144 results about "Tectonics" patented technology

A method of producing liquid hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing rock in situ in a geological formation begins with exploring the formation by drilling a plurality of boreholes into the formation and taking core samples of the hydrocarbon-bearing rock and at least one overburden layer. Electrical parameters of the hydrocarbon-bearing rock and the overburden layer are determined, as well as a roughness of a boundary between the hydrocarbon-bearing rock and the at least one overburden layer. These electrical parameters are used to construct a computer model of a portion of the hydrocarbon-bearing rock and at least one overburden layer, the computer model based upon modeling the formation as a rough-walled waveguide. This computer model is used to simulate propagation of radio frequency energy within the hydrocarbon-bearing rock, including simulation of radio frequency wave confinement within the hydrocarbon-bearing rock, at several frequencies and temperatures. A frequency for retorting is selected based upon simulation results. Radio frequency couplers are installed into at least one borehole in the hydrocarbon-bearing rock and driven with radio frequency energy to heat the hydrocarbon-bearing rock. As the rock heats, it releases carbon compounds and these are collected.

A method for producing a substantially calibrated numerical model, which can be used for calculating a stress on any point in a formation, accounts for a formation's geologic history using at least one virtual formation condition to effectively “create” the present-day, virgin stress distribution that correlates, within acceptable deviation limits, to actual field stress measurement data obtained for the formation. A virtual formation condition may describe an elastic rock property (e.g., Poisson ratio, Young's modulus), a plastic rock property (e.g., friction angle, cohesion) and/or a geologic process (e.g., tectonics, erosion) considered pertinent to developing a stratigraphic model suitable for performing the desired stress analysis of the formation.

A method of measuring characteristics of a geologic formation, using the time, energy and spatial spectra of gamma rays induced by an accelerator, which allows (i) the measurement of the photoelectric absorption (Pe) factor of the formation using a gamma-ray spectrum detected from gamma rays induced in the formation, (ii) the calculation of a neutron porosity of the formation using the gamma-ray spectrum, and (iii) the determination of a bulk density of the formation using the spectroscopic measurements. The Pe factor may be inferred by directly mapping the spectroscopic measurements. The porosity may be calculated by relating the gamma-ray spectrum to a hydrogen content of the formation. The density may be determined by computing a gamma diffusion length of the formation based on the gamma-ray spectrum. In addition to these measurements, the resistivity of the formation and its spontaneous potential may also be measured using an electromagnetic induction system.

A method and device for seismic exploration of a subsea geologic formation by pickups set on the sea bottom and intermittently connectable to active data acquisition stations (11) brought nearby. Permanent passive reception stations (1) comprising a heavy pedestal provided with housings for seismic pickups (geophones (6), hydrophone (7)) which receive acoustic or seismic signals from the underlying formation are arranged at the bottom of the water body. When collection sessions for the signals received by the pickups are scheduled, mobile active acquisition stations (11) connected to permanent passive reception stations (1) are positioned at the bottom of the water body. The signals picked up are then recorded, for the time required to carry out at least one session of acquisition and recording of the acoustic or seismic signals received by the passive stations in response to the emission of seismic waves by one or more seismic sources. The mobile active acquisition stations (11) are thereafter recovered at the surface and the records acquired by each one are transferred to a central collection laboratory.

Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to receive radiated energy as scattered energy after the radiated energy interacts with a geologic formation, wherein the scattered energy is received at a sub-surface multi-channel sensor array that operates to transform the scattered energy into received signals, and wherein the radiated energy is provided by a sub-surface source of elastic energy; and to identify discontinuous features in the geologic formation by interferometric comparison of the received signals as elastic signals and/or electromagnetic signals among some sensors in the sensor array, or by time-reversal propagation of the received signals as elastic and/or electromagnetic signals in a numeric model of a volume of the geologic formation. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

A method and apparatus for sensing conditions in a subsurface geologic formation heated for the extraction of hydrocarbons is disclosed. A time domain reflectometer in conjunction with an open wire transmission line is employed in real time to determine impedance discontinuities in the geologic formation. These impedance discontinuities correspond to physical conditions in the geologic formation. The open wire transmission line can include pipes running into the subsurface geologic formation or other conductors, including a split tube well casing. The method may operate in the low frequency window for subsurface electromagnetic propagation.

Utilisation of geothermal energy in depths above 5 km could contribute considerably to resolving the global problems related to a lack of energy and to glasshouse gases from fossil fuels. The invention describes innovative equipment which makes deep holes in geological formations (rock) by disintegrating the soil into blocks carried to the land surface through the excavated hole filled with liquid, using transport modules yielded up by gas buoyancy interaction in the transport module utilising supercavitation. In an opposite direction—by help of negative buoyancy—the necessary energy carriers, materials and components, or entire devices required for rock excavation, are carried to the bottom. The opportunity to transport rock in entire blocks reduces energy consumption considerably, because the rock is disintegrated in the section volumes only. Some of the extracted rock and material carried from the surface is used to make a casing of the hole using a part of the equipment. The equipment also allows the generation of the necessary high pressure of liquid at the bottom of the hole, to increase permeability of adjacent rock. The equipment as a whole allows by its function that there is almost linear dependence between the price and depth (length) of the produced hole (borehole).

A method for surface estimation of reservoir properties, wherein location of and average earth resistivities above, below, and horizontally adjacent to the subsurface geologic formation are first determined using geological and geophysical data in the vicinity of the subsurface geologic formation. Then dimensions and probing frequency for an electromagnetic source are determined to substantially maximize transmitted vertical and horizontal electric currents at the subsurface geologic formation, using the location and the average earth resistivities. Next, the electromagnetic source is activated at or near surface, approximately centered above the subsurface geologic formation and a plurality of components of electromagnetic response is measured with a receiver array. Geometrical and electrical parameter constraints are determined, using the geological and geophysical data. Finally, the electromagnetic response is processed using the geometrical and electrical parameter constraints to produce inverted vertical and horizontal resistivity depth images. Optionally, the inverted resistivity depth images may be combined with the geological and geophysical data to estimate the reservoir fluid and shaliness properties.

The invention relates to a post-stack earthquake wave impedance inversion method and belongs to the technical field of geophysical exploration. The method comprises the steps of: extracting earthquake wavelets by means of data processing; establishing well-earthquake time depth relations of all wells in a work area to be inversed; calibrating the reflection position of each lithologic interface on an earthquake profile; generating wave impedance curves of time domains of all the wells, and carrying out decompaction correction on the wave impedance curves; establishing a geological construction framework model and an earthquake wave impedance inversion initial model of the work area to be inversed; and finally carrying out post-stack earthquake wave impedance inversion on the earthquake wave impedance inversion initial model of the work area to be inversed, and obtaining a decompaction wave impedance inversion result. The post-stack earthquake wave impedance inversion method effectively eliminates the lithology identification multi-solution influence of a compaction effect of stratum deposition on the earthquake wave impedance, the wave impedance data obtained by inversion can practically and vertically reflect the stratum deposition rhythm changes and can practically and transversely reflect the lithology changes, so that the exploration disposition of an oil field is well guided.

The invention discloses a method for blocking underground water, and belongs to the field of building operations. The method comprises the steps that geologic structures of water burst sections and water discharging characteristics of water burst points are obtained; according to the obtained geologic structures of the water burst sections and the obtained water discharging characteristics of the water burst points, split-flow pressure relief vents are distributed in the water discharging points of which the single points are greater than a first preset value; according to the obtained geologic structures of the water burst sections and the obtained water discharging characteristics of the water burst points, grouting and water blocking holes are distributed in the water discharging points of which the single points are smaller than a second preset value. By the adoption of the technology of reasonable design, simple process and easy construction, selective water blocking penetrating through high-pressure and large-flow rich water areas in tunnels and underground constructions can be achieved, and normal construction of the tunnels and the underground constructions is ensured.

The invention relates to an original state sampling method for constructed fractured rock mass, which aims at solving the technical problems that the original state structure of the constructed fractured rock mass is easily damaged under disturbance of the conventional sampling appliance, and the representative sample required by indoor research of a microstructure for a key geological structure is difficult to acquire. According to the technical scheme, the method comprises the following steps: a. drilling an observation hole in a shallow surface layer on which a rock sample to be sampled is positioned by using a drilling machine; b. putting positioning and imaging equipment in the observation hole for acquiring the geological structure position and physical characteristic information of the hole wall gap in the observation hole; c. positioning and plugging hole sections with complete rock mass or containing sparse fractures only in the observation hole by employing the plugging guide equipment according to information in the step b; d. injecting the epoxy resin curing agent glue solution into a reserved section in the observation hole, so as to inject the glue solution to the preset position along the dense fractures or fractured gaps of the reserved section under impact of high-pressure gas; e. reaming or continuously drilling the indoor analytical rock samples after the glue solution wholly reaches the bonding strength.

An ultrasonic fracking system and methods of using the same to extract hydrocarbons from underground geological formations (e.g., oil shale, coal beds, etc.) are disclosed. The system includes piezoelectric devices that are used to produce ultrasonic mechanical vibrations and induce fractures in the geological formations. In one embodiment, a system for extracting underground hydrocarbons comprises a plurality of piezoelectric devices capable of producing mechanical waves sufficient to fracture oil shale and other geological formations, a system of delivery for innocuous proppants to create a path of least resistance for enhanced hydrocarbon flow, and a vacuum pump connected to the fractures created by the piezoelectric devices to assist in removing the hydrocarbons.

The invention relates to a coal mine working face detecting method with cutting vibration as a seismic signal. The coal mine working face detecting method with the cutting vibration as the seismic signal comprises the following steps: (1) data acquisition, (2) data processing, and (3) data interpretation: by directly using a transmission coefficient, large tectonic faults, such as wrong coal seam faults and collapse columns which can block trough wave transmission, can be judged; according to an CT (computed tomography) image, collapse columns, old kiln laneway and the like which cannot block a trough wave but can cause change of the wave speed can be confined; and a tectonic interpretation diagram of a working face can be comprehensively drawn. After adoption of the method, the coal mining operation is not disturbed; a detector is installed on the side wall of a laneway, without any influence on normal operation of a coal mine; during data acquisition, the coal mining operation is not required to be interrupted; a seismic source is high in energy and free of noise; when a coal mining machine cuts a coal seam, a strong seismic wave is emitted and can also be accumulated through superposition within a certain time period; the energy is high because a strong noise is converted into a strong signal; and an obtained single shot record is very clear, almost without any noise.

The invention discloses a quantitative prediction method of the clastic rock aquifer water yield property of a working seam roof and floor. The method comprises the following steps of: (1) determining main control factors of the clastic rock aquifer water yield property; (2) determining roof and floor rock stratum disturbance ranges caused by coal seam exploitation; (3) evaluating deposition characteristics of a researched area; (4) carrying out quantitative evaluation on the geological construction complexity degree of the researched area; (5) construction a lithological structure-geological construction prediction model, and comprehensively evaluating the clastic rock aquifer water yield property; and (6) carrying out scientific division and quantitative evaluation on the clastic rock aquifer water yield property. The method provided by the invention overcomes the defect that former people fail to effectively evaluates the clastic rock aquifer water yield property under the condition of deficient hydrogeology data.

The invention discloses a true surface relief prestack depth domain two-way wave imaging method, which specifically comprises the following steps of: (1) acquiring the true surface elevation of a plane with seismic single-shot data by taking the form of a relief surface datum as a basis; (2) redefining a To value, and correcting a speed model; (3) constructing source wavelets, realizing the forward modeling of a source wave field by adopting an optimized difference method, and applying a true surface boundary condition; and (4) performing regular reverse time extrapolation on recorded data along a time direction, applying the relief surface boundary condition, and performing a seismic wave field correlation to acquire a depth domain seismic image. According to the method, the depth domain wave field extrapolation and imaging of the recorded data on a true surface are realized, so that the shortcomings of wave field distortion and untruthful structural form caused by a high surface elevation difference in the conventional technologies can be overcome, and an accurate seismic image and a true geological structural form can be obtained under a complex surface condition.

The invention discloses an automatic geological construction constraint chromatography inversion method. The method includes the following steps: extracting observation data; through the observation data, conducting back propagation in an initial speed model, carrying out prestack depth migration, and obtaining an initial migration profile; automatically extracting attributes of a stratigraphic texture from the initial migration profile; on the basis of the observation data, the initial speed model and the attributes of the stratigraphic texture, establishing a constraint chromatography equation set through ray tracking or through a sensitive kernel function; and carrying out iterative inversion to solve the speed update amount, updating the speed model, and then obtaining a final speed model after updating. The whole chromatography inversion iteration process is fully automatic and needs no human intervention, so the efficiency of an entire speed estimation process is increased, the human workload is reduced and the processing period is shortened. Underground geological inclination angles are introduced to constraint the speed model, so the speed model obtained through inversion is high in precision and satisfies requirements of subsequent migration imaging.