface volume (). The present disclosure provides method of modeling the subsurface comprising obtaining one or more subsurface volumes and performing at least two operations () on the subsurface volumes. A graph of operations is determined () based on each of the at least two operations in which the graph of operations includes a description of each of the at least two operations and a flow path for the each of the at least two operations (). The graph of operation is stored (). A specific operation within the graph of operations may then be identified (). An additional operation may be created and connected to the graph of operations at a node associated with the specific operation to provide an additional branch to the graph of operations ().

Method and system for geophysical modeling of subsurface volumes

Method and system are described for generating a stratigraphic model of a subsurface volume. Measured geophysical data are converted into a vector volume () by assigning to each sample in each trace in the data volume a vector representing dip, azimuth or confidence. Then a labeled volume is generated from the vector volume by assigning a label to each sample in an initial trace (), then selecting a propagation pattern () and propagating the labels to other traces (). Horizons can be extracted () from the labeled volume, and utilized to enhance the process of producing hydrocarbons ().

Method and system for geophysical modeling of subsurface volumes based on label propagation

A fully automated method for correcting errors in one interpretation () of seismic data based on comparison to at least one other interpretation () of the same subsurface region. The errors may occur in any feature of the seismic data volume, for example a horizon, surface, fault, polyline, fault stick, or geo-body. In some embodiments of the invention, an error may be a hole in a horizon (), and the whole is patched by a piece of a horizon in another interpretation (). In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a single interpretation may be used to repair itself, for example by identifying similarly shaped, adjacent horizons (), and merging them ().

Automated interpretation error correction

Method for decomposing a complexly shaped object in a data set, such as a geobody () in a seismic data volume, into component objects more representative of the true connectivity state of the system represented by the data set. The geobody is decomposed using a basis set of eigenvectors () of a connectivity matrix () describing the state of connectivity between voxels in the geobody. Lineal subspaces of the geobody in eigenvector space are associated with likely component objects (), either by a human interpreter () cross plotting () two or more eigenvectors, or in an automated manner in which a computer algorithm () detects the lineal sub-spaces and the clusters within them.

Method for decomposing complex objects into simpler components

Method and system is described for modeling one or more geophysical properties of a subsurface volume. In one embodiment, a method of modeling the subsurface comprises obtaining one or more subsurface volume and obtaining an interpretation of the subsurface volume. One or more flexible geologic concepts are defined and applied to the interpretation of the subsurface volume. The one or more geologic concepts comprise one or more flexible geologic concepts. A modified interpretation of the subsurface volume is obtained based upon the applied geologic concepts.

Method and system is described for modeling one or more geophysical properties of a subsurface volume. The method includes extracting locations from the data volume and combining them into an object, for example a horizon. The extraction may begin with selecting one or more initial traces, assigning labels to each sample of each trace, selecting a propagation pattern, and propagating the labels from the initial traces along a vector volume. Then, locations with the same label are extracted (). As an alternative to label propagation, a specific type of labeled volume () may be obtained, such as a stack of surfaces (). The object may then be further modified or utilized to enhance the process of producing hydrocarbons.

Geophysical modeling of subsurface volumes based on horizon extraction

Method for analyzing seismic data representing a subsurface region for presence of a hydrocarbon system or a particular play. Seismic attributes are computed, the attributes being selected to relate to the classical elements of a hydrocarbon system, namely reservoir, seal, trap, source, maturation, and migration. Preferably, the attributes are computed along structural fabrics () of the subsurface region, and are smoothed over at least tens or hundreds of data voxels. The resulting geologic attributes () are used to analyze the data for elements of the hydrocarbon system and/or recognition of specific plays, and for ranking and annotating partitioned regions () of the data volume based on size, quality, and confidence in the prospectivity prediction (). A catalog () of hydrocarbon trap configurations may be created and used to identify potential presence of hydrocarbon traps and/or aid in scoring () and ranking partitioned regions as hydrocarbon prospects.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Pavel Dimitrov