Depth Imaging – Seeing the Invisible
An analogy with bat technology makes it easier to understand seismic imaging of the subsurface. However, a bat’s sounds transverse a homogenous medium, while seismic waves in the earth are…
Technology
3D Contrast Property Mapping
One of the major challenges in understanding the nature of the subsurface is to accurately depict geology when data are sparse. By combining well logs and seismic data, seismic inversion…
Brazil’s Newest Independent
A new spin-off from HRT Petroleum, South America’s largest service company, HRT Oil & Gas, is staking their fortunes deep in Brazil’s Amazon Jungle. “With Brazil’s prolific offshore fields and…
Beyond Tadpoles, Beyond SCAT
Complete dip and image analysis improves structural interpretations and reduces risk. Is your seismic fair or poor? Are your structures complex? Are your reservoirs sub-thrust, sub-basalt, sub-salt, or pre-salt? Are…
Linking seismic response to geomechanics
This article discusses the linkage between 4D seismic responses and geomechanics. Exploitation of this relationship has helped reduce development costs and maximize recovery from the compacting Valhall reservoir. The 4D…
The First Oil Discoveries in the Middle East
Flashbacks on the first discoveries of oil fields in the Middle East. 1908 (May 26): Masjid Sulaiman field (Masjid Sulaiman-1 well), southwest Zagros basin, Iran (Persia) by the Concessions Syndicate…
Reservoir Monitoring Technology
Permanent seismic monitoring is an emerging market with significant potential. Who are the major players and what has been done to validate the Optowave technology? This article has been designed…
Measuring Seismic with Light
Fibre optic sensing technology offers the potential for a cost-effective, reliable reservoir monitoring system as an alternative to seismic systems based on electronics. Interested in learning about fibre optic seismic…
The Growing Role of Geophysics
The use of geophysical methods in petroleum exploration continues to expand and is an integral discipline in the discovery and production of oil and gas deposits. We have seen a…
Technology: Changing exploration – using non-seismic technology
The main purpose of applying EM data is to improve exploration decision making. “As a geoscientist working in an oil company which values integration, we try to maximise the use…
Understanding electro-magnetic surveys
Electromagnetic surveying is one of the least well understood of the non-seismic exploration techniques. There are various acquisition choices to be made – for example it can be undertaken using…
The Next Generation Subsurface Modelling
Modelling reservoirs using a 3D grid is a common tool for both the geologist and the reservoir engineer. As models increase in structural and stratigraphic complexity the process of creating…