Seismology Patents (Class 702/14)
  • Patent number: 10353091
    Abstract: Visually enhancing a geological feature in 3D seismic survey data may include selecting a first seismic trace from a 3D seismic survey dataset. Said first seismic trace is subdivided into a plurality of identified characteristic segments. At least one first analytical model function is generated for each of said plurality of identified characteristic segments. At least one adapted wavelet from an existing dictionary is utilized. A matching characteristic is determined between said first seismic trace and said at least one first analytical model function. Said at least one first analytical model function is optimized with respect to said matching characteristic. Both determining a matching characteristic, and optimizing said at least one first analytical model function, are repeated until a predetermined condition is met. A model dataset is generated from said optimized at least one first analytical model function for at least part of said first seismic trace for visual representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Foster Findlay Associates Limited
    Inventors: Stephen James Purves, Adam John Eckersley, Nicholas McArdle
  • Patent number: 10346278
    Abstract: Methods of geophysical prospecting and surveying are disclosed herein. The methods include obtaining a raw data set representing energy signatures recorded over an area of the earth and using a computer to form a final data set representing the physical properties of the area of the earth, the process including combining physical property data subsets into a final data set using a quality statistic for each physical property data subset or each datum of each physical property data subset as a weighting factor to compute a weighted average.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventors: Carl Joel Gustav Skogman, Lars Erik Magnus Bjornemo
  • Patent number: 10345470
    Abstract: Computing device, computer instructions and method for improving accuracy of an image of a surveyed subsurface. The method includes a step of receiving seismic data (D) recorded with seismic sensors; a step of deghosting the seismic data (D) using a sparseT-Pinversion algorithm together with a low-rank optimization scheme and a high-cut filter to calculate ghost-free wave-fields (U0(t,x,y)) in the time-space domain; and a step of processing the ghost-free wave-fields (U0(t,x,y)) to generate the image of the surveyed subsurface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: CGG SERVICES SAS
    Inventors: Ping Wang, Suryadeep Ray, Kawin Nimsaila, Hongzheng Jin, Can Peng
  • Patent number: 10338248
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for processing seismic images containing a reference trace and a control trace. During said method, a reference level and a recording level are defined. Then, the control trace is transformed on the reference level by means of a velocity model. A portion of the reference trace including the recording level is transformed by means of a current velocity model. A portion of the transformed control trace including the recording level is corrected by means of the current velocity model. Finally, an optimized current velocity model is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: TOTAL SA
    Inventor: François Audebert
  • Patent number: 10338271
    Abstract: One or more computer-readable media include computer-executable instructions to instruct a computing system to, for a given time, solve the elastic wave equation in tensorial form for a geological reservoir model subject to stated conditions; and adjust a grid associated with the geological reservoir model based on solution of the elastic wave equation in tensorial form for the given time. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Victor Aarre
  • Patent number: 10324211
    Abstract: A method can include receiving seismic data that has an associated bandwidth; for a number of frequency bands, for a number of frequency bands, iteratively filtering and adjusting the seismic data by applying band-pass filters to extract information associated with each of the frequency bands where the adjusting the seismic data includes, after each iteration, subtracting extracted information from the seismic data prior to a subsequent iteration; balancing the extracted information to generate spectrally balanced seismic data; and outputting the spectrally balanced seismic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Victor Aarre, Sergio Courtade
  • Patent number: 10317550
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, methods, and computer program products for determining fracture and stress characterization using layer thickness variation over an azimuthally anisotropic medium, which may include one or more of the following functions: acquiring seismic data by recording reflected seismic waves in at least two directions; sorting of the seismic data so that offset is zero at a center and increases radially from a single common-point (CMP) gather for a plurality of data points; generating a multi-dimensional volume by juxtaposing a set of common-offset sections by one of their common-depth point (CDP) and CMP locations; selecting reflectors for each layer in the one of the multi-dimensional volume; computing layer parameters including effective anisotropy and interval anisotropy for each layer in the multi-dimensional volume based on a geometry of the reflectors selected for each layer in the multi-dimensional volume; and applying the layer parameters to an earth model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehdi Eftekhari Far, Natasa Mekic
  • Patent number: 10310112
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and systems, including computer-implemented methods, computer program products, and computer systems, for processing geophysical data. One computer-implemented method includes obtaining a set of raw geophysical data, wherein the raw geophysical data include 3-Dimensional (3D) coordinates; grouping, by a data processing apparatus, the set of the raw geophysical data into a plurality of subsets; and processing, by the data processing apparatus, each subset of the raw geophysical data using a 3D norm zero objective energy function to generate a subset of smoothed geophysical data, wherein the smoothed geophysical data is used to build a subsurface model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Saleh Al-Dossary, Jinsong Wang
  • Patent number: 10310115
    Abstract: Prediction and subtraction of multiple diffractions may include transforming previously acquired seismic data from a time-space domain to a transformed domain using a dictionary of compressive basis functions and separating, within the transformed previously acquired seismic data, a first portion and a second portion of the transformed previously acquired seismic data. Prediction and subtraction of multiple diffractions may also include predicting a plurality of multiple diffractions based on the separated first and second portions and adaptively subtracting the predicted multiple diffractions from the previously acquired seismic data. Prediction and subtraction of multiple diffractions may also include inverse transforming a particular seismic data set from the transformed domain to the time-space domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventors: Robertus Franciscus Hegge, Paolo Terenghi, Andreas Klaedtke, Amr Ahmed Mahmoud Ibrahim
  • Patent number: 10295685
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and systems, including computer-implemented methods, computer program products, and computer systems, for generating Angle Domain Common Image Gathers (ADCIGs). One computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a data processing apparatus, a set of seismic data associated with a subsurface region wherein the set of seismic data includes receiver signal data at a plurality of time steps; for each time step in the plurality of time steps: calculating a receiver wavefield based on the receiver signal data at the respective time step; separating a first direction receiver wavefield and a second direction receiver wavefield of the receiver wavefield using Hilbert transformation of the receiver signal data at the respective time step; and applying an optical flow process on the first direction receiver wavefield to calculate wavefield directions; and generating an Angle Domain Common Image Gather (ADCIG) based on the wavefield directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Dongliang Zhang, Tong Wang Fei, Yi Luo
  • Patent number: 10288754
    Abstract: A method for removing seismic noise from an input seismic trace. The method may receive the input seismic trace. The method may receive one or more noise references for the input seismic trace. The method may receive one or more filters corresponding to the noise references. The method may apply a nonlinear function to the input seismic trace and to the one or more noise references to produce respective output signals for the input seismic trace and for the one or more noise references. The nonlinear function may be capable of determining higher-order statistics. The method may update the filters based on increasing one or more information attributes of the output signals to a predetermined threshold. The method may then filter noise corresponding to the noise references.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: WESTERNGECO L.L.C.
    Inventors: Kuang-Hung Liu, William H. Dragoset, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10274635
    Abstract: A method for jointly inverting subsurface resistivities and noise parameters that may comprise the steps of identifying electromagnetic data acquired from one or more electromagnetic sensors, wherein the electromagnetic data includes a source-generated signal and noise, and jointly inverting at least subsurface resistivities and noise parameters based on the electromagnetic data. A marine electromagnetic survey system, that may comprise a data processing system configured to identify electromagnetic data acquired from one or more electromagnetic sensors, wherein the electromagnetic data includes a source-generated signal and noise and jointly invert subsurface resistivities and noise based on the electromagnetic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventors: Lars Erik Magnus Björnemo, Carl Joel Gustav Skogman
  • Patent number: 10267934
    Abstract: A method of generating a depositional sequence volume from seismic data is performed at a computer system having one or more processors and memory storing programs to be executed by the one or more processors. The method includes the following steps: receiving a seismic dataset, wherein the seismic dataset includes image values at a plurality of grid points of a 3-D subsurface model; identifying reflections at a first subset of the plurality of grid points and geological constraints at a second subset of the plurality of grid points of the 3-D subsurface model from processing the image values of the seismic dataset; and generating a depositional sequence volume for the 3-D subsurface model from the reflections at the first subset of grid points and the geological constraints at the second subset of grid points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: Ke Wang, Kaihong Wei, Kevin Deal, Dave Wilkinson
  • Patent number: 10248743
    Abstract: Four-dimensional fluid flow data is received that is associated with a time dimension and I, J, and K dimensions. The four-dimensional fluid flow data includes, for each of plural time steps, a fluid flow amount for the respective time step and for a respective I, J, K cell. Using the four-dimensional fluid flow data and for each of plural time steps, a four-dimensional geocellular model is determined having I, J, K and t dimensions and indicating, for each I, J, K, t cell, an amount of a fluid flowing through the I, J, K cell for a respective time step t. A three-dimensional time-independent model is determined for the I, J, K cell. A two-dimensional time-independent model is determined that includes a cumulative fluid flow amount for each I, J cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Mohamed Bouaouaja, Ahmed Alhuthali
  • Patent number: 10228478
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of searching for an oil-gas reservoir based on TRAP-3D software, including: establishing a three-dimensional lithology and fault data cube of an exploration working area according to three-dimensional seismic data and logging data; dividing the three-dimensional lithology and fault data cube into several depth slices of the same thickness, and performing an individual sand body unit division for each depth slice; sequentially inputting the depth slices of the three-dimensional lithology and fault data cube into the TRAP-3D software for oil-gas reservoir evaluation. The present invention improves the accuracy of three-dimensional trap evaluation, is conducive to precise searching of the oil-gas reservoir, can plot a Sweet-Spot diagram on a plane, and get exhibits oil-gas trap amounts of different depths in a longitudinal direction, and can obtain a total trap amount of the oil gas reservoir in the exploration working area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignees: CHINA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION, BGP INC., CHINA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Qingzhong Li, Libin Zhang, Xiaomin Zhang
  • Patent number: 10222497
    Abstract: Computing device, computer instructions and method for estimating a broadband wavelet associated with a given seismic data set. The method includes receiving broadband seismic data; constructing and populating a misfit function; calculating the broadband wavelet based on the misfit function and the broadband seismic data; and estimating physical reservoir properties of a surveyed subsurface based on the broadband wavelet. The broadband wavelet is constrained, through the misfit function, by (1) an amplitude only long wavelet, and (2) an amplitude and phase short wavelet. The amplitude and phase short wavelet is shorter in time than the amplitude only long wavelet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: CGG SERVICES SAS
    Inventors: Shavarsh Nurijanyan, Harry Debeye, Peter Mesdag, Menne Schakel
  • Patent number: 10215870
    Abstract: A system and method for analyzing geologic features including fluid estimation and lithology discrimination may include the steps of identifying areas of interest on a seismic horizon, computing statistical data ranges for the seismic amplitudes within the areas of interest, and analyzing the geologic features based on the amplitude variation with offset (AVO) or angle (AVA) curves including the statistical data ranges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan David Cocker, James Robert Magill
  • Patent number: 10215871
    Abstract: Suppressing data corresponding to noise using a model of noise propagation along a sensor streamer. At least some of the example embodiments are methods including: reading a data set containing noise and seismic signals recorded by geophones disposed in a sensor streamer when the sensor streamer was within a body of water; determining locations of noise sources along the sensor streamer when the sensor streamer was within the body of water; and suppressing data of the data set corresponding to noise sources along the sensor streamer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventor: Lars Erik Magnus Björnemo
  • Patent number: 10215868
    Abstract: The disclosure describes a method and apparatus for performing automated horizon picking on a based volume and snapping auto-picked horizons to other seismic volumes in 4D and multi-azimuth seismic interpretation workflow. Changes made to an initial interpretation may be automatically updated on the other seismic volumes. The automated horizon auto-picking can be batched to setup, run, and monitor auto-picked horizons on a large number of seismic volumes without requiring manual updating of interpretations on each individual volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Landmark Graphics Corporation
    Inventors: Nam Xuan Nguyen, Xuewei Tan, Sharan H. Chang
  • Patent number: 10191166
    Abstract: Predicting elastic parameters of a subsurface includes modelling changes in the shear modulus and changes in the bulk modulus of the subsurface as a combination of a host medium shear modulus and host medium bulk modulus and a plurality of inclusion shear moduli and inclusion bulk moduli. Each inclusion shear modulus and inclusion bulk modulus associated with a unique inclusion geometry. An inclusion-based rock physical model is used to solve the models for changes in shear modulus and changes in bulk modulus to predict an effective shear modulus of the subsurface and an effective bulk modulus of the subsurface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: CGG SERVICES SAS
    Inventors: Eric Nolte, Reza Saberi
  • Patent number: 10185700
    Abstract: Interpolation logic described herein provides a good approximation to a bicubic interpolation, which is generally smoother than bilinear interpolation, without performing all the calculations normally needed for a bicubic interpolation. This allows an approximation of smooth bicubic interpolation to be performed on devices (e.g. mobile devices) which have limited processing resources. At each of a set of predetermined interpolation positions within an array of data points, a set of predetermined weights represent a bicubic interpolation which can be applied to the data points. For a plurality of the predetermined interpolation positions which surround the sampling position, the corresponding sets of predetermined weights and the data points are used to determine a plurality of surrounding interpolated values which represent results of performing the bicubic interpolation at the surrounding predetermined interpolation positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Simon Fenney
  • Patent number: 10185306
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for utilizing look-up tables representing all models in an automation control architecture to independently handle uncertainties in sensed data. Data is stored in a form of conditional probability tables (CPTs) or conditional probability distributions (CPDs), where the data comes from an operator, a service provider, a drilling contractor and an equipment manufacturer. Models of the drilling process domains, such as wellbore hydraulics, drill bit/rock interactions, torque and drag modeling, vibration modeling and drilling machinery operation, are received. Data is extracted from these models into the CPTs or CPDs. The CPTs or CPDs are converted to look-up tables. Data in the look-up tables are then visually displayed in graphical form. As a result, real-time troubleshooting of drilling operations occurs in an efficient manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Pradeepkumar Ashok, Eric van Oort, Adrian Ambrus, Parham Pournazari, Roman Shor
  • Patent number: 10175095
    Abstract: At least some of the example embodiments are methods including measuring motion of a body by deflecting a first cantilever portion of a sensing element, and deflecting a second cantilever portion of a sensing element, the second cantilever element of the sensing element disposed opposite the first cantilever element. A first voltage having a first polarity is created across electrical leads responsive to the deflecting of the cantilever portions opposite the direction of the first acceleration of the body. The sensing element is supported by way of a mounting plate medially disposed on the sensing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventor: Robert Alexis Peregrin Fernihough
  • Patent number: 10169359
    Abstract: Distributed content-aware compression and decompression techniques are provided for data, such as seismic data. Data is compressed by obtaining a file chunk of a plurality of file chunks of a larger file, a start offset of the file chunk, and a data descriptor indicating how the file chunk should be processed based on characteristics of the larger file. Headers in the file chunk are compressed using a substantially lossless header compression technique to obtain compressed headers. Samples in the file chunk are compressed using a substantially lossless sample compression technique to obtain compressed samples. The compressed headers and compressed samples are packed into a single bit stream comprising a compressed version of the file chunk. The compression can be performed in a physical or logical layer of storage nodes of a file system or in compute nodes of a computing cluster. The compression can be executed on demand by an external agent and/or in a background mode by a storage operating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Rômulo Teixeira de Abreu Pinho, Angelo E. M. Ciarlini, Luiz Guilherme Oliveira dos Santos, Edward José Pacheco Condori, André de Almeida Maximo, Alex Laier Bordignon
  • Patent number: 10169652
    Abstract: A method for processing seismic data may include receiving input seismic data (di) comprising N spatial coordinates, where the input seismic data is in a first spatial domain, expanding the N spatial coordinates of the input seismic data (di) to N? modified spatial coordinates, where N? is greater than N, to provide spatially expanded seismic data (de) that is in a second spatial domain, transforming the spatially expanded seismic data (de) to a model domain to provide model domain data (dm), and generating a final image (df) of a subsurface using the model domain data (dm).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: CGG SERVICES SAS
    Inventor: Gordon Poole
  • Patent number: 10151768
    Abstract: The calculation of the speed of a moving train is critical to being able to capture high speed resolution images of the undercarriage of a moving train using a camera in an associated application. The measurement must be extremely accurate and in real time so that an appropriately placed camera can capture images and transmit those images to a remote location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Inventors: Gianni Arcaini, William Scott Carns, Charles Hoeppner, Israel Umbehant
  • Patent number: 10139508
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for automatically identifying possible faults in large seismic datasets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Noel Moreno Lemus, Percy E. Rivera Salas, Angelo E. M. Ciarlini, Fabio A. M. Porto, Fábio A. Perosi
  • Patent number: 10132946
    Abstract: Systems and methods to correct source responses and perform source deghosting of a pressure or particle motion wavefield recorded using near-continuous recording of seismic data along a vessel track with generalize source activation times. The methods and systems receive a near-continuously recorded seismic data and generate a near-continuous wavefield for approximately stationary-receiver locations. Time windows of different temporal lengths are applied to traces of the near-continuous wavefield in approximately stationary-receiver locations in order to compute common-receiver gathers. The common-receiver gathers are corrected source wavefield response and source ghost effects and are combined in weighted sums to generate broadband seismic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventors: Stian Hegna, Gregg Parkes
  • Patent number: 10126453
    Abstract: An embodiment of a method includes receiving seismic data from an array of seismic receivers, selecting a time window, and dividing the time window into a plurality of consecutive time segments, each corresponding to a subset of the seismic data. The method also includes performing a transformation of each subset into a frequency domain subset having a total frequency band, and selecting a narrow frequency band bounded by the lowest frequency of the total band and a threshold frequency. The method further includes, for each of the plurality of frequencies in the narrow frequency band, determining a cross-spectral density matrix (CSDM) of data values in each frequency domain subset, decomposing the CSDM to generate a plurality of eigenvalues, and removing at least the most significant eigenvalue from each frequency domain subset. The method still further includes transforming each frequency domain subset into a time domain to generate de-noised seismic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Malgorzata Chmiel, Thomas Bardainne, Philippe Roux
  • Patent number: 10126448
    Abstract: A method of performing measurements of an earth formation includes disposing at least a first receiver and a second receiver in one or more monitoring boreholes in a formation, and injecting fluid into the formation from an injection borehole, wherein injecting includes operating a fluid control device to generate seismic and/or acoustic noise having an identifiable characteristic. The method also includes detecting seismic and/or acoustic signals at the first receiver and detecting seismic and/or acoustic signals at a second receiver, the seismic and/or acoustic signals corresponding to the seismic and/or acoustic noise, calculating an estimate of a Green's function between the first receiver and the second receiver by processing seismic and/or acoustic waves detected by the first receiver and the second receiver to at least partially reconstruct the Green's function, and estimating variations in a velocity of a region of the formation by determining variations in the reconstructed Green's function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Heikki Armas Jutila, Pierre-Francois Roux, Atul H. Kshirsagar, Arijit Chattopadhyay, Kousha Gohari, Carlos Mascagnini, Peter J. Kidd
  • Patent number: 10115225
    Abstract: A system and method of onboard and offboard visualization of material characteristics in mining is provided. According to one aspect, the method includes a step of providing a voxel representation of a mining area. The voxel representation includes a plurality of voxels. At least one voxel of the plurality of voxels is compared to a geological model of the mining area, and at least one material characteristic is assigned to the at least one voxel based on the geological model of the mining area. In another aspect, the method includes calculating a volume of extracted material, assigning at least one quantified material characteristic to the volume of extracted material based on a geological model, and displaying a visual representation of the volume of extracted material and at least one quantified material characteristic using a visualization tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Kiriaco Rodrigo Dario Jarami Orellana, John Steven Harpour, Scott Andrew Kirkman, Thomas Frank Doherty
  • Patent number: 10094944
    Abstract: Separating survey data for multiple survey sources where first survey data along a first axis measured by a survey sensor device is received, the first survey data responsive to activations of the plurality of survey sources at respective azimuths with respect to the survey sensor device. Second survey data is rotated towards a first azimuth of a first of the plurality of survey sources. The rotated second survey data is used as a model of interference caused by a subset of the plurality of survey sources excluding the first survey source. In other examples, a time dithering technique is performed to separate survey data for multiple survey sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: WESTERNGECO L.L.C.
    Inventor: Everhard Johan Muijzert
  • Patent number: 10073190
    Abstract: Method and system are described for modeling one or more geophysical properties of a subsurface volume. The method includes computing vector volumes to enhance subsurface modeling and update these vector volumes. The vectors are estimated (106) from the data, for example dip or azimuth, and then the vector volume may be updated by an optimization process (808). Flattening the original data (802) may assist the vector estimation, and associating data traces and samples of traces with labels (108) may assist the flattening. The vector volume may then be used to extract horizons (110) and generate a stratigraphic model (112) to enhance the process of producing hydrocarbons (114).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Pavel Dimitrov, Matthias Imhof
  • Patent number: 10061746
    Abstract: A processor includes a front end to fetch an instruction. The instruction is to calculate a data point using inputs from a plurality of adjacent source data in a plurality of dimensions. The processor includes a decoder to decode the instruction. The processor also includes a core to, based on the decoded instruction, perform a plurality of tabular vector read operations to read the plurality of adjacent source data and perform a tabular vector calculation to execute the instruction. The tabular vector calculation is based upon results of performing the plurality of tabular vector read operations. The core is further to write results of the tabular vector calculation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Charles R. Yount
  • Patent number: 10054703
    Abstract: Fast anisotropy axis values are determined for each bin in seismic data binned by azimuth. A fast azimuth gather is determined within each bin in the seismic data from the fast anisotropy axis values. The earth's subsurface is imaged, using the fast azimuth gathers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventors: Paul LeCocq, Cyrille Reiser, John Brittan
  • Patent number: 10036819
    Abstract: A method for determining hypocenters of microseismic events includes entering as input to a computer seismic signals recorded by a plurality of seismic sensors disposed proximate a volume of subsurface to be evaluated. For each point in space in the volume, and for a plurality of preselected origin times, a seismic energy arrival time at each seismic sensor is determined. Event amplitudes for each arrival time are determined. A synthetic event amplitude is calculated for each arrival time. A semblance between the determined event amplitudes and the synthetic event amplitudes is determined. Existence of an actual microseismic is determined event when the semblance exceeds a selected threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Microseismic, Inc.
    Inventors: Leo Eisner, Frantisek Stanek, Jan Valenta
  • Patent number: 10024991
    Abstract: A device, computer program and related method for processing a first seismic signal that includes identifying one portion of a second seismic signal and determining a length of a seismic wavelet. It is also possible to train a neural network by using a plurality of sub-portions of said portion a input variables and at least one second piece of information as a target variable. Said sub-portions of the portion have a length dependent on the length of the seismic wavelet determined. Finally, the method includes determining at least one first piece of geological information based on the first seismic signal using said trained neural network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: TOTAL SA
    Inventor: Noomane Keskes
  • Patent number: 10007741
    Abstract: Systems and methods for simulating a geological formation of a fluvial zone by using observation data and a spatial model of the fluvial zone. The displacement of particles in the spatial model is simulated by superimposing a deterministic term defined by the observation data and a stochastic term parameterized by the observation data. By virtue of this method, it is possible to take into account both the fluid flow of the particles in the fluvial zone and introduce a probabilistic perturbation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: TOTAL SA
    Inventors: Gérard Massonat, Francis Morandini
  • Patent number: 9964654
    Abstract: A method can include providing data from at least two data sets in a continuous color model that includes at least two color axes; transforming the data from the continuous color model to a hue, saturation and value color model to generate at least saturation data; applying an edge detection algorithm to the saturation data to generate enhanced data; and rendering at least a portion of the enhanced data to a display. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Andreas W. Laake
  • Patent number: 9964653
    Abstract: A method for terrain correction of potential field geophysical survey data measured above an examined medium having density and/or magnetization is described, using potential field data including but not limited to gravity and/or magnetic total field and/or vector and/or tensor data. The potential field sensors may measure the gravity and/or magnetic total field and/or vector and/or tensor data at least one receiving position with respect to the examined medium. The terrain of the examined medium may be described by a spatially variable analytic function of the material properties of the examined medium. The terrain response for at least one component of the measured potential field in at least one receiver location (potential field data) may be calculated using special form of surface integral over the terrain based on 3D analog of the Cauchy-type integrals. This surface integration ensures accurate representation of the terrain response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: TechnoImaging, LLC
    Inventor: Michael S. Zhdanov
  • Patent number: 9959143
    Abstract: Techniques for actor and thread message dispatching are described herein. In some examples, a computing system may include multiple actors and multiple processing threads. Upon receiving an incoming message associated with one of the actors, a dispatching component may select one of the multiple processing threads within the computing system to which to dispatch the message for processing. If the associated actor is already assigned to one of the processing threads, then that processing thread may be selected for processing of the message. By contrast, if the associated actor is not already assigned to one of the processing threads, then a processing thread may be selected based on various factors, such as a set of priorities associated with the processing threads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Cheyne William Anderson, Adam Julio Villalobos, Qiang Fan
  • Patent number: 9916563
    Abstract: Techniques for effectuating a rollback to a previous version of a catalog associated with an entity are described. A payment processing service may receive instructions to modify a catalog associated with an entity. The payment processing service may modify the catalog based at least partly on the instructions and add an entry to a modification log. Each entry in the modification log may correspond to a previous version of the catalog and the entry may correspond to a new version of the catalog after the modification to the catalog. The payment processing service may determine that the modification to the catalog is likely to warrant a rollback and may effectuate the rollback by determining a previous entry of the modification log that precedes the entry and adding a new entry to the modification log that corresponds to the previous version of the catalog associated with the previous entry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Square, Inc.
    Inventors: John Joseph Labanca, Jr., Roger Reyelts, Cynthia Lobb
  • Patent number: 9911210
    Abstract: A system and method for well log vectorization are described that assist geologists or other technicians to rapidly and accurately vectorize well log curves that are visually evident in a raster well log image. The resulting digital well log curves are instrumental for qualitative interpretation and quantitative analysis of geologic information measured along well bores. The system and method simplifies and makes more efficient and accurate the process of vectorizing well log curves that are displayed in a digital raster log image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: DRILLING INFO, INC.
    Inventors: Dean Witte, Isaac Witte, Ran Xuan
  • Patent number: 9880303
    Abstract: Post-migration common image gathers (CIGs) are generated in a dip angle domain from measured seismic data. From a CIG, a hybrid Radon model is determined, including a reflection model related to concave features in the CIG and a diffraction model related to linear features in the CIG. The reflection model is transformed with a reflection Radon operator applied along inversion trajectories restricted around apices of the concave features to obtain reflection data. The diffraction model is transformed with a diffraction Radon operator to obtain diffraction data. The reflection and diffraction data at different horizontal positions can then be combined and summed to generate a migrated image of the subsurface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: TOTAL SA
    Inventors: Evgeny Landa, Reda Baina
  • Patent number: 9852373
    Abstract: A method can include receiving data associated with a geologic environment; based on at least a portion of the data, estimating relationships for multiple properties of the geologic environment; and based at least in part on the relationships, performing simultaneous joint inversion for at least one property of the geologic environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: WESTERNGECO L.L.C.
    Inventor: Michele De Stefano
  • Patent number: 9846247
    Abstract: Computational systems and methods for interpolating a pressure wavefield based on pressure wavefield and particle motion wavefield data are disclosed. The pressure and particle motion wavefields are sampled at a sample rate that is less than a lower bound for sample rates typically used to interpolate the pressure wavefield from the pressure wavefield samples alone. The particle motion wavefield can an acceleration wavefield or a time derivative of a velocity wavefield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: PGS GEOPHYSICAL AS
    Inventors: Roald Gunnar van Borselen, Robertus F. Hegge
  • Patent number: 9829595
    Abstract: A technique includes disposing a particle motion sensor on a spread of at least one streamer and using the particle motion sensor to acquire a measurement of a signal, which is transmitted from an acoustic transmitter. The technique includes determining a heading of the particle motion sensor based at least in part on the measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: WESTERNGECO L.L.C.
    Inventors: Nicolas Goujon, Svein Arne Frivik
  • Patent number: 9817792
    Abstract: Systems and methods for creating a surface in a faulted space, which includes using interpolation techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: LANDMARK GRAPHICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Genbao Shi, Zitao Xu, Jeffrey Yarus, Richard L Chambers, Randy Guetter
  • Patent number: 9817143
    Abstract: Systems and methods for attenuating multiples in seismic data are presented. In one aspect, predicted surface-related multiples are calculated for seismic data generated by receivers in a marine survey. Estimates of primaries and multiples may be calculated by applying adaptive subtraction to the predicted surface-related multiples. Residual multiples present in the estimated primaries may be identified using multiple diffraction reduction. The residual multiples and estimated multiples are used to generate final estimated multiples that are subtracted from the seismic data to generate primaries with attenuated multiples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: PGS Geophysical AS
    Inventor: Gert-Jan Adriaan van Groenestijn
  • Patent number: 9798024
    Abstract: A seismic detection line includes one or more identified element(s) arranged in a string, and a telemetry link connecting the element(s) along the string to convey seismic data from at least one of the element(s) to a data recorder and identification data to a topology controller. Each of the element(s) includes a respective first identification unit connected to the telemetry link to provide a respective first identifier to the topology controller. A seismic detection system also includes a processor that queries the identified element(s) for their respective identifiers, determines an arrangement of the seismic detection line using the received identifiers, and presents an indication of the determined arrangement. A method of operating a seismic detection line includes transmitting a query along the telemetry link, detecting whether the respective identifier of one of the element(s) was received or not, repeating until termination, and determining and indicating the arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Gaetan Mellier, Simon LeBoeuf, Alexis Duboué, Noël Voisin