High-density land seismic acquisition is fast becoming a core area of energy exploration, as the world’s demand for energy continues to grow. The seismic method uses sources and receivers at various locations to generate and record seismic waves that travel within the earth’s crust. The recorded seismic data is vital in many industries as they navigate a new era of land seismic acquisition, such as oil and gas, geothermal, mining and civil engineering.
However, there are a number of challenges associated with land seismic acquisition - from the financial cost involved, to the variety of difficult terrains crews are expected to endure in pursuit of high resolution seismic data.
In this blog post, we caught up with Carlos Duque, one of STRYDE’s experienced Geophysical Advisors, and asked him to share 5 of the major challenges companies are facing when it comes to land seismic acquisition, as well as solutions to how these obstacles can be overcome using our innovative nodal technology…
1. Difficult environmental conditions impacting the logistics of land seismic acquisition
“A key challenge when it comes to land seismic acquisition is the fact that seismic surveys are often conducted in regions with harsh conditions and difficult terrain. These types of projects typically require a lot of people, planning, management of resources, vehicles, and this presents a lot of logistical issues in terms of the challenging environments in which data is usually acquired. Crews are up against rocky mountains, undulating hills, expansive deserts and dense forests or jungles, and typically have to navigate this with bulky or heavy pieces of seismic equipment.
“This means the operation becomes much more complicated before seismic data can even be gathered, due to the risks involved in using high-energy sources and deploying seismic sensors within difficult terrain. As a result, this makes the project increasingly expensive by applying more resources to mitigate against these risks, and added logistical requirements to manage and transport the equipment, whilst complying with strict safety protocols to reduce exposure to HSE risk.
“At STRYDE, our innovative system and easily transportable nodal technology has enabled over 130 seismic surveys on land, in over 30 countries to date. A STRYDE Node™ is by far the lightest node on the market, weighing just 150g, which has made it easier to conduct these crucial seismic surveys to take place across a broad spectrum of some of the most challenging terrains, such as desert, tundra, urban areas, farmland, forests, jungles, mountains, foothills and roadsides.”
2. Slow deployment of equipment
“Land seismic acquisition requires a lot of high density data to form accurate conclusions, and to de-risk investment decisions. However, as the data quality and density increases, more time is required to process and analyse it effectively. This makes it even more of a priority to be able to deploy equipment quickly and efficiently, to reduce the overall time spent on a project, and the associated costs.
“If crews are expected to transport and deploy high volumes of heavy equipment, this will slow down the process and, given the amount of people and resources already involved, the cost will rapidly increase if the project faces any unnecessary delays such as slow deployment.
“Unlike vast lengths of cables, our miniature node can be deployed quickly and efficiently in the tens of thousands, covering extremely large areas of land and gathering high quality data in much less time than ever experienced before. Additionally, by leveraging the power of high-trace density and superior performance computing in our data processing solutions, we can get access to the subsurface image much quicker than previous conventional methods.”
3. Surface noise interfering with data quality
“Having surface noise present can be a key challenge for seismic imaging. Factors such as wind, animals, electrical cables, aircraft and other mechanical equipment can become predominant noise sources while gathering seismic data, and can have a direct impact on the quality of data gathered as a result. Seismic data quality can also be compromised by a number of additional factors, type of the seismic source, the placement and spacing of geophones, and the quality and sequences of seismic data processing.
“Poor quality data can lead to incorrect interpretations and may result in costly investment mistakes or missed exploration targets, so having high quality source equipment, sophisticated sensor technology and qualified people who are skilled in data processing methods that eliminate noise in the seismic data is crucial to increasing the reliability and quality of the delivered results.
“Our land seismic acquisition technology has been cleverly designed to be low-cost,
lightweight and easy to transport on foot, which allows crews to deploy more sensors to gather information from more data points and therefore increase the reliability and quality of the data acquired. STRYDE Nodes™ offer a highly effective method of gathering high quality land seismic data.”
4. Financial cost of land seismic acquisition
“Seismic acquisition programs typically require a significant amount of human and financial resources, and with the demands on land seismic data density increasing in today’s modern world, it is becoming more costly for companies to acquire the data they need to make informed decisions.
“Cost is always an issue in every industry and every project, budgets are always limited and managers are always going to ask if something can be done cheaper, better, faster, or safer for people and the environment.
“At STRYDE, our low-cost seismic nodes have revolutionised land seismic acquisition for a number of industries, by providing a cost effective solution without compromising on the quality of data. Significant cost savings have been achieved for our customers through a number of related factors - from the number of crew members and equipment required, to logistics and project time.
“To enable even more cost savings and efficiency gains during the survey itself, we have developed three separate, highly compact nodal systems which have scalable receiver systems for all survey sizes and types. These systems are designed to rotate large quantities of nodes, with minimal operator requirements.”
5. Environmental impact of land seismic acquisition
“As with any form of exploration, there comes an inherent responsibility to protect the chosen location in which data is being gathered, especially in today’s society where climate change and environmental impact of industrial operations are becoming a core concern around the world.
“Previously, land seismic acquisition was highly disruptive for the immediate environment, as equipment was very heavy, required a lot of cables, a lot of people and vehicles for transporting them and the need to clear vast areas to make roads or lines for cables to lay and for source vehicles to operate.
“Nowadays, companies have to comply with strict conditions around managing environmental footprint, especially when locations are deemed as environmentally sensitive areas. There are often a range of regulations and permits required around land seismic acquisition, and it can sometimes be perceived as invasive by local communities. As a result, it can be difficult for crews to get access to areas they wish to gather data in if they don’t have the right equipment.
“Our ability to provide small and lightweight sensor technology means that a greater number of nodes can be transported on foot by one person, reducing the amount of land disruption significantly. STRYDE Nodes™ allow companies to acquire high-density seismic and superior subsurface imaging, enabling them to drastically improve their geological understanding while limiting their environmental impact and reliance on source operations.”
To find out more about land seismic acquisition and how STRYDE’s innovative nodal technology can help you gather higher quality data quickly and efficiently click here.