Business news for the week of 26 April 2012 News section front Past news briefs Seismic crew survey reports

TGS commences second onshore multiclient 3D seismic survey in Kansas

17 April 2012 - TGS has commenced acquisition of the Wellington multiclient 3D onshore survey in the United States. The project covers 161 mi²(416 km²) and is located in Sumner County in Kansas. 

The Wellington seismic program is designed to illuminate the Mississippi Lime Play in southern Kansas. This survey complements the previously announced Bucklin survey and both were designed to provide valuable information needed to enhance the exploration and development of the oil rich Mississippi Lime Play. The Wellington survey is being acquired utilizing a high channel count vibroseis crew. Final deliverable products will be processed through prestack time migration.

Data will be available to clients in late 2012. 

 

Study amplifies understanding of hearing in baleen whales

17 April 2012 - The first successful study of intact baleen whale heads has been conducted. Lead author Maya Yamato, a graduate student in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography, received seven heads of minke whales that stranded and died, mostly on beaches on Cape Cod. She collaborated with the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) Marine Mammal Rescue and Research unit in Yarmouth Port, Mass.

The whale heads were scanned using computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the Computerized Scanning and Imaging (CSI) lab at WHOI and MRI facility at Massachusetts Ear and Eye Infirmary in Boston. Using these biomedical techniques, the researchers generated 3D visualizations of the whales' internal anatomy, with both bones and soft tissue intact and in their undisturbed natural positions.

Then the whale heads were dissected in the necropsy facility at the Marine Mammal Center at WHOI. Together, the studies showed that all the minke whales had "a large, well-formed fat body" connecting to the ears, providing a potential transmission pathway guiding sound from the environment to their inner ears.

Also collaborating on the study were Julie Arruda and Scott Cramer at the CSI and Kathleen Moore of IFAW.

This research was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a WHOI Ocean Life Institute Graduate Fellowship, the Joint Industry Program, the Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Navy.

 

Dolphin to acquire seismic processing software company

Dolphin Group ASA through its subsidiary Dolphin Geophysical (US) has purchased the entire stock of Open Geophysical Inc. (OGI).

OGI develops and sells seismic processing software and has an existing client base including both major oil companies and seismic contractors. The software is purpose built for modern computer architectures and has a leading graphical user interface. It thus provides users with an efficient, cost effective, and easy to use seismic processing platform. The newly developed software is already being used on the Polar Duchess for real time quality control of acquired data with impressive performance and in Dolphin's new processing centre established in London.

All Dolphin vessels will be upgraded to the OGI software over the coming months. It will be used for on-board fast-track, proprietary processing on the Duchess in the near future and to produce a high-end, fast-track product on all future multiclient projects.

 

WesternGeco expands marine broadband offering with ObliQ technology

23 April 2012 - WesternGeco introduced ObliQ sliding-notch broadband acquisition and imaging technique, which enhances low-frequency content of marine seismic data without compromising high frequencies.

The ObliQ technique increases the penetration depth of seismic imaging and helps geoscientists extract rock properties from seismic data. Optimized seismic bandwidth is achieved by combining variable streamer depth acquisition with a proprietary deghosting methodology and a newly developed broadband seismic source. This proprietary processing approach is applied early in the sequence, making the data suitable for both time- and depth-domain analysis.

Enabled by the Q-Marine point receiver marine seismic system, the ObliQ technique can also be used with other WesternGeco technologies such as coil shooting and dual-coil shooting full-azimuth acquisition to combine broad bandwidth with full-azimuth, long-offset acquisition. This combination is particularly important for imaging below complex structures such as subsalt and sub basalt.

 

Sander Geophysics acquires another B3 helicopter

24 April 2012 - Sander Geophysics (SGL) has taken delivery of a second Eurocopter AS350 B3 helicopter to support SGL's airborne geophysical services. This modern turbine helicopter joins SGL's existing fleet of specially modified airplanes and helicopters. Founded in 1956, Sander Geophysics has grown to be the largest independently owned airborne survey company in the world. SGL flies airborne geophysical surveys worldwide for petroleum and mineral exploration, and for geological and environmental mapping.

The Eurocopter AS350 B3 is a modern high-performance light helicopter with a Turbomeca Arriel turbine engine and an unrivalled safety record. Further enhancing safety, SGL's new B3 has a dual hydraulic system and a full FADEC engine control and monitoring system. This aircraft will be operated under SGL's Canadian Air Operator Certificate.

Sander Geophysics' engineers are currently modifiying the new helicopter for survey operations, including provision for a stinger for magnetic surveying and cabin alterations for radiometric surveying. The addition of SGL's AirGrav airborne gravity system will provide a unique suite of geophysical survey systems for mineral and petroleum exploration. This helicopter is well suited to hot and high altitude conditions, and any operations with heavy load requirements.

SGL now owns and operates 17 aircraft, all modified for airborne geophysical surveying.

 

Schlumberger acquires GEDCO

25 April 2012 - Schlumberger has acquired GEDCO, a Calgary-based provider of integrated geophysical survey design software and services. The group will become part of the WesternGeco business unit.

GEDCO has developed OMNI 3D and VISTA, a flexible 2D/3D seismic data processing package. The group also offers consulting services for 2D and 3D seismic and vertical seismic profile solutions from design through interpretation.