The activities surrounding oil and gas discovery are expensive and continuous, and to optimize efforts, organizations rely on geophysical data to determine their likelihood of success.
Why is seismic data so critical? There are several key factors. Despite years of field experience, reservoir extraction rates for the industry are often dismal, and sometimes reach as low as 15% percent. So number one, accurate data is key to determining what an undersea or ground well might hold. There is also an important safety aspect, as obtaining regular seismic data can detect worker threats, including early detection of possible underground tremors, rock settlements and even gas leaks which could spell disaster for onsite crews.
Traditional data acquisition can be difficult and costly
Geophones and Distributed Acoustic Sensors have been used for decades, yet have several distinct flaws. In rugged downhole environments, geophones require frequent maintenance due to their complex design and exposed mechanical packaging. This means they often have limited service life, particularly in temperatures above 150C which prevent permanent or even long-term deployments. Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) can be used in some cases instead of traditional geophone systems. And while they appear economical and easy to deploy, they lack a 3C vector signal making it difficult to obtain consistently high-quality seismic data.
How optical processing is changing the data extraction game
MagiQ Technologies has been innovating across many industries by exploiting optical processing versus traditional electronic approaches. Similar to traditional seismic monitoring solutions, our GeoLite Sensors are used for downhole monitoring but with critical differences. Not only are they thinner with fewer exposed parts to break or overheat, but their 3C fiber optic design adds three measurement components to boost sensitivity. With the machinery and data acquisition electronics remaining above ground, GeoLite Sensors require less maintenance and fewer replacements.
GeoLite Sensors are a universal tool string designed to simplify deployments and reduce operational costs. The key innovation of GeoLite Sensors is a small diameter (1.8″), rugged optical seismic/microseismic sensor array. All GeoLite Sensor elements are contained within an innovative umbilical housing, without joints or mechanical elements exposed to the harsh down hole environments. The passive architecture reduces complexity by keeping necessary electronics on the surface where they can be easily serviced and maintained. MagiQ’s 3C optical sensor arrays are extremely sensitive even at low frequencies. This means that they not only determine noise location, but can even eliminate noise and vibrations created by the machinery itself. This is something that traditional DAS systems simply can’t do.
Interested in learning more? Read our recent news announcement describing our solution and testing initiatives here https://www.magiqtech.com/magiq-technologies-announces-strategic-new-hires-and-successful-seismic-field-test-takes-aim-at-changing-the-energy-extraction-game/
Or visit our product page to read more about GeoLite Sensors https://www.magiqtech.com/solutions/energy-exploration/