[vampyregirl]

Geophysicists map underground rock structures by sending seismic waves, basically sounds waves, through the ground. Sensores record the seismic waves and computers process the recordings to create images of rock layers. However these images can miss details. As a result multi million dollar exploration wells sometimes come up dry.
Now the accuracy of seismic imaging could improve thanks to a motion sensor, similair to those found in electronic devices such as a Wii game console. The censor, developed by HP and Shell is 1000 times more sensitive than those found in the Wii and could help find new oil and gas fields more cost effectivly.
In conventional seismic surveys hundreds of kilometres of cable are needed to carry the infromation back to a recording unit but the new sensors are small enough to fit in a radio transmitter and can send the infromation wirelessly, eliminating the need for cable. Eliminating the cable reduces the cost of seismic surveys.
If the sensors are mass produced costs could be reduced even further. They could be deployed in far larger numbers than conventional sensors. Sensors are to seismic processing likepixels to a digital camera. The more there are the higher the image resolution.
If the testing underway is successful, and i hope it is, the wireless sensors could be planted over and exploration area of up to 1,000 square kilometres. They would pick up far more readings than conventional sensors and give us a clearer picture of drilling targets.
This could be revolutionary new technology. Its the brainchild of Dirk Smit, Shell Chief Scientist Geophysics.

[Keith_McClary]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5v9v_Iyvaw

5 minutes from your life. Lots of whizbang graphics.

Shell Chief Scientist for Geophysics, Dirk Smit, discusses how innovative technologies -- sometimes developed in unusual R&D partnerships -- help energy companies to explore for harder-to-find oil and gas resources.

In Shell corporate culture it is radical to suggest that Shell has anything to learn from anyone else.

[ian807]

Geophysicists map underground rock structures by sending seismic waves, basically sounds waves, through the ground. Sensores record the seismic waves and computers process the recordings to create images of rock layers. However these images can miss details. As a result multi million dollar exploration wells sometimes come up dry.
Now the accuracy of seismic imaging could improve thanks to a motion sensor, similair to those found in electronic devices such as a Wii game console. The censor, developed by HP and Shell is 1000 times more sensitive than those found in the Wii and could help find new oil and gas fields more cost effectivly.
In conventional seismic surveys hundreds of kilometres of cable are needed to carry the infromation back to a recording unit but the new sensors are small enough to fit in a radio transmitter and can send the infromation wirelessly, eliminating the need for cable. Eliminating the cable reduces the cost of seismic surveys.
If the sensors are mass produced costs could be reduced even further. They could be deployed in far larger numbers than conventional sensors. Sensors are to seismic processing likepixels to a digital camera. The more there are the higher the image resolution.
If the testing underway is successful, and i hope it is, the wireless sensors could be planted over and exploration area of up to 1,000 square kilometres. They would pick up far more readings than conventional sensors and give us a clearer picture of drilling targets.
This could be revolutionary new technology. Its the brainchild of Dirk Smit, Shell Chief Scientist Geophysics.

Interesting, although I'm not sure it's a breakthrough. We already do some fairly amazing things with seismic data that's quite high resolution. For example, it's now possible to buy software that creates seismic models from small sounds generated by the rocks themselves.

[rockdoc123]

It is pretty difficult to understand what new technology Shell is trying to employ here. We have been using telemetry systems in seismic for some time. From what I can tell they are refining that wireless technique so they can have a greater density of geophones than normally used. I question the benefit of this technology, the reason being that when we normally shoot 3D seismic we do a simulation first which takes into account known seismic wave velocities (from VSP surveys in wells), the structural configuration of the rocks we are tying to image (i.e. salt dome, overthrust etc) and the surface configuration of geophones (which we refer to as bin size). In every case I've been involved in over the past many years we always opted for larger bins (greater geophone spacing) simply because you got as much valuable information for lower cost. Perhaps the advantage Shell is looking for is to get more information for lower cost but it still comes down to how well you can process the data. Having all the signal in the world is only useful if you can do something with it. That requires getting rid of noise (very common) as well as multiples (seismic ringing which occurs as the waves bounce back and forth between "hard" surfaces). All the data in the world will not help you with those two elements in my experience.
I will, however, look around and see if any of the "dike pluggers" have published on this.

[vampyregirl]

It is pretty difficult to understand what new technology Shell is trying to employ here. We have been using telemetry systems in seismic for some time. From what I can tell they are refining that wireless technique so they can have a greater density of geophones than normally used. I question the benefit of this technology, the reason being that when we normally shoot 3D seismic we do a simulation first which takes into account known seismic wave velocities (from VSP surveys in wells), the structural configuration of the rocks we are tying to image (i.e. salt dome, overthrust etc) and the surface configuration of geophones (which we refer to as bin size). In every case I've been involved in over the past many years we always opted for larger bins (greater geophone spacing) simply because you got as much valuable information for lower cost. Perhaps the advantage Shell is looking for is to get more information for lower cost but it still comes down to how well you can process the data. Having all the signal in the world is only useful if you can do something with it. That requires getting rid of noise (very common) as well as multiples (seismic ringing which occurs as the waves bounce back and forth between "hard" surfaces). All the data in the world will not help you with those two elements in my experience.
I will, however, look around and see if any of the "dike pluggers" have published on this.

Are you familair with Wide Azimuth Seismic? Its used in offshore exploration to see under thick layers of salt on the seabed which can distort sound waves. It is becoming more economical now and in 2009-2010 Shell discovered four new fields in the Gulf of Mexico using Wide Angle Seismic. Now there are plans to use robots to place sensors on the sea floor itself, similair to what Shell did in the Parque dos Conchas offshore Brazil where robots were used to install pumps and cables on the deep sea floor.
Innovation is the key.

[rockdoc123]

Azimuthal seismic isn't something new either, many of the seismic companies were pushing this technology 5 years ago. It is useful for salt domes and that is about it. The reason is it allows for imaging below the salt canopy where reservoir traps can exist along the salt wall. It doesn't gain you much anywhere else.
Water is a good trasmitter of seismic energy, there is very little energy lost even in ultra deep water. The seafloor deployment of geophones will eliminate seafloor multiples but those bits of noise can be removed from the data through processing anyway. Not sure I see the value.

[Keith_McClary]

It is pretty difficult to understand what new technology Shell is trying to employ here.

What puzzles me about this, it doesn't look like a technical presentation, a gasoline commercial or a recruiting film. It's not really to inform the audience about spiffy wireless jugs, this technology has merely been selected to illustrate a message.

Who is the target audience and what is the message? A sermon on corporate culture as I suggested above, or just a cheer-leading morale booster effort?

[vampyregirl]

It is pretty difficult to understand what new technology Shell is trying to employ here. We have been using telemetry systems in seismic for some time. From what I can tell they are refining that wireless technique so they can have a greater density of geophones than normally used. I question the benefit of this technology, the reason being that when we normally shoot 3D seismic we do a simulation first which takes into account known seismic wave velocities (from VSP surveys in wells), the structural configuration of the rocks we are tying to image (i.e. salt dome, overthrust etc) and the surface configuration of geophones (which we refer to as bin size). In every case I've been involved in over the past many years we always opted for larger bins (greater geophone spacing) simply because you got as much valuable information for lower cost. Perhaps the advantage Shell is looking for is to get more information for lower cost but it still comes down to how well you can process the data. Having all the signal in the world is only useful if you can do something with it. That requires getting rid of noise (very common) as well as multiples (seismic ringing which occurs as the waves bounce back and forth between "hard" surfaces). All the data in the world will not help you with those two elements in my experience.
I will, however, look around and see if any of the "dike pluggers" have published on this.

Precisely. More infromation at lower cost. Thats the goal.