Signal Analysis And/or Correction Patents (Class 367/38)
  • Patent number: 9508190
    Abstract: A system and method for the color correction of an image using three-dimensional, geometrical information of the capture environment of the image includes determining geometrical properties of at least a portion of the image and modifying a look of at least the portion of the image by altering a value of at least one of the determined geometrical properties and using image formation theory. In one embodiment of the present invention, the geometrical properties of the image include at least one of light properties, surface color, reflectance properties, and scene geometry of the at least one portion of the image. In accordance with the present invention, the geometrical properties of the image are alternatively determined by using sensing devices, by inferring the geometrical properties from the image itself, or by user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Dong-Qing Zhang, Ana Belen Benitez, James Arthur Fancher
  • Patent number: 9495487
    Abstract: Method for reducing the time needed to perform geophysical inversion by using simultaneous encoded sources in the simulation steps of the inversion process. The geophysical survey data are prepared by encoding (3) a group of source gathers (1), using for each gather a different encoding signature selected from a set (2) of non-equivalent encoding signatures. Then, the encoded gathers are summed (4) by summing all traces corresponding to the same receiver from each gather, resulting in a simultaneous encoded gather. (Alternatively, the geophysical data are acquired from simultaneously encoded sources.) The simulation steps needed for inversion are then calculated using a particular assumed velocity (or other physical property) model (5) and simultaneously activated encoded sources using the same encoding scheme used on the measured data. The result is an updated physical properties model (6) that may be further updated (7) by additional iterations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Jerome R. Krebs, John E. Anderson, Ramesh Neelamani, Charles Jing, David L. Hinkley, Thomas A. Dickens
  • Patent number: 9489476
    Abstract: A method for designing a component for a circumferential machine is disclosed. The method includes selecting one or more seed nodes, creating a cylindrical coordinate system, and selecting an output subset. The method further includes creating a node set from the one or more seed nodes based on a selected feature of the component to be analyzed. The method yet further includes extracting an output for the node set from the finite element analysis module for each load cycle and presenting a result from the extracted output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: Christopher Marc Dye, Angelo Vincent Marasco
  • Patent number: 9482770
    Abstract: Method for estimating residual moveout in common image gathers (51) of seismic data for use in velocity tomography (57). The method iteratively (56) flattens (55) the common image gathers against a specified reference trace through the application of conjugate-gradient least-squares inversion (53). Different from other picking methods which need to identify and track strong amplitudes, the inventive method automatically inverts for the depth residual for every grid point in the image gather. There is no need to identify and track events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventor: Hongchuan Sun
  • Patent number: 9482771
    Abstract: A method for indicating the presence of free gas charged sands, and/or hydrates over free gas, and/or hydrates not over free gas, the method using well log data and a rock physics model. Velocity and density of background clays and sands are extracted from the well log data. The extracted velocities and densities are used to build a rock physics model. An AVO response is generated that is representative of free gas-charged sands. An AVO response is generated that is representative of hydrates over free gas-charged sands. An AVO response is generated that is representative of hydrates devoid of free gas. The generated AVO responses are used to construct an AVO crossplot diagram that is further used to distinguish deposits of free gas charged sands from hydrates over free gas, from hydrates not over free gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Fugro Marine Geoservices, Inc.
    Inventors: Zijian Zhang, Daniel McConnell
  • Patent number: 9470810
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to receive seismic survey data for use with an isotropic velocity model describing a selected geological formation volume. Further activity may include exhaustively searching the seismic survey data to provide an error map, globally optimizing the error map to provide anisotropy parameters for the selected geological formation volume, and inverting the anisotropy parameters to transform the isotropic velocity model into an anisotropic velocity model for the selected geological formation volume. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Donghong Pei, Arthur Cheng, Janusz Peron
  • Patent number: 9465123
    Abstract: Systems, methods and software can be used for analyzing microseismic data from a subterranean zone. In some aspects, a plurality of basic planes are each defined from a subset of the microseismic data and each have an orientation relative to a common axis. Clusters of orientations of the basic planes are identified adaptively based on the extent of variation in the orientations. The number of orientations associated with each of the clusters is then identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventor: Avi Lin
  • Patent number: 9442207
    Abstract: A method is described for residual moveout analysis using dynamic warping. The residual moveout curves or surfaces may be used to flatten common image gathers or derive velocity models. The method may be executed by a computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: Loralee Faye Dickson, Yonghe J. Sun, Leonard Lin Zhang, Jingru Chen
  • Patent number: 9435906
    Abstract: Blind wavelet extraction and de-convolution is performed on seismic data to enable its practical usage in seismic processing and to provide quality control of data obtained in areas where data from wells are not available. The wavelet extraction and deconvolution are realized in the time domain by iteration, producing a mixed phase wavelet with minimal prior knowledge of the actual nature of the wavelet. As a result of the processing, the de-convolved seismic reflectivity is obtained simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Saleh Al-Dossary, Jinsong Wang
  • Patent number: 9417348
    Abstract: Systems, methods and software can be used for analyzing microseismic data collected from a fracturing treatment of a subterranean zone. In some aspects, a plurality of basic planes are each defined from a subset of the microseismic data and each have an orientation relative to a common axis. Clusters of orientations of the basic planes previously identified adaptively based on the extent of variation in the orientations can be updated with new data. The number of orientations associated with each of the clusters is then identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Avi Lin
  • Patent number: 9417350
    Abstract: Method for building a subsalt velocity model. In one implementation, the method may include determining a velocity of a sedimentary area surrounding a salt body, determining an initial velocity of a subsalt sedimentary area disposed below the salt body by interpolating the velocity of the surrounding sedimentary area with one or more boundaries defining the salt body, and updating the initial velocity of the subsalt sedimentary area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: WESTERNGECO, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Niranjan C. Banik
  • Patent number: 9348051
    Abstract: A device, medium and method for deblending seismic data associated with a subsurface of the earth. The method includes receiving an input dataset generated by first and second sources S1 and S2 that are operating as simultaneous sources; arranging the input dataset based on the firing times of source S1; applying with a computing system an annihilation filter to the arranged input dataset to estimate cross-talk noise; convolving the cross-talk noise estimate with an operator to form a signal estimate using the firing times of S1 and S2; and generating an image of the subsurface based on the signal estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: CGG SERVICES SA
    Inventors: Jonas Rohnke, Gordon Poole, Ross Haacke
  • Patent number: 9348050
    Abstract: A seismic data processing method for predicting and removing unwanted near-surface noise, e.g. refracted waves and surface waves, from composite seismograms acquired with multiple, encoded seismic sources in which the time records from the different sources overlap or interfere. Surface-consistent properties are determined (403) for the near-surface noise and used to predict the noise waveforms (404) for the composite simultaneous-source seismograms, and the waveforms are then subtracted or adaptively subtracted (406) from the seismograms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventor: Christine E. Krohn
  • Patent number: 9309762
    Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system described for generating pressure pulses in drilling fluid utilizing a flow throttling device which includes a controllable pulser operating sequentially within a downhole assembly within a drill string of a drill pipe. The system includes drilling fluid, fluid flow, and fluid drilling pump which when combined creates fluid flow into a bore pipe annulus within the downhole assembly creating a base line bore pipe pressure wherein bore pipe pressure is sensed via a sensor and information is sent to a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that interprets the information. The DSP also receives information from an annulus pressure sensor that senses drilling fluid pressure as it returns to the pump. The DSP recognizes pressure variation input from the annulus pressure sensor and bore pipe pressure sensor and detects pressure variation providing signals as data information to the DSP, determining required action to adjust pulser operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Teledrill, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert MacDonald, Gabor Vecseri, Benjamin Jennings
  • Patent number: 9304220
    Abstract: A technique includes generating a data stream that contains data acquired by nodes of a subterranean survey data acquisition network and introducing data into the data stream, which describes an equipment failure that occurred in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: WESTERNGECO L.L.C.
    Inventor: Espen Gulbransen
  • Patent number: 9291736
    Abstract: Methods and systems for a surface-consistent amplitude and deconvolution simultaneous joined inversion are described. A one-pass estimation using input trace data for generating gain and deconvolution operator based on a least squares iteration method. A series of iterations are performed simultaneously and independently estimating amplitude scalars and autocorrelation spectra with a common convergence criterion. The gain and deconvolution operator can further be used to correct the input trace data for pre-stack or stack imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: CGGVERITAS SERVICES SA
    Inventors: David Le Meur, Katia Garceran
  • Patent number: 9261613
    Abstract: The invention concerns a passive monitoring method to detect the presence of and characterize a micro-seismic event (3) occurring in the subsurface, by processing seismic data recorded by a plurality of seismic receivers (R1, Rn) arranged on the earth surface (4), said seismic data comprising acquisition noise and a wave field (6) generated by the micro-seismic event, said wave field being drowned in the noise, the method comprising the performing of waveform inversion directly on the seismic data recorded by the seismic receivers with no prior detection of the wave field generated by the micro-seismic event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: CGGVERITAS SERVICES SA
    Inventor: Emmanuel Auger
  • Patent number: 9250346
    Abstract: Method for determining geometric characteristics of a hydraulic fracture includes performing a baseline seismic survey for a geological formation. A velocity model is created by combining results of the baseline seismic survey and additional geoscientific information, and seismic properties of the geologic formation are evaluated. At least one strong flat lithological reflector disposed below a planned fracture is identified. A numerical model of elastic wave propagation in the geologic formation with a fracture with given properties is created. Hydraulic fracturing is performed and after fracturing when the fracture is maintained open and pressurized seismic surveys are performed. The fracture's dimensions and shape are determined by comparing the first and the second reflected and refracted seismic signals and solving an inverse problem with the use of the numerical model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Marwan Charara, Maxim Chertov
  • Patent number: 9250344
    Abstract: The various embodiments herein provide a method to acquire seismic data to estimate reservoir characteristics in a shallow sea water environment. According to an embodiment herein, a method comprises acquiring four component ocean bottom cable (4C OBC) seismic data using a hydrophone and a three component geophone by varying a time delay between the shots and spacing between the shots. A full acoustic modeling process and an elastic modeling process are applied to the acquire 4C OBC seismic data to acquire a pressure data and an inline geophone data to estimate a horizontal component data and a reflected shear wave data. The estimated horizontal component data are NMO corrected and stacked by varying sampling intervals to remove noise component in the acquired seismic data. A shear wave energy data is estimated from the acquired pressure data to estimate shear wave properties of a sea bed and a subsurface carbonate reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: The Petroleum Institute
    Inventors: Karl-Andreas Berteussen, Yuefeng Sun
  • Patent number: 9223043
    Abstract: A method of estimating a velocity of a geological layer includes providing a first, initial model including an interval velocity associated with a subsurface location and an uncertainty associated with the interval velocity; providing data including an actual or approximated root-mean-square (RMS) velocity associated with a subsurface location and an uncertainty associated with the RMS velocity; and estimating a second model including an interval velocity associated with a subsurface location and an uncertainty associated with the interval velocity, based on the interval velocity and the uncertainty of the first model, and the RMS velocity and the uncertainty of the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: STATOIL PETROLEUM AS
    Inventor: Arild Buland
  • Patent number: 9213116
    Abstract: A method for estimating moment tensor components of a source can use a waveform based method that performs a stack function on projected data from each sensor. The method can produce a cumulative result for each moment tensor component, for each propagation phase at each image point and origin time. A system for use in imaging a subterranean region of interest can include instructions which operate on recorded actual seismic data output from seismic receivers having known positions, and at least one processor, whereby the instructions cause the processor to project a selected data sample from the seismic data onto a moment tensor component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Chambers, Stephen Wilson
  • Patent number: 9164188
    Abstract: A method of forming a geological model of a region of the earth includes obtaining seismic data relating to the region, the seismic data including seismic traveltime uncertainty. A seismic velocity model of the region may also be provided and includes velocity uncertainty. Three dimensional positions of a plurality of points of the region can then be determined. The three dimensional positional uncertainties of at least some of the points can be calculated from the traveltime uncertainty and the velocity uncertainty. This can be combined with the positions to form a geological model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Statoil Petroleum AS
    Inventors: Bjorn Tornstein Bruun, Erik Nyrnes, Jo Eidsvik
  • Patent number: 9128205
    Abstract: The process of obtaining seismic data includes deploying a seismic energy source and seismic receivers, actuating the source, and detecting seismic energy resulting therefrom at the receivers. The process further includes digitally sampling seismic energy detected at the receivers indexed with respect to time to form a plurality of traces and sorting the traces to form a plurality of shot gathers. In addition, the process includes applying a depth migration technique to the shot gathers to generate two images according to the cross-correlation imaging condition (I0) and the gradient-based imaging condition (I1) for each shot gather. A reflection angle (?) or a general domain parameter (?) is computed at each subsurface position and the images are mapped according to the corresponding reflection angle or the general domain parameter to form common image gathers. Amplitude correction is applied to common image gathers and the images and common image gathers are stored on non-transitory computer-readable media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: TOTAL E&P USA, INC.
    Inventors: Huimin Guan, Paul Williamson, Francois Audebert, Bertrand Duquet
  • Patent number: 9113240
    Abstract: Signal processing solutions take advantage of microphones located on different devices and improve the quality of transmitted voice signals in a communication system. With usage of various devices such as Bluetooth headsets, wired headsets and the like in conjunction with mobile handsets, multiple microphones located on different devices are exploited for improving performance and/or voice quality in a communication system. Audio signals are recorded by microphones on different devices and processed to produce various benefits, such as improved voice quality, background noise reduction, voice activity detection and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Dinesh Ramakrishnan, Song Wang
  • Patent number: 9091787
    Abstract: Generating an image of an interior of the Earth from a seismic survey using multiple sources. The multiple sources may be fired simultaneously and the data received by seismic sensors in the seismic survey may be decomposed so that seismic data generated by each of the multiple sources may be determined. Decomposing of the received data may be performed using frequency diverse basis functions and converting the data separation problem into an optimization problem, which can be a one-norm or zero-norm optimization problem in frequency-space domain. The decomposed data may be used to generate the image of the Earth's interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ying Ji, Julian Edward Kragh, Philip A. F. Christie
  • Patent number: 9075158
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of methods for determining the velocity of seismic energy in geologic layers using Seismic Emission Tomography (SET) imaging of drill bit noise, by recording microseismic data during a drilling operation, recording the time and the position of a drill bit in a well bore during the drilling operation, processing the microseismic data using SET software to image microseismic events proximate a known time and position of the drill bit using an estimated velocity model, computing the difference between the known time and position of the drill bit and the time and position of the microseismic event determined from the SET data, varying the estimated velocity model to minimize the difference between the known time and position of the drill bit and the time and time and position of the microseismic event determined from the SET data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Global Microseismic Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Anderson Geiser
  • Patent number: 9062524
    Abstract: Described herein are a method, apparatus and computer readable medium for correcting data points acquired during well drilling. The data points are typically stored in a text file that is accessible by a processor. The processor applies one or more tags to the data points, with each of the tags corresponding to a characteristic of the data points. The processor then identifies one or more data faults in the data points using the one or more tags. Each data fault is indicative of inaccurate data in the data points; i.e., data that does not accurately represent the well as drilled. Following identification of the one or more data faults, the processor corrects one or more of the data faults. The resulting corrected, or cleaned, data is more indicative of the well as actually drilled than the uncorrected data. The processor can be connected to a computer readable medium that stores the statements and instructions that the processor executes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Pason Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Mariano Calvo, Steven Sheldon, Craig Bye
  • Patent number: 9052413
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for, in a computing system, perturbing an initial three-dimensional (3D) geological model using a 3D vector field. A coherent 3D vector field including 3D vectors may be generated where each 3D vector of the 3D vector field is associated with a node of the initial 3D geological model and has a magnitude within a range of uncertainty of the node of the initial 3D geological model associated therewith. The coherent 3D vector field may be applied to the initial 3D geological model associated therewith to generate an perturbed 3D model. The perturbed 3D model may differ from the initial 3D geological model by a displacement defined by the 3D vector field associated with nodes having uncertain values. The perturbed 3D model may be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignees: PARADIGM SCIENCES LTD.
    Inventors: Jean-Laurent Mallet, Anne-Laure Tertois
  • Publication number: 20150117151
    Abstract: Method for locating fault lines or surfaces in 2-D or 3-D seismic data based on the fact that fault discontinuities in the space domain span a wide range in a local slowness (slope) domain, whereas other dipping events in the space domain data, such as noise, tend to be coherent, and hence will appear focused in the slowness dimension. Therefore, the method comprises decomposing the seismic data (102) by a transformation to the local slowness domain, preferably using Gaussian slowness period packets as the local slowness or slope decomposition technique, thereby avoiding problems with the data stationary assumption. In the local slowness domain, faults may be identified (104) using the principle mentioned above, i.e. that faults are represented as a truncation in the space domain data, hence they will appear broadband in the slowness dimension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: William Curry, Ethan Nowak, Fuxian Song
  • Publication number: 20150109887
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and program convert waveform data, e.g., sonic or ultrasonic waveform data, to a seismic data format that is compatible with a seismic-based computer program such as a geology application, seismic application, attribute extraction application, visualization application, etc., thereby enabling the converted data to be analyzed using such a seismic-based computer program. By doing so, various attributes, analysis techniques, and visualization techniques, among others, that have traditionally been utilized for seismic data, may also be utilized for sonic and/or ultrasonic data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Pradeep Jain, Jefferson Alford
  • Patent number: 9001619
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are various embodiments of methods and systems for determining the orientation and direction of first motion of a fault or fracture by optimizing an azimuthally-dependent attribute of signals generated by microseismic sources, comprising: recording microseismic data traces using a of sensors located at a plurality of sensor positions; subdividing the subsurface volume into spatial volumes corresponding to selected time intervals and comprising a plurality of voxels; for each voxel, applying a time shift to the microseismic data traces that is substantially equal to a travel time from each voxel to the corresponding sensor position, and determining for the voxel the orientation and direction of first motion of the fault or fracture corresponding to a maximum value for the voxel of at least one azimuthally-dependent attribute of the microseismic data traces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Global Microseismic Services, Inc.
    Inventors: David Diller, Barry Fish, Ran Xuan, Charles John Sicking
  • Patent number: 8995223
    Abstract: The various embodiments of the present invention provide a method for removing a Scholte waves and similar ground roll type waves from a seismic sea bottom data in a shallow water. The method comprises acquiring seismic sea bottom data in a shallow waters, applying a time-frequency-wave number (t-f-k) transform on the acquired seismic sea bottom data, identifying a time-frequency relationship of a surface wave based on a specific wave number, identifying a frequency-wave number relationship of a surface wave based on a specific time, designing a time varying frequency-wave number filter in the time-frequency-wave number domain to separate the surface wave, applying a time varying frequency-wave number filtering process to remove an undesired energy and inversing a filtered record by applying an inverse S-Transform operation and an inverse Fourier Transform operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: The Petroleum Institute
    Inventors: Karl-Andreas Berteussen, Yuefeng Sun, Zhao Zhang
  • Patent number: 8995224
    Abstract: Techniques for estimating velocity ahead of a drill bit include generating seismic waves at a surface from at least two different source positions in the vicinity of a borehole, receiving seismic waves reflected from a reflector ahead of the drill bit at one or more locations in the borehole, determining travel times of the seismic waves received at the one or more locations in the borehole, and inverting the travel times to determine a velocity of a formation ahead of the drill bit. One embodiment includes transforming the velocity into pore pressure of the formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Cengiz Esmersoy, Brian Clark
  • Patent number: 8982664
    Abstract: The invention relates to processing seismic data that includes signals from at least two sources and typically three or four sources where source separation is necessary for geophysical analysis. Specifically, the present invention is an analytical technique that quickly creates a more accurate source signature delivered by analysis of the source generated data contamination present in the separated data. The technique is to invert a segment of the data using a seed source signature and compute an error that reflects the generated data contamination observed in the separated source data. The source signature is iteratively revised as the segment is continually inverted with the goal of finding the optimal source signature that provides the lowest computed error. The source signature that provides the lowest error is, or is very close to, the true source signature and is then used in the separation process for the entire composite data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: ConocoPhillips Company
    Inventors: Peter M. Eick, Joel D. Brewer
  • Publication number: 20150071034
    Abstract: A method for collecting information about a subsurface region, comprises a) providing a set of data comprising a plurality of scattered signals, where each scattered signal is a portion of an acoustic seismic signal that has been scattered by and at least one scatterer and received at a receiver, b) using spatial deconvolution to process the scattered signals so as generate a coherent arrival, and c) using the coherent arrival to output human readable information about the subsurface region. The receiver may be a geophone or a fiber optic distributed acoustic sensor and may be in a borehole or at the surface. The acoustic seismic signal may originate at the surface or below the surface and may be an active or passive source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Peter Berkeley Wills, Michael Scott Costello, Jorge Louis Lopez, Kurang Jvalant Mehta
  • Publication number: 20150071033
    Abstract: A method for surveying, may include receiving, by a processor, first survey data from a first source, the first source comprising a first signal generated by a subsurface earth formation in response to a passive-source electromagnetic signal, wherein the electromagnetic signal is generated by an electroseismic or seismoelectric conversion of the passive-source electromagnetic signal. The method may also include receiving, by the processor, second survey data from a second source and processing the first survey data and the second survey data to determine one or more properties of a subsurface earth formation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Arthur Thompson, Alan Katz, Robert England, Mohammad Rahman, Naga P. Devineni
  • Patent number: 8976624
    Abstract: A method is provided for processing seismic data for interpretation. The method includes recording an original seismic data trace, decomposing the original seismic data trace into a set of predefined wavelets, and reconstructing a seismic data trace from, at least a subset of, the set of wavelets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: GeoCyber Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ping An
  • Publication number: 20150063066
    Abstract: In the present inventive method, individual traces of seismic data are migrated (41) without any assembling of different midpoints or any summing of different offsets, so that post-migration processing or analysis, e.g. trace alignment, may be applied to the individual migrated traces (42) to compensate for any deficiencies among them, before stack and assembly. Thus, the present invention fully separates the steps of migration (41), assembly (43), and stacking (44), which are combined together in traditional migration. Thus, imaging deficiencies can be measured and addressed in the image space before they are obscured by summation. Afterward, summation can proceed to construct the improved final image (45).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: William A. Burnett, Andrew P. Shatilo, Thomas A. Dickens
  • Patent number: 8965706
    Abstract: Adaptive filtering method to remove ground roll from seismic data. In an M channel adaptive filter, weights Wi are set using an adaptive algorithm based on seeking the minimum in the partial differential of cost function J. The cost function includes an expansion of the primary trace d into d=dg+?d (where: dg is ground roll contribution and ?d=dsig+dran, where dsig is the reflected signal component and dran is a random noise component) and a corresponding expansion of the reference x into x=xg+?x (where xg is ground roll contribution and ?x=xsig+xran; where xsig is a reflected signal component and xran is a random noise component). The delta components are included in the denominator of cost function J to provide an optimal solution of the filter coefficients biased by the reflection signal and random noise is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Ying Ji
  • Patent number: 8964505
    Abstract: Computing device and method for generating an image of a subsurface. The method calculates an offset shift of measured offsets between a seismic source and plural receivers of a streamer. The method includes receiving seismic data recorded underwater by the plural receivers; selecting two pairs of traces from the plural traces and for each pair, calculating a quantity Y that depends on measured offsets of receivers for which the traces were selected, and a quantity X that depends on travel-times and the measured offsets of the receivers for which the traces were selected; calculating a linear relation Y=aX+b, where “a” is a constant and “b” is related to the offset shift; estimating the offset shift from “b”; correcting the measured offsets of the receivers based on the offset shift; and calculating the image of the subsurface based on the corrected offsets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: CGGVeritas Services SA
    Inventor: Ziqin Yu
  • Patent number: 8960280
    Abstract: A method for determining fracture plane orientation from seismic signals detected above a subsurface formation of interest includes detecting seismic signals using an array of seismic sensors deployed above the subsurface formation during pumping of a hydraulic fracture treatment of the subsurface formation. A time of origin and a spatial position of origin (hypocenter) of microseismic events resulting from the hydraulic fracture treatment are determined. Time consecutively occurring ones of the hypocenters falling within a selected temporal sampling window are selected. A best fit line through the selected hypocenters using a preselected linear regression coefficient is determined. The selecting hypocenters and determining best fit lines is repeated for a selected number of windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Microseismic, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan P. McKenna, Nathan M. Toohey
  • Patent number: 8947974
    Abstract: A downhole tool starts recording seismic energy. During the recording time, a surface seismic source is activated a specified number of times with a nominally defined separation between successive. The downhole sensor receives seismic waves resulting from the activation, but the time of the shooting sequence is not known downhole. The recorded data stream is processed and converted in real-time into seismic traces. A predefined number of traces are stacked and the quality of this sliding stack is used to detect time of the shooting sequence. The method could be used to detect one or several shooting sequences during a measurement window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Radu Coman, Michael Neubert, Holger Mathiszik, Michael Koppe
  • Publication number: 20150003200
    Abstract: A system and method for determining the position of a sensor in seismic exploration is disclosed. The method includes directing first, second, and third sensors to emit first, second, and third signals respectively; recording first, second, and third emitted times corresponding to emitting the first, second, and third signals respectively; detecting that a fourth sensor received the first, second, and third signals; recording first, second, and third received times corresponding to receiving the first, second, and third signals respectively; calculating, based on emitted and received times, a first distance between the first and fourth sensors, a second distance between the second and fourth sensors, and a third distance between the third and fourth sensors; determining the positions of the first, second, and third sensors; and computing a position of the fourth sensor based on the positions of the first, second, and third sensors, and the first, second, and third distances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventor: Mike Hall
  • Patent number: 8923093
    Abstract: A method for evaluating a quality of a seismic inversion. The method includes performing a first match between seismic data and borehole seismic data at one or more borehole locations to generate an estimate of a wavelet in the seismic data. The method then performs a seismic inversion on the seismic data using the estimate of the wavelet to generate inverted seismic data. After performing the seismic inversion, the method converts the inverted seismic data into one or more reflectivity traces. The method then includes performing a second match between the one or more reflectivity traces and one or more traces in the seismic data and performing a third match between the one or more reflectivity traces and one or more traces in the borehole seismic data. After performing the second and third matches, the method determines the quality of the seismic inversion based on the first match, the second match, the third match or combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ian Richard Scott, Mark Wheeler
  • Patent number: 8908473
    Abstract: A method of subsurface imaging is disclosed, the method involving using input data relating to the geometry of a fracture in a subsurface medium, mechanical properties of the medium and in-situ stress states in the medium, to model the behavior of the fracture and obtain predicted information relating to deformation of the fracture. The predicted information is then used to constrain the interpretation of measured microseismic data caused by movement of the fracture to determine characteristics of the movement and/or failure of the fracture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Ian Bradford
  • Patent number: 8902708
    Abstract: Seismic data representing the propagation of seismic energy through a geologic volume of interest is processed. The seismic energy propagates through the geologic volume of interest from one or more source locations at or near the geologic volume of interest to one or more detector locations at or near the geologic volume of interest. In processing the seismic data, the seismic energy is modeled as beams (e.g., Gaussian beams). The processing performed (i) corrects for misalignment of the one or more source locations and/or the one or more detector locations with a regular, predetermined mesh, and (ii) steers the seismic data based on the modeled beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Norman Ross Hill, Yue Wang
  • Patent number: 8902700
    Abstract: A borehole seismic acquisition system is described with a plurality of sensors arranged so as to identify within the data measured by the pressure sensors P- and S-wave related signals converted at the boundary of the borehole into pressure waves, the sensors being best arranged in groups or clusters sensitive to pressure gradients in one or more directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Everhard Johan Muyzert, James Edward Martin, Julian Edward Kragh, Gwénola Claire Marie Michaud
  • Patent number: 8902706
    Abstract: A technique includes receiving seismic data acquired in a seismic survey. The technique includes determining a geophysical trend of trace amplitudes indicated by the seismic data based on non-linear regression and performing quality control analysis on the seismic data based on the determined trend.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Qinglin Liu, Kambiz Iranpour
  • Patent number: 8902705
    Abstract: There is provided a method of spatially shifting seismic signals acquired through a seismic survey using the steps of identifying within the signals a set of N actual locations of seismic receivers and corresponding N seismic signals received by the set of seismic receivers; identifying a set of N? desired locations of seismic receivers; and determining a set of N? signal values at said N? desired locations by evaluating for each of said N? signal values a weighted sum of the N seismic signals, wherein the weights are at least partly determined by the relative distance between pairs of locations selected from said set of N actual locations of seismic receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ali Ozbek, Ahmet Kemal Ozdemir
  • Patent number: 8879355
    Abstract: Computing device and method for processing seismic traces to produce an image of a subsurface area. The method includes receiving a series of seismic traces related to the subsurface area and recorded by one or more seismic receivers, wherein the one or more seismic sources are originally generated by a source; applying a phase encoding function to the series of seismic traces, at least a portion of said seismic traces comprise signals reflected by geological interfaces of the subsurface area; applying a 3 dimensional (3D) harmonic-source reverse time migration of the series of seismic traces encoded with the phase encoding function; computing a forward wavefield by solving a first wave equation; computing a backward wavefield by solving a second wave equation; and cross-correlating the forward wavefield with the backward wavefield to generate an image of the subsurface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Cggveritas Services SA
    Inventors: Robert Soubaras, Yu Zhang