OSC - OSCorr

Overburden Seismic Correction Ltd (OSC) has developed a technique that compensates for the effect of buried channels and canyons that distort the seismic time response obtained when acquiring seismic data. Their software, OSCorr, allows them to automate this process to give exploration companies a more accurate view of the area to be drilled.

OSC identified that there was a gap in the market for a desktop application, as Tom Armstrong, Director explains, "The project began when my colleague John McAteer and I wrote a paper discussing how to resolve the issue of velocity anomalies effecting seismic surveys. We recognised that there was no existing software out there that would give companies the means to address the problem in an efficient and cost-effective manner and after waiting for one to come on the market we decided to create it ourselves."

Since OSC are not software developers they commissioned Codify to create the software on their behalf.

Seismic surveys are used by exploration companies to determine where to drill and to forecast the hydrocarbon volume a field or prospect may hold. Velocity anomalies can exist in overlying layers and cause distortion in the seismic image of the reservoir.

Codify worked closely with OSC to understand the concepts behind overburden seismic correction. The project team then designed and developed a Windows application using .NET to carry out a series of calculations to compensate for the time distorting anomalies. OSCorr presents the results graphically for quality control and analysis and allows data export of the correction surface to other mapping packages for use in a subsurface interpretation workflow.

Previously it was a time consuming process to apply the overburden seismic correction calculations to large data sets. OSCorr has rectified this and allows OSC to provide cost-effective consultancy services addressing time distorting anomalies.

OSCorr's results improve the depth prediction to target horizons by quantifying the effect of the overburden anomalies in a rigorous and repeatable fashion. This in turn leads to more confidence in the predicted depth prior to drilling. The software also allows OSC to simulate different velocity scenarios which was something that could not be addressed easily before the software was developed.

The effect of velocity anomalies on seismic data is a very specialist subject as John McAteer, Director explains, "We brought this problem to Codify knowing it was a specialist area involving both seismic acquisition and processing knowhow. We were both surprised and pleased with how quickly Codify picked up and understood what we were trying to achieve and their ability to translate it into working software."

John adds, "The team is always helpful and enthusiastic and easy to work with. The end result is exactly what we had envisaged and is helping us to help our customers by providing a faster, more efficient way of increasing the accuracy of their drilling."