A method and system are described for creating a subsurface model and using the subsurface model in hydrocarbon operations. In the method and systems, a global model and one or more local models are obtained. A simulation is performed with the global model to generate global deformation results. The global deformation results are used to determine boundary conditions for the one or more local models. The one or more local models are simulated to generate local deformation results which include fracture characterization for the local model. The global model may or may not be updated based on the local deformation results from the simulation of the local model.

Orthogonal unstructured grids are automatically constructed for a field or reservoir model with two types of internal boundaries: complex wells and faults, or other discontinuities. The methodology is used to constructed simulation grids for reservoirs or fields which contains both complex fault planes and multi-lateral wells. A hierarchical grid point generation, prioritization, conflict point removal system is provided enabling the use of unconstrained Delaunay triangulation. High-quality orthogonal unstructured grids are produced with good convergence properties for reservoir simulation.

Respective embodiments disclosed herein include methods and apparatuses (1) for surveying a mine bench or other material body using at least seismic data obtained via geophone and measurement module data synchronized via a wireless link; (2) for generating hyperspectral panoramic imaging data of a blast hole or other borehole; or (3) for allowing a neural network to facilitate a differential blast design that targets a first bench part more weakly than the differential blast design targets a second bench part (along the same mine bench) at least partly based on data indicative of a much higher concentration of a valuable material in the second bench part than in the first.

There is described embodiments relating to a method of determining a wave field in an anisotropic subsurface of the Earth. The method includes numerically solving a decoupled quasi-acoustic single wave mode wave equation based on spatially varied anisotropic parameters, to determine the wave field in the anisotropic subsurface.

A method for building and using soil models that determine soil properties from soil spectrum data is provided. In an embodiment, building soil model may be accomplished using soil spectrum data received via hyperspectral sensors from a land unit. A processor updates the soil spectrum data by removing interference signals from the soil spectrum data. Multiple ground sampling locations within the land unit are then determined based on the updated soil spectrum data. Soil property data are obtained from ground sampling at the ground sampling locations. Soil models that correlate the updated soil spectrum data with the soil property data are created based on the updated soil spectrum data and the soil property data. The soil models are sent to a storage for future use.

Disclosed is a method of characterizing a subsurface volume. The method comprises: extracting a geobody from seismic data arranged within a discretized volume comprising a plurality of cells, the geobody comprising a subset of the plurality of cells, each cell of the subset having one or more properties indicative of a particular fluid phase. The extraction of the geobody comprises: determining a propagation probability value for each cell indicative of the probability that a front will propagate through the cell; beginning from a source within the discretized volume, using the propagation probability value to calculate a traveltime for each cell, the travel time describing the time the front takes to travel from the source point to the cell; and using the traveltimes to extract the geobody from the seismic data.

A Paleo Event Table creator tool box is described which is induced and/or allows a user to spatially join a selected area of interest of the earth crust to one selected tectonic plate in a tectonic plate model, which selected tectonic plate has an overlap with the area of interest, and to sample a paleogeographic dataset relevant to the area of interest for a series of paleogeographic time steps. A graphical user interface is induced and/or allows the user to create a Paleo Event Table that displays the sampled paleogeographic dataset. The Paleo Event Table creator tool box is used for paleogeographic reconstruction of the earth crust in the area of interest and identifying information relevant for the area of interest.

A computer-implemented method for reservoir volumetric estimation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and a computing system. The method may include running a molecular dynamics simulation of a fluid-rock model of a first reservoir system at a plurality of pressures. The fluid-rock model includes a fluid that is at least partially adsorbed in the first reservoir system at one or more pressures of the plurality of pressures. The method may also include calculating a plurality of isothermal density profiles of the fluid in the first reservoir system, in association with the plurality of pressures using a result of the molecular dynamics simulation. The method may further include determining a first gas accumulation of the fluid in the first reservoir system for the plurality of isothermal density profiles. The first gas accumulation is at least partially a function of a pore surface area of a sample of the first reservoir system.

A system and method is provided for restoring a 3D tomographic model of the Earth's subsurface geology from the present-day to a past restoration time. Whereas at the present time all faults represent active discontinuities, at a past restoration time some faults have not yet formed. Accordingly, the restored model divides the fault network into -active faults (discontinuous surfaces for faults that intersect the layer deposited at the past restoration time) and -inactive faults (continuous surfaces for faults that do not intersect the layer deposited at the past restoration time). A new 3D restoration transformation is also provided that uses linear geological constraints to process the restoration model in less time and generate more accurate geological images.

A system and method for characterizing subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs, such as through fault modeling in low order continuous scale simulation of real world subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs having discontinuities and improving an accuracy and speed of the characterizations.