US 12,320,938 B1
Method for first arrival picking of seismic data
Wail A. Mousa, Dhahran (SA); and Ahmed Abdelmoniem Mohamed Elmak, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Jun. 18, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/747,006.
Int. Cl. G01V 1/30 (2006.01)
CPC G01V 1/30 (2013.01) [G01V 2210/41 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for drilling a hydrocarbon well based on first arrival picking of seismic data, comprising:
by a seismic wave generator arranged at a first position on an Earth surface, generating seismic shot waves, and transmitting the seismic shot waves from the Earth surface into an Earth subsurface;
by a seismic receiver arranged at a second position on the Earth surface, sensing seismic signals from seismic events caused in the Earth subsurface by the seismic shot waves, to obtain a seismic shot record data set;
by a data processing unit,
processing the seismic shot record data set to identify first arrival picks associated with the seismic events, and
using a geological model determined based on the first arrival picks, identifying a drill point of a subterranean hydrocarbon resource, where the geological model provides a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the Earth subsurface in vicinity of the first position; and
by a drilling unit, drilling a hydrocarbon well at the identified drill point,
wherein the step of processing the seismic shot record data set further comprises:
calculating from the seismic shot record data set a plurality of descriptors,
grouping the seismic shot record data set into a plurality of first arrival clusters with a fuzzy c-means and at least one descriptor, and
identifying the first arrival picks from the plurality of first arrival clusters.