Method and system of calculating hypocenters of microseismic events
AssigneePGS Geophysical AS
InventorsAlexander V. Goertz, Joseph Richardson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Calculating hypocenters of microseismic events. At least some of the example embodiments are methods including: detecting seismic waves from a microseismic event, the detecting by a sensor array disposed on a seafloor, the microseismic event originating in a formation below the sensor array, and the detecting creates received data; separating the received data into up-going data and down-going data, the down-going data indicative of detected seismic waves after a first reflection of the seismic waves at a sea surface; and calculating a hypocenter of the microseismic event using both the up-going data and the first down-going data.
Claims18
A method comprising:
- detecting seismic waves from a microseismic event, the detecting by a sensor array disposed on a seafloor, each sensor of the sensor array having a hydrophone and a particle motion detector, the microseismic event originating in a formation below the sensor array, and the detecting creates received data;
- separating, by a computer system, the received data into up-going data and first down-going data, the first down-going data indicative of detected seismic waves after a first reflection of the seismic waves at a sea surface;
- and
- calculating, by a computer system, a hypocenter of the microseismic event using both the up-going data and the first down-going data.
A system comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory coupled to the processor;
- wherein the memory stores a program that, when executed by the processor causes the processor to:
- read event data indicative of a microseismic event, the event data detected by a sensor array disposed on a seafloor;
- separate the event data into up-going data and first down-going data, the first down-going data indicative of seismic waves after a first reflection of the seismic waves at a sea surface;
- and
- calculate a hypocenter of the microseismic event using both the up-going data and the first down-going data.
A method of generating a geophysical data product comprising:
- detecting seismic waves from microseismic events, the detecting by a sensor array disposed on a seafloor, the microseismic event originating in a formation below the sensor array, and the detecting creates received data;
- for each microseismic event:
- separating, by a computer system, the received data into up-going data and first down-going data, the first down-going data indicative of detected seismic waves after a first reflection of the seismic waves at a sea surface;
- and
- calculating, by a computer system, a hypocenter of the microseismic event using both the up-going data and the down-going data;
- and
- processing the hypocenter for each microseismic to generate a geophysical data product comprising the hypocenter for each microseismic event.
A method of generating a geophysical data product, the method comprising:
- obtaining geophysical data;
- processing the geophysical data to generate the geophysical data product,
- wherein obtaining further comprises
- detecting seismic waves from microseismic events, the detecting by a sensor array disposed on a seafloor, the microseismic event originating in a formation below the sensor array;
- and wherein the processing comprises
- separating the received data into up-going data and first down-going data, the first down-going data indicative of detected seismic waves after a first reflection of the seismic waves at a sea surface;
- and
- calculating a hypocenter of the microseismic event using both the up-going data and the down-going data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.