Patents by Inventor GARY WAYNE MCNEICE

GARY WAYNE MCNEICE has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11346970
    Abstract: Seismic data from seismic exploration surveys are mapped into a hypercube of bins or voxels in a four-dimensional space (X, Y, Offset, and Azimuth) according to Common Mid-Point (or CMP) between source and receivers. The mapped data from individual voxels or bins is then analyzed by multimodal statistics. Robust estimates of first break picks are obtained from the analysis. The first break picks are then used to as seed inputs for autopicking iteration, which proceeds to convergence. Estimates of confidence levels in the data are provided for re-picking to reduce computer processing time in successive autopicking iterations. Analysis is provided of different seismic attributes such as azimuthal velocity variations indicative of anisotropy, positioning errors of sources/receivers, geometry errors, and three dimensional distribution of inversion residuals. Analysis is also performed of standard deviation of the travel time data useful for estimating data errors in the inversion covariance matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Daniele Colombo, Federico Miorelli, Diego Rovetta, Gary Wayne Mcneice
  • Patent number: 11340370
    Abstract: Seismic data from seismic exploration surveys are mapped into a hypercube of bins or voxels in a four-dimensional space (X, Y, Offset, and Azimuth) according to Common Mid-Point (or CMP) between source and receivers. The mapped data from individual voxels or bins is then analyzed by multimodal statistics. Robust estimates of first break picks are obtained from the analysis. The first break picks are then used to as seed inputs for autopicking iteration, which proceeds to convergence. Estimates of confidence levels in the data are provided for re-picking to reduce computer processing time in successive autopicking iterations. Analysis is provided of different seismic attributes such as azimuthal velocity variations indicative of anisotropy, positioning errors of sources/receivers, geometry errors, and three dimensional distribution of inversion residuals. Analysis is also performed of standard deviation of the travel time data useful for estimating data errors in the inversion covariance matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Daniele Colombo, Federico Miorelli, Diego Rovetta, Gary Wayne Mcneice
  • Patent number: 11269106
    Abstract: A system and method of evaluating and correcting for the effects of a near-surface anomaly on surface-to-borehole (STB) measurement data in a geological halfspace includes transmitting electromagnetic radiation from an EM source located on a ground surface which is positioned over the near-surface anomaly, measuring EM fields at a plurality of remote EM receivers located on the surface at a far distance from the EM source, obtaining vertical STB measurement data downhole, determining an orientation and moment of a secondary source equivalent dipole associated with the near-surface anomaly excited by the radiation transmitted by the EM source based on measurements of the EM fields at the plurality of remote receivers, determining a correction factor for the secondary source equivalent dipole on the EM field measurements at the plurality of remote receivers, and removing the effects of the near surface anomaly on the vertical STB measurement data using the correction factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company, SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gary Wayne McNeice, Daniele Colombo, Nestor H. Cuevas, Mauro Pezzoli
  • Publication number: 20210063598
    Abstract: A system and method of evaluating and correcting for the effects of a near-surface anomaly on surface-to-borehole (STB) measurement data in a geological halfspace comprises transmitting electromagnetic radiation from an EM source located on a ground surface which is positioned over the near-surface anomaly, measuring EM fields at a plurality of remote EM receivers located on the surface at a far distance from the EM source, obtaining vertical STB measurement data downhole, determining an orientation and moment of a secondary source equivalent dipole associated with the near-surface anomaly excited by the radiation transmitted by the EM source based on measurements of the EM fields at the plurality of remote receivers, determining a correction factor for the secondary source equivalent dipole on the EM field measurements at the plurality of remote receivers, and removing the effects of the near surface anomaly on the vertical STB measurement data using the correction factor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Gary Wayne McNeice, Daniele Colombo, Nestor H. Cuevas, Mauro Pezzoli
  • Patent number: 10401528
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving one or more datasets including measured vertical electric and magnetic fields excited by one or more radial and azimuthal electric field antennas from a downtool into one or more processors, wherein each of the one or more datasets corresponds to a different position of the one or more radial azimuthal electric field antennas, simultaneously inverting the one or more datasets using the one or more processors, and as a result of the simultaneous inversion, generating by the one or more processors a three-dimensional (3D) image of a portion of the geological formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignees: SCHLUMBER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Nestor Cuevas, Michael Wilt, Ping Zhang, Jiuping Chen, Daniele Colombo, Gary Wayne McNeice
  • Publication number: 20190011587
    Abstract: Seismic data from seismic exploration surveys are mapped into a hypercube of bins or voxels in a four-dimensional space (X, Y, Offset, and Azimuth) according to Common Mid-Point (or CMP) between source and receivers. The mapped data from individual voxels or bins is then analyzed by multimodal statistics. Robust estimates of first break picks are obtained from the analysis. The first break picks are then used to as seed inputs for autopicking iteration, which proceeds to convergence. Estimates of confidence levels in the data are provided for re-picking to reduce computer processing time in successive autopicking iterations. Analysis is provided of different seismic attributes such as azimuthal velocity variations indicative of anisotropy, positioning errors of sources/receivers, geometry errors, and three dimensional distribution of inversion residuals. Analysis is also performed of standard deviation of the travel time data useful for estimating data errors in the inversion covariance matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: DANIELE COLOMBO, FEDERICO MIORELLI, DIEGO ROVETTA, GARY WAYNE MCNEICE
  • Publication number: 20180372897
    Abstract: Seismic data from seismic exploration surveys are mapped into a hypercube of bins or voxels in a four-dimensional space (X, Y, Offset, and Azimuth) according to Common Mid-Point (or CMP) between source and receivers. The mapped data from individual voxels or bins is then analyzed by multimodal statistics. Robust estimates of first break picks are obtained from the analysis. The first break picks are then used to as seed inputs for autopicking iteration, which proceeds to convergence. Estimates of confidence levels in the data are provided for re-picking to reduce computer processing time in successive autopicking iterations. Analysis is provided of different seismic attributes such as azimuthal velocity variations indicative of anisotropy, positioning errors of sources/receivers, geometry errors, and three dimensional distribution of inversion residuals. Analysis is also performed of standard deviation of the travel time data useful for estimating data errors in the inversion covariance matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Publication date: December 27, 2018
    Inventors: DANIELE COLOMBO, Federico Miorelli, Diego Rovetta, Gary Wayne Mcneice
  • Patent number: 10067255
    Abstract: Seismic data from seismic exploration surveys are mapped into a hypercube of bins or voxels in a four-dimensional space (X, Y, Offset, and Azimuth) according to Common Mid-Point (or CMP) between source and receivers. The mapped data from individual voxels or bins is then analyzed by multimodal statistics. Robust estimates of first break picks are obtained from the analysis. The first break picks are then used to as seed inputs for autopicking iteration, which proceeds to convergence. Estimates of confidence levels in the data are provided for re-picking to reduce computer processing time in successive autopicking iterations. Analysis is provided of different seismic attributes such as azimuthal velocity variations indicative of anisotropy, positioning errors of sources/receivers, geometry errors, and three dimensional distribution of inversion residuals. Analysis is also performed of standard deviation of the travel time data useful for estimating data errors in the inversion covariance matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Daniele Colombo, Federico Miorelli, Diego Rovetta, Gary Wayne McNeice
  • Publication number: 20170068008
    Abstract: Seismic data from seismic exploration surveys are mapped into a hypercube of bins or voxels in a four-dimensional space (X, Y, Offset, and Azimuth) according to Common Mid-Point (or CMP) between source and receivers. The mapped data from individual voxels or bins is then analyzed by multimodal statistics. Robust estimates of first break picks are obtained from the analysis. The first break picks are then used to as seed inputs for autopicking iteration, which proceeds to convergence. Estimates of confidence levels in the data are provided for re-picking to reduce computer processing time in successive autopicking iterations. Analysis is provided of different seismic attributes such as azimuthal velocity variations indicative of anisotropy, positioning errors of sources/receivers, geometry errors, and three dimensional distribution of inversion residuals. Analysis is also performed of standard deviation of the travel time data useful for estimating data errors in the inversion covariance matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: DANIELE COLOMBO, FEDERICO MIORELLI, DIEGO ROVETTA, GARY WAYNE MCNEICE