AAPG Seminar – Leeds University Student Chapter

“Into the Abyss – Borehole Seismic Challenges of the Deep” – William Wills, Avalon Sciences, introduces the technology and its application for subsurface seismic mapping and monitoring within deep hostile well environments.

The domain of seismic exploration is fast approaching a new era in technological advancement, with the dynamic and challenging requirements for mapping and monitoring continually increasing as complex, hostile well environments dominate over shallower conventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. The deployment of seismic recording systems (geophones) deep within the well to acquire high resolution data has become common practice over the last few decades. This technology has been dominantly used to complement surface seismic surveying bringing advantages such as noise reduction, immunity from the distorting effects of near-surface rocks, and increased vertical resolution. This talk introduces the evolution of the technology, nomenclature and acquisition methods associated with both downhole Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) and their ‘unconventional’ application for the monitoring of hydraulic-fracture induced micro earthquakes.

William Wills is a staff Geoscientist for Avalon Sciences, Somerset UK where he has been involved globally in the upstream E&P service business for nearly a decade. Will specialises in the acquisition and processing of borehole seismic data, often acquired in some of the deepest reservoir zones in the world. Will is a fellow of the Geological Society of London, and sits on the EAGE technical committee for both Passive Seismic technology and 3D borehole Geophysics.

The Seminar will be from 1700-1800 on Monday 13th March in the Level 8 SOEE Seminar Rooms.

See the Leeds chapter’s facebook page for further information