Systems and methods are discussed to image lithological data within the strata beneath the earth surface, including a subterranean object detection system. The system may further comprise a pipeline operable to conduct a working fluid and an instrumented pig operable to travel within the pipeline and operable to image lithological strata and voids within the strata beneath and around the pipeline. The instrumented pig may comprise an outer case, a battery coupled to the outer case, a ground imaging unit operable to send a signal to image the lithological strata and voids within the strata beneath and around the pipeline and may be operable to receive a reflected signal indicating lithology data, wherein the ground imaging unit may be operably coupled to the battery.

This disclosure presents a system, method, and apparatus for preventing fracture communication between wells, the system comprising: a sensor coupled to a fracking wellhead, circulating fluid line, or standpipe of a well and configured to convert acoustic vibrations in fracking fluid in the well into an electrical signal; a memory configured to store the electrical signal; a machine-learning system configured to analyze current frequency components of the electrical signal in a window of time and to identify impending fracture communication between the well and an offset well, the machine-learning system having been trained on previous frequency components of electrical signals measured during previous instances of fracture communication between wells; and a user interface configured to return a notification of the impending fracture communication to an operator of the well.

Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for using direction-angles to identify geologic features and geologic attributes for use in geothermal, oil and gas, mining, and other applications. An example embodiment operates by receiving a discrete three-dimensional (3D) representation of a geologic volume comprising a set of 3D orientations, where each 3D orientation is represented as a set of direction-angles measured relative to a set of coordinate axes. The example embodiment further operates by receiving a set of other measurements of properties of the geologic volume, In response, the example embodiment operates by correlating the set of 3D orientations with the set of other measurements to generate a geologic correlation data structure. Subsequently, the example embodiment operates by identifying a geologic attribute or a geologic feature associated with the geologic volume based on the geologic correlation data structure.

Methods and apparatus are described for using ambient acoustic energy as a passive source in marine seismic surveys. An example embodiment includes (a) accessing signals that were recorded by sensors in the presence of acoustic energy that was emitted by a passive source during a marine seismic survey; (b) identifying a point to represent a location from which the acoustic energy was emitted; (c) isolating, from the recorded signals, a direct wavefield arriving at the sensors from a direction of the identified point; and (d) generating an estimated passive source wavefield at the identified point by backpropagating the isolated direct wavefield to the identified point. The estimated passive source wavefield may be used, together with signals recorded by the sensors, to generate an image of a subsurface earth volume without the use of active seismic sources.

A DAS VSP technique is used to determine the induced fracture height and fracture density of an induced fracture region. The DAS VSP technique obtains pre-hydraulic fracturing DAS VSP survey time-lapse data to establish a baseline reference for the direct acoustic wave travel time. The DAS VSP technique obtains one or more time-lapse data corresponding to the subsequent monitor surveys conducted after each hydraulic fracturing stage along the well. Forward modeling is used to determine a theoretical acoustic wave travel time difference. The forward modeling uses seismic anisotropy to describe the behavior of seismic waves traveling through the induced fracture regions. An inversion scheme is then used to invert for the induced fracture height and the fracture density using the forward modeling. The two extracted induced fracture characteristics may then be used to determine optimal hydraulic fracturing parameters.

A process for drilling a well into a subsurface formation includes receiving data representing depth maps for a given subsurface region, each depth map being generated from seismic data acquired in a seismic survey at a subsurface region. The process includes determining, for depth maps of the plurality, respective weight values; generating data representing a combination of the depth maps based on the respective weight values; generating a cumulative distribution function (CDF) for a particular location in the subsurface region based on the data representing a combination of the depth maps; determining, based on the CDF for that particular location, a probability value representing a depth at which a geological layer occurs in the subsurface region at the particular location; and drilling the well into the subsurface formation at the particular location to a target depth based on the probability value.

A process for drilling a well into a subsurface formation includes receiving data representing depth maps for a given subsurface region, each depth map being generated from seismic data acquired in a seismic survey at a subsurface region. The process includes determining, for depth maps of the plurality, respective weight values; generating data representing a combination of the depth maps based on the respective weight values; generating a cumulative distribution function (CDF) for a particular location in the subsurface region based on the data representing a combination of the depth maps; determining, based on the CDF for that particular location, a probability value representing a depth at which a geological layer occurs in the subsurface region at the particular location; and drilling the well into the subsurface formation at the particular location to a target depth based on the probability value.

A method can include accessing a trained machine model as trained to analyze digital seismic data of a region with respect to a structural feature of a geologic region; analyzing at least a portion of the digital seismic data using the trained machine model to generate results; and outputting the results as indicators of spatial locations of the structural feature of the geologic region.

Methods and systems, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium can be used for identifying primary-wave (P-wave) and secondary-wave (S-wave) characteristics of an underground formation by separating P-wave and S-wave modes of seismic data generated by applying a seismic source to a subterranean region of a geological area. Particle motion vectors of a P-wave are parallel to a propagation vector of the P-wave, whereas particle motion vectors of an S-wave are perpendicular to a propagation vector of the S-wave. The parallel and perpendicular relationship between the motion and propagation vectors of the respective P- and S-waves provide a basis for separating P- and S-wave components from a wavefield. The separation methodology extracts P-wave components and S-wave components from the wavefield based on an estimated angle between propagation vectors and wave motion vectors for the wavefield.

The present invention belongs to the field of treatment for data identification and recording carriers, and specifically relates to a method and system for evaluating the filling characteristics of a deep paleokarst reservoir through well-to-seismic integration, which aims to solve the problems that by adopting the existing petroleum exploration technology, the reservoir with fast lateral change cannot be predicted, and the development characteristics of a carbonate cave type reservoir in a large-scale complex basin cannot be identified. The method comprises: acquiring data of standardized logging curves; obtaining a high-precision 3D seismic amplitude data body by mixed-phase wavelet estimation and maximum posteriori deconvolution and enhancing diffusion filtering. According to the method and the system, the effect of identifying the development characteristics of the carbonate karst cave type reservoir in the large-scale complex basin can be achieved, and the characterization precision is improved.