6 - Kuwait Oil Company

Internal Report
Global
Single
Sensor
Acquisition
and
Processing:
Past,
Present
and Future
Adel El-Emam
TPL Senior
Specialist,
Geophysical
Solution Team
Kuwait Oil Company and
the Society of Exploration
Geophysicists recently
co-hosted the first ever
industry workshop around
the single sensor theme.
The workshop, which
was held at the Regency
Hotel in Kuwait, lasted
three days and discussions
focused on three main
areas: case histories,
current challenges and
the most promising
trends for the future.
Single sensor technology,
which is now widely
used, refers to recording
and processing seismic
data through the use of
individual geophones
(ground motion captors).
Single sensor technology
stands in contrast to the
conventional approach
of summing the signals
recorded by a number
of receivers electrically
connected (arrays).
In preparation for the
industry workshop, a
technical committee
was formed from ten
experts representing six
major companies; KOC,
CGGVeritas, Aramco,
BP, WesternGeco and
ADNOC. KOC was
represented by four
members and the
committee was led by
Ahmad Jaber Al-Eidan,
Manager, Exploration
Group. The main duties
of the committee were
planning and design of
the technical sessions,
including the technical
themes, selection of
the key note speakers
and evaluating and
sorting the submitted
technical papers.
The workshop activities
were commenced with a
pre-workshop site visit,
where approximately 200
invitees and dignitaries
were presented with
information regarding
the state of the art 2D
single sensor survey in
North Kuwait, where the
WesternGeco crew that is
operating in coordination
with KOC uses 220,000
life channels, the highest
ever used in the industry.
The event in North Kuwait
was inaugurated by KOC
Chairman and Managing
Director Sami Al-Rushaid.
During the event, KOC
Exploration Group
employees presented their
accumulated experience
in 3D seismic acquisition
and processing in
view of the exploration
challenges in terms of the
unconventional depths,
sizes, and potential
traps found within the
reservoirs in question.
The workshop itself
was attended by more
than 120 international
professionals who
represented a wide
spectrum of more than
30 regional as well
as international oil
companies and service
providers. From the outset,
the KOC Exploration
Manager’s opening
speech motivated the
attendants to contribute
by sharing experiences
and ideas that push
the envelope of current
and future technology
applications so as to
glean the most value from
having so many industry
experts and distinguished
guests in one place.
In addition, the workshop
served as a forum where
26 technical papers were
presented and discussed
at length. Four advanced
technical papers were
presented by KOC
geoscientists, and the titles
of these papers were:
1. What Is The Role Of
Single Sensor And
Broadband Technology
In Exploration and
Development
2. Single-Sensor
Technology: Story of
Success from Kuwait
3. Scope For Improvement
In Single Sensor Data
Processing In Kuwait:
An Interpreter’s View.
4. Near-Surface
Characterization
through Simultaneous
Joint Inversion of
Surface Waves and
Refracted Waves.
40
April - June 2013