US 11,815,640 B2
Method of analysing seismic data to detect hydrocarbons
Øyvind Skjæveland, Stavanger (NO); and Matteo Ravasi, Nesttun (NO)
Assigned to EQUINOR ENERGY AS, Stavanger (NO)
Appl. No. 17/413,619
Filed by EQUINOR ENERGY AS, Stavanger (NO)
PCT Filed Dec. 18, 2019, PCT No. PCT/NO2019/050281
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 14, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/130845, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1820606 (GB), filed on Dec. 18, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0057537 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. G01V 1/30 (2006.01); G01N 33/24 (2006.01)
CPC G01V 1/302 (2013.01) [G01N 33/241 (2013.01); G01V 1/307 (2013.01); G01V 2210/1234 (2013.01); G01V 2210/512 (2013.01); G01V 2210/632 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of prospecting for hydrocarbons, the method comprising:
analysing seismic data to determine a possible location of hydrocarbons by determining a set of data tiles from a seismic data cube of seismic data; and
testing each data tile in the set of data tiles to determine whether it corresponds to a possible fluid contact;
wherein determining a set of data tiles from a seismic data cube of seismic data comprises:
(i) defining a sub-cube with a lateral size of a tile and comprising a plurality of traces;
(ii) selecting a tile candidate in the sub-cube, the tile candidate having an associated depth and dip;
(iii) summing all of the traces in the sub-cube into a single trace along the dip;
(iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii) for all tile candidates in the sub-cube;
(v) confirming a tile candidate as a tile if the summed single trace shows a local amplitude maximum with respect to depth and dips; and
(vi) if a tile candidate is confirmed as a tile, storing the tile in a memory;
the method further comprising:
outputting a set of possible locations of hydrocarbons corresponding to one or more locations of fluid contacts; and
drilling for hydrocarbons at at least one of, or at a location within, the output set of locations.