Method and system for passive electroseismic surveying

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10378316-B2
Application number	US-201314044469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	Mar 30, 2011
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A method of passive surveying comprises generating one or more detected signals by passively detecting a signal generated within a subsurface earth formation due to a seismoelectric response or an electroseismic response in at least one porous subsurface earth formation containing at least one fluid, and processing the one or more detected signals to determine at least one property of the subsurface earth formation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for subsurface surveying comprising:
one or more of an electromagnetic sensor and a seismic sensor located near or above the surface of the earth, wherein the electromagnetic sensor is configured to detect an electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation in response to a passive-source electromagnetic signal, wherein the electromagnetic signal is generated by an electroseismic or seismoelectric conversion of the passive-source electromagnetic signal and wherein the seismic sensor is configured to detect a seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to a passive-source electromagnetic signal, wherein the seismic signal is generated by an electroseismic or seismoelectric conversion of the passive-source electromagnetic signal;
a processor; and
a memory, wherein the memory includes executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive data corresponding to one or more of the electromagnetic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to the passive-source electromagnetic signal and the seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to the passive-source electromagnetic signal; and
determine at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on one or more of the detected electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation and the detected seismic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that cause the process to determine at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on the detected electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation, further cause the processor to:
perform an autocorrelation on the data corresponding to an electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions that cause the processor to determine the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on the detected seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation further cause the processor to:
perform an autocorrelation on the data corresponding to a seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation is detected at a first time, the seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation is detected at a second time, the first time and the second time are different, and wherein the executable instructions that cause the processor to determine the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on the detected seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation further cause the processor to:
determine the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on a correlation of the detected electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation and the detected seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions further cause the processor to:
demodulate a portion of the electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation to identify a signal property that is indicative of the presence of the hydrocarbons.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation comprises the existence of a subsurface earth formation containing at least one fluid.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one fluid includes at least one hydrocarbon.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one fluid includes helium.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one fluid includes one or more fluids selected from the group consisting of: water and carbon dioxide.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one fluid includes at least one hydrocarbon.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation comprises a depth of a subsurface formation containing at least one fluid.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation comprises a porosity of the subsurface formation containing at least one fluid.

13. A method of survey analysis comprising;
receiving data corresponding to one or more of a electromagnetic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to the passive-source electromagnetic signal and a seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to the passive-source electromagnetic signal, wherein the electromagnetic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to the passive-source electromagnetic signal is detected by an electromagnetic sensor located at or near the surface of the earth and wherein the seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to the passive-source electromagnetic signal is detected by an seismic sensor located at or near the surface of the earth; and
determining at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on one or more of the detected electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation and the seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation in response to the passive-source electromagnetic signal.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on the detected electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation comprises:
performing an autocorrelation on the data corresponding to an electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation comprises the existence of a subsurface earth formation containing at least one fluid.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one fluid includes at least one hydrocarbon.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one fluid includes helium.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on the detected seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation comprises:
performing an autocorrelation on the data corresponding to a seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation is detected at a first time, the seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation is detected at a second time, the first time and the second time are different, and wherein determining the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on the detected seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation further comprises:
determining the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation, based, at least in part, on a correlation of the detected electromagnetic signal generated by a subsurface earth formation and the detected seismic signal generated by the subsurface earth formation.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation comprises a depth of a subsurface formation containing at least one fluid.

21. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one property of the subsurface earth formation comprises

Assignees

• Hunt Energy Entpr Llc
• Es Xplore L L C

Inventors

• Thompson Arthur
• Katz Alan
• England Robert
• Rahman Mohammad
• Devineni Naga P

Classifications

• G01V3/38

  Processing data, e.g. for analysis, for interpretation, for correction · CPC title

• G01V3/12

  operating with electromagnetic waves {(operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005)} · CPC title

• G01V2210/6163

  Electromagnetic · CPC title

• Y10T70/375

  Dead bolt · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title