AUSTIN, TX /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- United States Oil and Gas Corp. (USOG) is pleased to announce it has a patent pending on a simple fiber-optic seismometer for rugged environments that will dramatically reduce the cost of seismic sensor arrays having the fidelity and reliability necessary for permanent down-hole and seafloor installations. The advancement promises to make big oil techniques for oilfield production management and exploration techniques available to the middle market players.
USOG plans to revolutionize "green" oil and gas technologies with the smallest footprint. Most heavy oil recovery schemes depend on formation feedback information to make decisions about inputs and production rates to optimize the oil field. Correct management of costly secondary recovery methods could double the financial returns on these projects. Affordable sensors are the key to bringing modern production techniques to the oil patch.
Offshore, a seismic sensor array has to be reliable enough to be deployed once and not need maintenance. This invention transcends the intrinsic limitation of existing seismic-sensing technology by eliminating physical connections to remote optical fibers and providing a nonelectric solution. The simplicity of the new device raises opportunities for seismic sensors that have lifetimes exceeding 10 years in deepwater applications.
Advantages
- Rapid data acquisition
- Immediate data availability
- Detailed subsurface information
Capabilities
- Shear-wave-velocity measurement
- Detailed oil and gas stratigraphic profiling
- Evaluation of liquefaction potential
- Vane-shear measurement
- Conductivity/resistivity measurements
- Discrete gas sampling
- Regional and site-specific stratigraphy
Applications
- Seismic-positioning of deep sea exploration
- Oil and gas exploration drilling
- Environmental-contamination prevention studies