Shearwater unveils seismic source technology for deeper imaging

Norwegian seismic exploration company Shearwater GeoServices has unveiled a new seismic source technology for enhanced subsurface characterization known as Harmony.

The technology provides seismic surveys with enhanced low frequencies enabling better decisions for exploration, development, and carbon storage monitoring applications, Shearwater said.

According to the company, Harmony has multiple applications, as it provides deeper seismic imaging, more realistic models of the earth’s subsurface, and more precise estimation of the reservoir properties for 3D and 4D applications.

The technology is said to have already attracted significant interest in the market with positive feedback from clients that are already testing it.

“We believe Harmony represents a significant upgrade to the quality of seismic data which will allow more accurate generation of models and images of the sub-surface and more precise characterisation of rock and fluid properties,” said Shearwater’s CTO, Massimo Virgilio.

“Harmony comes after years of scientific investments to solve specific client needs and ambitions. We believe it has the potential to become a sought-after source technology for seismic acquisition, creating new possibilities for our clients.”

Harmony consists of modified airguns tuned for bubble frequency locking of the pressure wavefield, with a resultant shift of half to one octave of the dominant frequency, depending on the reference source design.

It can be used in multi-source designs or combined with itself to increase output, or in conjunction with traditional sub-arrays to create a desired output frequency spectrum, tuned for the survey objectives.

The enhanced low-frequency content of Harmony improves the wavelet resolving power. This has a positive impact on reservoir characterization and full-waveform inversion, leading to a better understanding of the sub-surface, Shearwater concluded.