Patents Assigned to WesternGeco L.L.C.
  • Estimation of stress and elastic parameters
    Patent number: 8098543
    Abstract: Various implementations described herein are directed to estimating stresses and elastic parameters in a formation based on seismic data. In one implementation, wide azimuth seismic data may be used to derive anisotropic elastic parameters. Furthermore, stresses may be calculated using a geomechanical earth model, followed by deriving anisotropic elastic parameters based on the calculated stresses. The anisotropic elastic parameters derived from the wide azimuth seismic data may then be used to modify the geomechanical earth model to improve the prediction of drilling parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ran Bachrach, Madhumita Sengupta
  • Seismic data visualizations
    Patent number: 8094515
    Abstract: Implementations of various technologies for a method for processing seismic data. A first portion of a record of pre-stack seismic data may be displayed in a three-dimensional XYZ (3-D XYZ) space. A selection may be received of a second portion of the record of the pre-stack seismic data within the first portion. One or more attributes may be determined that define the second portion. One or more regions may be identified within the record of the pre-stack seismic data having the attributes that define the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Matthew C. Miller, Richard Tachon, Kamran Nadim, Stephen David Hall
  • Determining positioning of survey equipment using a model
    Patent number: 8094513
    Abstract: To performing positioning of survey equipment, measurements of acoustic signals reflected from at least one boundary of a marine environment are received. The reflected acoustic signals are reflected from the at least one boundary in response to acoustic signaling originated by an acoustic source. A positioning model is updated based on the measurements of the acoustic signals, wherein the positioning model contains information relating to positions of components of a positioning system that includes the acoustic source and acoustic receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Henk Keers, Suriyakan Vongtragool, Kenneth E. Welker, Svein Arne Frivik, Halvor Groenaas
  • SEISMIC STREAMER PLATFORM
    Publication number: 20110317516
    Abstract: A technique includes designing a streamer, which includes a cable and seismic sensors based at least in part on a relationship between vibration noise and a bending stiffness of the cable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: WESTERNGECO L.L.C.
    Inventors: Oeyvind TEIGEN, Nicolas GOUJON, Lars BORGEN
  • Determining a position of a survey receiver in a body of water
    Patent number: 8085620
    Abstract: To determine a position of a survey receiver used to measure a response of a subterranean structure to a survey signal, positions of the survey receiver as the survey receiver descends in a body of water to a surface are received from an acoustic ranging system. Measurement information associated with movement of the survey receiver is received from at least one sensor. Based on the measurement information from the acoustic ranging system and the at least one sensor, the position of the survey receiver at the surface once the survey receiver has reached the surface is computed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Kenneth E. Welker
  • Determining the polarity of movement of an actuator mass in a seismic vibrator
    Patent number: 8079440
    Abstract: A technique or mechanism for use with a vibrator to be employed for subterranean surveying includes receiving, from a sensor, a unipolar indication of movement of an actuator mass of the vibrator. According to the indication from the sensor, a correlation is determined between the movement of the actuator mass and a reference signal provided to cause movement of the actuator mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Westerngeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Martin Laycock
  • Sensor cable for electromagnetic surveying
    Patent number: 8080999
    Abstract: A sensor cable for surveying. The sensor cable has a housing, which includes one of more electrodes and a conductive gel surrounding the one or more electrodes. The conductive gel is configured to conduct electrical current to the one or more electrodes and keep the one or more electrodes moist. The housing may also have a membrane surrounding the conductive gel, wherein the membrane is configured to hold the conductive gel in contact with the one or more electrodes and permit electric current to flow between a surrounding medium and the conductive gel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Leendert Combee
  • Processing seismic data in common group-center gathers
    Patent number: 8078406
    Abstract: A method for processing seismic data. The method includes plotting a travel-time curve and one or more actual times that each seismic receiver receives one or more seismograms on a graph. The travel-time curve represents an approximate time that each seismic receiver in a seismic survey area receives the seismograms. The method may further include determining a residual static shift for each seismogram and using the residual static shift to estimate a time shift correction. The residual static shift represents a difference between an actual time in which a seismic receiver received a seismogram and a time on the travel-time curve that corresponds to the actual time. The time shift correction corrects a timing error in the time indicated by the travel-time curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Paal Kristiansen, Ralf G. Ferber, Lee West
  • Determining the inline relationship of network nodes in a subterranean survey data acquistion network
    Patent number: 8077542
    Abstract: A system includes a subterranean survey data acquisition network and a processor. The network has first nodes that are distributed along a length of the network between a first end of the network and a second end of the network. Each of the first nodes is capable of being either in a state in which the first node is transparent to the network or in a state in which the first node is visible to the network. The processor is adapted to communicate with the closest visible first node relative to the first end, and the processor is adapted to, based on the communication, determine whether the closest visible first node is the closest first node of all of the first nodes relative to the first end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Westerngeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Espen Gulbransen, Vidar Anders Husom
  • Testing a sensor to produce a filter for noise attenuation
    Patent number: 8077541
    Abstract: To test a seismic sensor, an output of the seismic sensor in response to a test signal applied by a signal generator is measured. According to a first function that corresponds to a reference response of the seismic sensor and according to a second function that corresponds to a signal containing noise in an environment of the seismic sensor, a filter is created to perform attenuation of the noise. The filter is applied to attenuate noise during testing of the seismic sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Daniel Ronnow
  • Dual-wavefield multiple attenuation
    Patent number: 8077544
    Abstract: Method for attenuating surface multiple reflections in dual-wavefield seismic data. In one implementation, the method may include: (a) performing wavefield separation on dual-wavefield seismic data to separate events in the seismic data into data sets according to ghost characteristics; (b) applying a multidimensional Surface-Related Multiple Elimination (SRME) to two or more of the data sets to yield an SRME result in a manner that retains surface reflection information affecting surface multiple reflections; and (c) repeating step (b) one or more times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Westerngeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: William Henry Dragoset, Jr.
  • Adaptive wavefront reconstruction
    Patent number: 8072841
    Abstract: A method for generating a synthetic seismogram. In one implementation, a ray tracing may be performed on a subsurface. The ray tracing may generate a plurality of rays. A first seismic wavefront may be reconstructed by triangulating a first plurality of control points that correspond to the plurality of rays. Each control point may represent an end point of a ray at the first seismic wavefront. The plurality of rays may be propagated to a second seismic wavefront. The second seismic wavefront may have a hole associated with at least one missing ray at the second seismic wavefront. A plurality of points on a circle may be defined that correspond to a second plurality of control points defining the hole. The second seismic wavefront may be reconstructed based on the plurality of points on the circle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Toshi Thomas Chang, Luis Canales, Alfonso Gonzalez
  • Method and apparatus for attenuation wind noise in seismic data
    Patent number: 8054711
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for use in seismic prospecting are disclosed. The method includes: attenuating coherent noise in a seismic data set generated from a sweep signal; and correlating the coherent noise-attenuated seismic data set to the sweep signal. The apparatus includes a program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device perform the method and a computer programmed to perform the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Andreas W. Laake
  • Determining fault transmissivity in a subterranean reservoir
    Patent number: 8055449
    Abstract: To determine fault transmissivity in a subterranean reservoir, fault structures in the subterranean reservoir are identified, and elastic impedance data is computed from well log data and seismic data. Normalization parameters that have a predetermined orientation with respect to the identified fault structures are computed, and elastic impedance flux values are normalized with respect to the normalization parameters, where the normalized elastic impedance flux values are indicative of transmissivities of fault structures in the subterranean structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Robert Godfrey, Jean-Michel Gehenn, Thibaut Cheret, Richard Dolman, Michael Nickel, Lars Sonneland
  • System and method for towing acoustic source arrays
    Patent number: 8050139
    Abstract: A technique facilitates the production of acoustic pulses used in marine seismic surveys. A source array system comprises a plurality of acoustic sources suspended from a float in a plurality of layers positioned at different vertical levels. A bridle is coupled to the plurality of layers to enable towing of the source array system. The bridle is constructed and connected in a manner such that the arrangement of acoustic sources substantially retains its nominal shape during towing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Are Johan Berstad
  • Containerized geophysical equipment handling and storage systems, and methods of use
    Patent number: 8021080
    Abstract: Systems and methods for marine seismic cable deployment and retrieval are described. One system comprises a plurality of portable containers, each container temporarily storing a marine seismic component, at least some of the containers able to be removably fastened to a deck of a vessel of opportunity, and at least one of the portable containers storing a main cable winch on which is wound a marine seismic cable. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Svein Arne Frivik, Rune Voldsbekk, Ottar Kristiansen
  • Optical activation of one or more communication units in a survey system
    Patent number: 8014677
    Abstract: To control activation of one or more communication units in a survey system that performs surveying of a subterranean structure, optical activity on at least one optical link connected to at least one communication unit that is part of a survey system is detected. In response to determining that the optical activity has a characteristic that satisfies a predetermined criterion, the at least one communication unit is awakened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Daniel Golparian
  • Marine seismic sources and methods of use
    Patent number: 8014228
    Abstract: Marine seismic sources and methods of use are described, one source comprising a first set of source arrays and a second set of source arrays, each source array of the first set alternates in cross-line position with source arrays of the second set, each source member of the first set hangs from a hang plate having a first length, and each source member of the second set hangs from a hang plate having a second length, wherein the first length is sufficiently longer than the second length such that downward traveling acoustic pulses emanating from source members in the first set are substantially deghosted by acoustic pulses emanating from corresponding source members of the second set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Jeroen Schreurs, Simon Flack
  • Processing measurement data that involves computing a derivative of the measurement data that represents a subterranean structure
    Patent number: 8010291
    Abstract: To process measurement data representing a subterranean structure, a derivative of the measurement data collected by at least one survey receiver is computed, with respect to frequency. A response representing the subterranean structure is then computed based on the derivative of the measurement data, where the response contains an air-wave component that has been suppressed due to computing the derivative of the measurement data relative to at least another component that is sensitive to the subterranean structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Jiuping Chen, David L. Alumbaugh, Edward Nichols, Stephen A. Horne, Kevin Eyl
  • Surveying using vertical electromagnetic sources that are towed along with survey receivers
    Patent number: 8008921
    Abstract: A system to perform a marine subterranean survey includes at least one vertical electromagnetic (EM) source and at least one EM receiver to measure a response of a subterranean structure that is responsive to EM signals produced by the vertical EM source. At least one tow cable is used to tow the EM source and EM receiver through a body of water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: David L. Alumbaugh, Andrea Zerilli, H. Frank Morrison, Martin Howlid, James P. Brady, Leendert Combee, Edward Nichols, Nestor Cuevas