Patent · US Expired

Process for interpreting faults from a fault-enhanced 3-dimensional seismic attribute volume

US7069149B2 · kind B2 · utility

98Cited by
12References
88Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 14, 2001
Grant dateJun 27, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 6, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01V1/30
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A computer implemented method for interpreting faults from a fault-enhanced 3-D seismic attribute cube. The method includes the steps of extracting faults from a 3-D seismic attribute cube, and of calculating a minimum path value for each voxel of the 3-D seismic attribute cube. A fault network skeleton is extracted from the 3-D seismic attribute cube by utilizing the minimum path values which correspond to voxels within the 3-D seismic attribute cube. The individual fault networks are then labeled, and a vector description of the fault network skeleton is created. The fault network skeleton is subdivided into individual fault patches wherein the individual fault patches are the smallest, non-intersecting, non-bifurcating patches that lie on only one geologic fault. The individual fault patches are then correlated into a representation of geologic faults.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.