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Shell and HP advance wireless seismic

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Tests conducted by Shell and HP on the capability of their jointly developed inertial sensing technology to shoot and record seismic data has proved its ability to acquire high sensitivity low noise data.

The sensing technology has now been demonstrated to have a noise floor – a measure of the smallest detectable acceleration over a range of frequencies – of 10 nano-g per square root Hertz (ng/rtHz), which is equal to the noise created by the earth’s ocean waves at the quietest locations on earth as defined by the Peterson Low Noise Model. The tests were conducted in the seismic testing vault at the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory facility in New Mexico.

“This new sensing milestone is the latest step in the collaboration between HP and Shell, which is on track to produce a leap forward in onshore seismic data quality to improve the exploration risk evaluation and decisions, illustrating the industry-wide benefits that can be achieved through cross-company innovation,” said Rich Duncombe, senior strategist, Technology Development Organization, Imaging and Printing Group, HP.

At the test facility, HP was able to compare the seismic response of the new sensor side by side with a USGS reference sensor when an earthquake occurred in the Gulf of California during the testing period. The signal from the reference sensor was matched by the new sensor down to 25 mHz, verifying the sensor’s response at low frequencies.

The system will be delivered by HP Enterprise Services and the company’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG). It is based in part on the high-performance sensing technology originally co-developed by HP Labs – the company’s central research arm – along with IPG and Shell research in seismic network design.

Associated Companies
» Royal Dutch Shell plc
» HP

External Links
» HP
» Shell

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