Patents Represented by Attorney Marie L. Clapp
-
Patent number: 8332156Abstract: A computer-implemented method for pseudo acoustic quasi-P wave propagation which remain stable in anisotropic media with variable tilt and is not limited to weak anisotropic conditions. The method includes acquiring a seismic exploration volume for a subsurface region of interest, and determining a modeling geometry for the seismic exploration volume. The method further includes propagating at least one wavefield through the seismic exploration volume utilizing the modeling geometry and initial conditions and preventing the accumulation of energy along the axis of symmetry of the seismic exploration volume and ensuring positive stiffness coefficients in the stress-strain relations through the use of finite quasi-S wave velocities thereby producing a stable wavefield. The method includes utilizing the stable wavefield to generate subsurface images of the subsurface region of interest.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2009Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Wei Liu, Kenneth P. Bube
-
Patent number: 8332155Abstract: A system and computer-implemented method for characterizing hydrocarbon gas net pay zones in a subterranean reservoir including determining a sweet zone indicator from well log data, determining rock properties from well log data, and identifying one or more classes of net pay zones from the sweet zone indicator and rock properties. The sweet zone indicator may be determined by computing neutron-density separation and using the neutron-density separation and the well log data. The rock properties determined from the well log data may include total water saturation, adsorbed gas saturation, total gas content, porosity, propensity for hydraulic fracturing, uncertainty level of the total water saturation, uncertainty level of the total gas content, and baselines for the porosity and total gas content. Using the sweet zone indicator and rock properties, one or more classes of net pay zones can be identified.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2010Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventor: Chengbing Liu
-
Patent number: 8326543Abstract: The present invention incorporates the use of model-driven and data-driven methodologies to attenuate multiples in seismic data utilizing a prediction model which includes multiply-reflected, surface-related seismic waves. The present invention includes beam techniques that account for beam azimuth, and convolving a predicted multiples beam with a segment of a modeled pegleg beam to obtain a convolved multiples beam. The convolved multiples beam can then be deconvolved to attenuate the multiples that are present in the original input beam.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2009Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Tamas Nemeth, Norman Ross Hill
-
Patent number: 8297356Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for producing hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon containing hydrate reservoir. The method includes providing at least one producer well in fluid communication with a producing facility and with a hydrocarbon containing hydrate reservoir. The hydrate reservoir is in fluid communication with a head space disposed above the hydrate formation. The head space contains disassociated hydrocarbons and water. A sweep gas is swept through the head space to remove the disassociated gas and water from the hydrate reservoir and to transport the disassociated gas and water to the at least one producer well. The additional pressure and/or heat provided by the sweep gas may help inhibit the reformation of disassociated gas and water into hydrates allowing for enhanced production rates. The additional heat will also help increase the disassociation rate of the upper part of the hydrate formation adjacent to the head space.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2009Date of Patent: October 30, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventor: John T. Balczewski
-
Patent number: 8301385Abstract: Beamed data can be obtained from shot gather data, and debeamed data can be obtained from beamed data. Shot gather data for a geophysical volume of interest in a first domain and/or beamed data in a third domain may be received. The first domain has a component relating to seismic wave propagation time and a spatial component relating to lateral spacing. The third domain has a component relating to local plane wave arrival time at a beam center surface location and a component relating to plane wave arrival directions. Data may be transformed between the first domain and a second domain. The second domain has a frequency component and a spatial component corresponding to the spatial component of the first domain. A forward or reverse transform may be applied to transform shot gather data in the first domain to/from beamed data in the third domain.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2010Date of Patent: October 30, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Chaoshun Hu, Yue Wang, Tamas Nemeth
-
Patent number: 8281056Abstract: A system and method for processing data on a peripheral device that is operatively coupled to a host computing system via a peripheral bus. The compression of input data transmitted to the peripheral device and/or the size of the storage provided on the peripheral device may enhance the efficiency of the processing of the data on the peripheral device by obviating a bottleneck caused by the relatively slow transfer of data between the host computing system and the peripheral device.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2008Date of Patent: October 2, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Raymond A. Ergas, Tamas Nemeth, Oliver Pell
-
Patent number: 8279707Abstract: Geophysical data representing at least first and second overlapping geophysical spaces may be aggregated. A first set of geophysical data representing the first geophysical space and a second set of geophysical data representing the second geophysical space may be obtained. The second set of geophysical data may be separate and discrete from the first set of geophysical data. The first set of geophysical data may be transformed from a first parametric domain to a third parametric domain, while the second set of geophysical data may be transformed from a second parametric domain to the third parametric domain. The first set of geophysical data may be fused with the second set of geophysical data in the third parametric domain to create a fused set of geophysical data. The fused set of geophysical data may be transformed from the third parametric domain to a fourth parametric domain.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2010Date of Patent: October 2, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventor: Gilles Hennenfent
-
Patent number: 8244472Abstract: A system and method enable testing of a plurality of well-logging tools on a common, realistic earth model. To enable this testing, a model of a synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest is generated. From the synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest, a plurality of test properties are determined as a function of position within the virtual geologic volume of interest, wherein the test properties are measurable in actual geologic volumes of interest by a well-logging instruments. The individual test properties are then distributed to well-logging instrument developers with the model of the synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest to enable modeling and/or benchmarking of different well-logging instruments on the synthetic virtual geologic volume of interest and the ability to derive the original formation properties regardless of the method used (inversion, analytical solution, etc.).Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2008Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventor: Jean-Baptiste Clavaud
-
Patent number: 8232438Abstract: A method, system, and method for developing the system, for producing hydrocarbons from a plurality of hydrocarbon containing reservoirs is described. The system includes at least one conventional hydrocarbon reservoir and at least one natural gas hydrate reservoir. The system also includes a production facility, including water separation apparatus, which is in fluid communication with the at least one hydrocarbon reservoir and the at least one natural gas hydrate reservoir. The production facility can separate hydrocarbons and water concurrently received from the first conventional hydrocarbon and the second natural gas hydrate reservoirs. The at least one hydrocarbon reservoir and the at least one hydrate reservoir can be concurrently developed. Or else, the at least one hydrate reservoir can be developed later in time and then fluidly connected to the production facility.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2008Date of Patent: July 31, 2012Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Emrys Heigh Jones, John Thomas Balczewski