Abstract: A method and system is provided for managing well assets. The method includes the steps of determining “first tier” statuses corresponding to pre-defined well attributes, mapping the first tier statuses to one or more well performance classifications, determining “second tier” statuses corresponding to the well classifications, and combining the second tier statuses to determine an overall well surveillance status. The method and corresponding system can be used to manage wells by exception, to readily identify “under-performing” wells, and to prioritize actions to be taken by well operators.

Abstract: A method and system for target-oriented reverse time migration for prestack depth imaging. One embodiment of the present invention includes determining an acquisition area within an earth model and also determining a reference surface near a target in the subsurface region of interest. The embodiment includes exciting wavefields from the reference surface and propagating the excited wavefields through the earth model. The embodiment additionally includes recording the wavefields at receiver locations in the acquisition area and at the target and synthesizing wavefields along the reference surface to reconstruct Green's functions which relate the receiver locations in the acquisition area to the target. The embodiment includes utilizing the Green's functions and prestack seismic data to determine subsurface characteristics of the subsurface region.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for minimizing lost circulation associated with the operation of a subterranean reservoir. The system includes one or more sources, such as earth modeling and fracture analysis tools, for providing data representative of a fracture formation in the reservoir, and a computer processor in communication with the data sources for determining an appropriate blend of lost circulation material products for application to the fracture formation. The computer processor is programmed with computer readable code for selecting a plurality of candidate products for application to the fracture formation, and for mathematically determining an optimized blend of the selected products. By applying the optimized blend, material and labor costs associated with well operation can be significantly reduced.

Abstract: The geological architecture of a geologic volume of interest is estimated through the generation and/or selection of one or more numerical analog models of the geologic volume of interest that represent characteristics of the geologic volume of interest as a function of position within the geologic volume of interest. The estimation of geological architecture of the geologic volume of interest may be implemented in reservoir exploration and/or development.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of characterizing elastic properties of a subsurface formation at various fluid saturation conditions is disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method that enable the processing of seismic data. In one embodiment, a system comprises a plurality of processing nodes and a server. The plurality of processing nodes are configured to process seismic data for migration. The server is operatively linked to each of the plurality of processing nodes to enable communication between the server and the processing nodes. The server may manage a set of stored beam tables that can be accessed by the processing nodes in order to process seismic data.

Abstract: A method of analyzing characteristics of a subterranean formation includes applying a wavelet transform to measured data or to derived data obtained from the measured data, the measured data obtained by measuring a physical property at each of a plurality of positions in a borehole that penetrates the subterranean formation; selecting one or more scales for analyzing wavelet coefficients; performing a segmentation of the data; calculating a distribution of wavelet coefficients for each scale, for one or more spatial directions of wavelet transform application, for the wavelet transform of the data and for each segment that belongs to the portion on which the wavelet transform has been calculated; and for each segment, analyzing a distribution of the data and the distribution of the wavelet coefficients for each scale in terms of their overlap with corresponding distributions of training samples to produce a geological interpretation of the subterranean formation.

Abstract: A computer implemented stochastic inversion method for estimating model parameters of an earth model. In an embodiment, the method utilizes a sampling-based stochastic technique to determine the probability density functions (PDF) of the model parameters that define a boundary-based multi-dimensional model of the subsurface. In some embodiments a sampling technique known as Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is utilized. MCMC techniques fall into the class of “importance sampling” techniques, in which the posterior probability distribution is sampled in proportion to the model's ability to fit or match the specified acquisition geometry. In another embodiment, the inversion includes the joint inversion of multiple geophysical data sets. Embodiments of the invention also relate to a computer system configured to perform a method for estimating model parameters for accurate interpretation of the earth's subsurface.

Abstract: A method of normalizing well log data relating to geology of a subsurface region includes identifying a pair of markers defining a zone on each well log, determining a statistic for a property within the zone for each well log, fitting a smooth function to the statistics to create a first-iteration trend surface, determining, for each statistic, a deviation from the trend surface and eliminating those statistics that deviate from the trend surface by greater than a threshold value, fitting a smooth function to the remaining statistics to create a second-iteration trend surface, normalizing the property for each well log based on the second-iteration trend surface, and analyzing the normalized properties to determine the geology of the subsurface region.

Abstract: Well log data is assigned depositional labels by a soft computing method. A model is trained on an expert-interpreted well log by segmenting, assigning fuzzy symbols to the segments, and calculating attribute values for units labeled by the expert. From these values, classifiers are trained for each of a number of depositional types. Finally, a model is developed for translating fuzzy symbols into depositional labels. Once trained, the model is applied to well log data.

Abstract: A system and method that enable the processing of seismic data. In one embodiment, a system comprises a plurality of processing nodes and a server. The plurality of processing nodes are configured to process seismic data for migration. The server is operatively linked to each of the plurality of processing nodes to enable communication between the server and the processing nodes. The server may manage a set of stored beam tables that can be accessed by the processing nodes in order to process seismic data.

Abstract: A system and method approximate a set of wave equations describing the propagation of seismic waves of one or more frequencies through a seismic volume of interest. In one embodiment, a ray-based initial beam solution is determined that describes the propagation of seismic waves at a first frequency through the seismic volume of interest as a set of one or more beams. Based on the ray-based initial beam solution, a refined finite-element beam solution is determined that describes the propagation of the seismic waves at the first frequency through the seismic volume of interest by approximating the two-way wave equation with a one-way wave equation.

Abstract: A method of characterizing formation fluid present in a subsurface earth formation during drilling using methods for correcting the measured concentrations of gas components in drilling mud. Gas trap values for the gas components of interest, light hydrocarbons, are measured during mud logging and are corrected using relative response factors, determined from laboratory fluid analysis values and relative extraction efficiency values. The relative response factors for each gas component of interest can be used for correcting additional gas trap values measured in the same well or for correcting gas trap values measured in surrounding wells utilizing a similar drilling fluid. The corrected gas trap values for each of the gas components of interest can be utilized to calculate gas/oil ratios for characterizing the formation fluid from the volume of drilling mud.

Abstract: Seismic data are processed to reduce or eliminate aliasing due, for example to sparse or irregular sampling. An iterative method includes an inhibiting function used in conjunction with a function evaluating a magnitude of Fourier coefficients that together act to reduce the effects of aliased energies and preferentially select true energies. Computational steps are conducted primarily in k-space, without returning to x-space, thereby reducing computational costs.

Abstract: In order to improve the tie between depositionally equivalent beds relative to two or more basins detected within a multi dimensional seismic volume of interest, pseudo logs based on the average of attributes derived from seismic impedance where the compaction trend is not present are created for each basin. The mean is taken over all available azimuths, following the structural variations of introduced micro layers. The correlation between the pseudo log relative to each basin enable a more reliable interpretation between the different basins from which sound exploration decision can be made. Such a process has been successfully applied to seismic data acquired in deep water environment.

Abstract: A method of automatically correlating well logs includes selecting well loops from the well logs and creating a set of possible marker positions for each well log in each well loop. From the possible marker positions, alternate marker sets are iteratively selected. A well tie error on each loop is calculated for each selected marker set, summed over all loops and minimized.

Abstract: A method of predicting subsurface properties of a geologic formation includes acquiring seismic data for a subsurface region including the geologic formation of interest, computing seismic attributes of the measured seismic data over at least part of this geologic formation, determining internally consistent rock properties representative of the geologic formation, generating models of the same part of the geologic formation with these rock properties, computing synthetic seismic data from the models, computing the same attributes from these synthetic seismic data, and using Bayesian analysis to predict, from the probability of modeled attributes given the models, the probability of the actual subsurface properties given the measured attributes.

Abstract: A method for obtaining enhanced seismic data and optimized inverted reflectivities includes computing statistical well characterizations based upon band-limited well reflectivities for a subsurface region. Sets of processed seismic data are computed by applying differing processing sequences to seismic data corresponding to the subsurface region. Inverted reflectivities are computed by inverting the sets of processed seismic data. Statistical seismic characterizations are computed based upon the inverted reflectivities. Statistical difference measurements (SDMs) are computed between the statistical well and seismic characterizations. An optimal processing sequence is selected based upon the computed SDMs. Enhanced seismic data is obtained by processing the seismic data corresponding to the subsurface region. An optimal seismic inversion algorithm is obtained based upon the computed SDMs.

Abstract: A method of determining a horizon volume. In one embodiment, the horizon volume is determined from obtained seismic information, and maps the obtained seismic information onto a flattened volume such that in the flattened volume, horizons represented in the obtained seismic information are shifted to be substantially coplanar with a surface defined by the horizon volume as an estimate of a single chronostratigraphic time such that the parameters of the flattened volume include (i) a two-dimensional position in a surface plane, and (ii) a metric related to chronostratigraphic time.

Abstract: A method of determining geological information related to a subsurface volume. In one embodiment, the method comprises obtaining a seismic information related to a subsurface volume; determining a horizon volume that automatically maps the seismic information into a flattened volume, wherein one axis of the flattened volume corresponds to chronostratigraphic time, and wherein horizons represented by the seismic information are automatically accounted for in the horizon volume, and are shifted by the horizon volume into the flattened volume to be substantially planar and substantially perpendicular to the axis of the flattened volume that corresponds to chronostratigraphic time; determining a derivative of the horizon volume with respect to chronostratigraphic time; and determining geological information related to the subsurface volume based on the derivative of the horizon volume with respect to chronostratigraphic time.