Recent shallow water North Sea tests bolster claims by seismic acquisition company PGS that its towed electromagnetic (EM) technology could cut the time to acquire EM surveys by up to a factor of five, PGS announced on 8 February 2010.
'Electromagnetic surveys examine the resistivity of sub-surface structures or reservoirs,' PGS said in a release. 'They help oil companies to assess and delineate new and current prospects and reduce risk in prospect ranking. These content indicators complement the structural information visible on seismic data.'
PGS has spent several years developing the towed EM streamer, which the company says offers more accurate information than traditional seismic in shallow waters.
Tests show that 'towed EM has the capability to provide reliable resistivity measurements over shallow targets far faster, and far more efficiently than current node-based solutions,' the company said. 'These results bring full commercial application of this new tool set within striking distance.'
Last year PGS put out a call for industry participants in a joint project to test the system's capabilities in shallow water and increasing depths. 'Depending on industry partners, the company will then tailor the system for a variety of target depths and for use in 4D, reservoir appraisal or exploration,' PGS said.
By: Russell McCulley,
rmcculley@offshore-engineer.com