Articles
Simultaneous Acquisition of Distributed Acoustic Sensing VSP with Multi-mode and Single-mode Fiber-optic Cables and 3C-Geophones at the Aquistore CO2 Storage Site
D. E. Miller, T.M. Daley, D. White, B.M. Freifeld, M. Robertson, J. Cocker, M. Craven
A dynamite 3D VSP survey, a Vibrator 2D VSP survey and related calibration surveys at the Aquistore CO2 storage site in Saskatchewan served as a technology test for distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). DAS data was acquired as a vertical seismic profile (VSP) on two codeployed fibers, one single-mode (SM) and one…
Field trials of distributed acoustic sensing for reservoir delineation with VSP
Ge Zhan, Qingsong Li, Jay Nahm, Jan Kommedal and Jon Konkler
A most recent fiber-optic based technology that has been adopted in VSP acquisition is distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), where the fiber-optic cable in the well is the sensor and a typical seismic source is shooting on the surface into the reservoir formation. This technology enables a fiber-optic cable to be…
DAS Microseismic
Paul Webster, Mathieu Molenaar and Colin Perkins
Fiber-Optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) applied to microseismic has the potential to significantly change the cost structure and quality of microseismic data acquisition. When a fiber-optic cable is deployed down-hole, it can be used for many purposes: hydraulic fracture monitoring, flow monitoring, VSPs and microseismic. Economies of scale are achieved…
Introduction to May Focus Discovery and Exploration: Asteroids
Alan R. Hildebrand
he last two decades have seen extraordinary advances in diverse research directions such as the Standard Model of particle physics or unravelling the DNA sequences of viruses to primates. However, possibly under-appreciated is that our Solar System is being mapped for the first time in an unprecedented age of discovery…
The Last Alert: A New Battle Front in Asteroid Defense
Aren Heinze
While some discoveries in astronomy rely on light that has crossed the observable universe to reach us, another epochal endeavor is unfolding much closer to our home planet: the cataloging of Solar System objects that could actually hit the Earth.
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Big Questions About Our Solar System’s Small Bodies: Asteroids and Comets
A. Mainzer, J. Bauer, R. Cutri, T. Grav, E. Kramer, J. Masiero, C. Nugent, S. Sonnett, E. Wright
In addition to its eight planets circling the Sun, our solar system teems with smaller bodies, asteroids and their more ice-rich cousins, the comets. The dominance of these so-called minor planets in terms of their sheer numbers provokes several seemingly simple questions about them: How many are there, did they…
The Catalina Sky Survey: Exploration leads to discovery, but not always for the discovery that was expected
Steve Larson
The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) is a NASA-funded survey to help quantify the potential hazard of impacts by Near Earth Objects (NEOs). However, the survey images contain many other scientifically useful data.
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Influence of Acquisition Geometry on Event Cloud Asymmetry and on b-Value Analysis
Melanie Grob and Mirko van der Baan
The most common setup to monitor microseismic events during hydraulic fracturing experiments includes a single observation well. This type of setup can lead to biases in event detection, location and magnitude computation. We statistically analyse simulated catalogues of events that represent common hydraulic fracturing experiments and especially focus on the…
The Quest Carbon Capture Project
Simon O’Brien
In September 2012, Shell, on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project venture (Shell Canada Energy, Chevron Canada Limited, Marathon Oil Canada Corporation), announced that it was proceeding to construct the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project near Fort Saskatchewan. Quest is now capturing more than more than one…
The New in Microseismic-based Prediction of Ultimate Stage by Stage SRV Through Engineering
Claudio Virues
Microseismic monitoring has become the approach most often employed to gain an in-situ understanding of the rock’s response during hydraulic fracture stimulations. The utilization of distributed geophone arrays around treatments has provided an opportunity to investigate the way these fractures develop by examining the microseismic events recorded during a stimulation.…
Introduction To April Focus: Engineering Geophysics
Mostafa Naghizadeh
In this issue of the RECORDER, our focus topic is Engineering Geophysics. The methods of geophysical prospecting can be utilized in a variety of engineering applications, providing valuable information to improve the safety and reduce the costs of projects. These applications cover a wide range of environmental, mining, civil, geotechnical,…
Geophysical Applications to Construction Engineering Projects
Alastair McClymont, Paul Bauman, Eric Johnson, and Laurie Pankratow
“Drill, baby, drill!” It’s an often quoted line, made famous by former US Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. For those of us who work in the field of engineering geophysics, the mantra should be “drill sparingly, baby, drill sparingly”. While there is no substitute for direct sampling of the ground, the…
Terminology for fluid-injection induced seismicity in oil and gas operations
David W. Eaton, Mirko van der Baan and Allan Ingelson
A glossary of terms, applicable to fluid-injection induced seismicity in oil and gas operations, is compiled from various sources. Creation, adoption and widespread use of standard definitions for induced seismicity and related terms will promote consistency and uniformity and will help to avoid confusion that may arise if different definitions…
A Cheat Sheet on Induced Seismicity
Neda Boroumand and Samira Maghsoudi
We begin by defining a few key terms: “induced seismicity” refers to a seismic event that is caused by pore pressure and stress change associated with human activity, “potentially induced seismicity” describes an induced seismic event that is coincidental with human activity, “microseismicity” are small scale induced seismic events related…
Value of Integrated Geophysics – Microseismic-Derived Ultimate Expected Fracture Half-Length in SRV in a Multi-Staged Pad in the Horn River Basin
Claudio Virues, Jessica Budge, Eric Von Lunen
Over the past decade, microseismic (MS) monitoring has become the approach often used to gain an in-situ understanding of the rock’s response during stimulation. Recently, the utilization of downhole monitoring of treatments has provided for an opportunity to investigate the way these fractures develop by examining microseismic events recorded during…
Forensic Data Processing – Revealing Your Data’s Hidden Stories
Joe Dellinger
We are asking for more and more from our seismic data: more efficient acquisition, broader bandwidth (both high and low), sources that are more environmentally friendly (i.e. quieter), accurate amplitudes for AVO and 4D. Acquisition and processing are undergoing a revolution to support these needs. New developments such as simultaneous…
Introduction To March Focus: GeoConvention Preview
Rob Holt
The late, great Tom Podivinsky said "for generating prospects, fundamentally we look at whatever everyone else is doing and then copy them" in his RECORDER interview (January, 2014). Let us also not forget that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I always look forward to attending the GeoConvention. It…
Finding Sweet-Spots and Quantifying Recovery Potential in Unconventional Plays:
Using the Montney Play as an example of how a Common Risk Segment Mapping approach can be applied to quantifying Estimated Ultimate Recovery in pervasive hydrocarbon systems
Ian J. Cockerill and Aaron W. Hughes
hen liquids-rich parts of the Montney Play in northeast British Columbia (NEBC) emerged and began to be developed in late 2013 and 2014, ‘The Montney’ was thrust on to the scene as one of the most commercially attractive and compelling unconventional prospects in North America. A rush to find where…
Microseismic Geomechanics Interpretation of a Montney Hydraulic Fracture
Drew Chorney, Mike Smith and Shawn Maxwell
In this paper, we describe the use of a geomechanical model to interpret microseismicity recorded during a Montney hydraulic fracture treatment. The microseismic geomechanical model is calibrated to the recorded microseismicity and used to understand the complete fracture network, including the proppant distribution. The calibrated model is then used to…
Supercomputing Needs of our Industry
Satinder Chopra and Kurt J. Marfurt
The search for oil and gas has now moved into complex frontier areas such as the foothills in the onshore and into deeper waters and subsalt traps in the offshore, where geological risks are higher. The need to maximize the economic production of hydrocarbons in our current low price environment…
