Can seismic be improved?
Feature Articles, Aug 03 2009 (Digital Energy Journal)


There’s no better tool than seismic for finding gas and oil. But can it be done any better? The fourth OilVoice Forum (now Finding Petroleum forum) in London in June 24 2009 looked at some of the possible ways


Mr.Jack, a past subsurface R+D manager at BP and instigator of its ‘life of field seismic’ project, believes that the best way to improve seismic is to increase the speed seismic surveys are done.


If seismic surveys could be done faster, they could be done cheaper; and both the increased speed and lower price would make it easier to approve decisions to undertake a survey. So more surveys would be done, and both oil companies and vendors would be happy.


Current success


It is important to acknowledge that many parts of the world are currently seeing astounding success rates with the current technology. For example, BP and its partners have had successes for 18 out of its past 19 wells drilled in another area of the world.

ajo