Patents by Inventor Martin J. Terrell

Martin J. Terrell 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: 11287541
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: William A Burnett, Martin J. Terrell, Pavel Dimitrov, Thomas A. Dickens, Yaxun Tang, Partha S. Routh, William Curry, Dennis E. Willen
  • Patent number: 9798027
    Abstract: Method for automated and quantitative assessment of multiple direct hydrocarbon indicators (“DHI's”) extracted from seismic data. DHI's are defined in a quantitative way (33), making possible a method of geophysical prospecting based on quantification of DHI anomalies. Instead of working in a particular spatial region of seismic data pre-defined as a hydrocarbon opportunity, the present invention works on entire data volumes derived from the measured seismic data (31), and identifies opportunities based on quantified DHI responses. In some embodiments, a series of algorithms utilizes the geophysical responses that cause DHI's to arise in seismic data to search entire data sets and identify hydrocarbon leads based on the presence of individual and/or combinations of DHI's (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Kelly Wrobel, Matthias Imhof, Martin J. Terrell, Stefan Hussenoeder
  • Publication number: 20170176613
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: William A. BURNETT, Martin J. Terrell, Pavel Dimitrov, Thomas A. Dickens, Yaxun Tang, Partha S. Routh, William Curry, Dennis E. Willen
  • Publication number: 20150355353
    Abstract: Systems and methods for analyzing geophysical data to identify structures in a subsurface are provided herein. In an exemplary method, an iterative optimization is performed that includes computing similarities between potential shapes and shape cluster models, updating cluster memberships and the shape cluster models, and determining if a criterion is improved from a previous iteration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Matthew S. CASEY, Antonio, R., Dacosta PAIVA, Martin J. TERRELL, Heather G. LUCKOW, Suyash P. AWATE, Ross T. WHITAKER, Peihong ZHU
  • Patent number: 9194968
    Abstract: 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 (1) of the subsurface region, and are smoothed over at least tens or hundreds of data voxels. The resulting geologic attributes (2) 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 (3) of the data volume based on size, quality, and confidence in the prospectivity prediction (5). A catalog (8) of hydrocarbon trap configurations may be created and used to identify potential presence of hydrocarbon traps and/or aid in scoring (4) and ranking partitioned regions as hydrocarbon prospects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Matthias G. Imhof, Pavel Dimitrov, Kelly Wrobel, Krishnan Kumaran, Martin J. Terrell, Stefan Hussenoeder
  • Publication number: 20140303896
    Abstract: Method for automated and quantitative assessment of multiple direct hydrocarbon indicators (“DHI's”) extracted from seismic data. DHI's are defined in a quantitative way (33), making possible a method of geophysical prospecting based on quantification of DHI anomalies. Instead of working in a particular spatial region of seismic data pre-defined as a hydrocarbon opportunity, the present invention works on entire data volumes derived from the measured seismic data (31), and identifies opportunities based on quantified DHI responses. In some embodiments, a series of algorithms utilizes the geophysical responses that cause DHI's to arise in seismic data to search entire data sets and identify hydrocarbon leads based on the presence of individual and/or combinations of DHI's (34).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Inventors: Kelly Wrobel, Matthias Imhof, Martin J. Terrell, Stefan Hussenoeder
  • Publication number: 20130151161
    Abstract: Method for analysis of hydrocarbon potential of subterranean regions by generating surfaces or geobodies and analyzing them for hydrocarbon indications. Reflection-based surfaces may be automatically created in a topologically consistent manner where individual surfaces do not overlap themselves and sets of multiple surfaces are consistent with stratigraphic superposition principles. Initial surfaces are picked from the seismic data (41), then broken into smaller parts (“patches”) that are predominantly topologically consistent (42), whereupon neighboring patches are merged in a topologically consistent way (43) to form a set of surfaces that are extensive and consistent (“skeleton”). Surfaces or geobodies thus extracted may be automatically analyzed and rated (214) based on a selected measure (213) such as AVO classification or one or more other direct hydrocarbon indicators (“DHI”).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Inventors: Matthias G. Imhof, Dominique G. Gillard, Stefan Hussenoeder, Pavel Dimitrov, Martin J. Terrell, Krishnan Kumaran
  • Publication number: 20130064040
    Abstract: 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 (1) of the subsurface region, and are smoothed over at least tens or hundreds of data voxels. The resulting geologic attributes (2) 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 (3) of the data volume based on size, quality, and confidence in the prospectivity prediction (5). A catalogue (8) of hydrocarbon trap configurations may be created and used to identify potential presence of hydrocarbon traps and/or aid in scoring (4) and ranking partitioned regions as hydrocarbon prospects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Inventors: Matthias G. Imhof, Pavel Dimitrov, Kelly Wrobel, Krishnan Kumaran, Martin J. Terrell, Stefan Hussenoeder
  • Publication number: 20130013209
    Abstract: Method for predicting physical properties of a source rock formation wherein an inclusion-based (103) mathematical rock physics model (101) is constructed that treats organic matter as solid inclusions, solid background, or both, and relates anisotropic elastic and electric properties of source rock to in-situ rock and fluid properties (102). The model is calibrated with well log data and may be used to forward model calculate effective anisotropic elastic (104.1) and electrical (104.2) properties of the source rock formation, or by inversion (441-442) of sonic and resistivity log data to calculate total organic carbon (423) in terms of a difference (421) between elastic and electrical properties of the source rock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Inventors: Yaping Zhu, Shiyu Xu, Enru Liu, Michael A. Payne, Martin J. Terrell