Seismic and exploration
Seismic and exploration technologies fulfil a range of operators’ objectives, in particular they:
- allow for exploration in frontier areas and deeper/ more complex prospects
- de-risk more complex discoveries for their cost effective development
- extend/optimise hydrocarbon recovery from legacy fields
Leading operators are directly involved in the development of technologies for seismic and exploration, often considering this a source of competitive advantage
Industry insights
- Combining high-resolution 3D broadband and the latest inversion techniques enables to better illuminate and de-risk UKCS targets (e.g. Pre-Zechstein, and injectites)
- Ocean bottom nodes are useful for sub-basalt imaging and near-infrastructure shoots (e.g. 4D), however this technology is still expensive
- Majority of these technologies are provided by the supply chain and the primary drive should be to ensure a more widespread usage of what is available
- Key areas of technology developments aim at reducing the cost and footprint of survey equipment (low cost, and permanent ocean bottom acquisition
- In addition, Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to deliver a significant reduction in seismic analysis cycle-time (potentially allowing real-time, simultaneous modelling)
- Combination of different types of surveys to improve subsurface imaging is not widespread on the UKCS, and this may be an opportunity further enabled by AI
Technology categories
Technology maturity
- 3D broadband
- Wide and multi-azimuth
- Ocean-bottom acquisition
- Latest inversion techniques
- Time-lapse (4D) seismic
- Low-cost OBNs, permanent and sea bottom sources
- Artificial intelligence for (real-time) processing
- Advanced interpretation integrating rock-physics and multiple surveys