-
oa Increasing Transmitter Current and Reducing Ambient Noise Levels – What Are the Limitations?
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 76th EAGE Conference and Exhibition - Workshops, Jun 2014, cp-401-00059
- ISBN: 978-90-73834-90-3
Abstract
The marine controlled-source electromagnetic method (CSEM) can detect subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs because they represent resistors in a conductive medium, i.e. brine-saturated rocks. The limitations on the applicability of the technology are given by target burial depth, lateral extent, and the net pay thickness. Improvements to the acquisition instrumentation can extend the applicability and increase the resolution. However, several factors affect the accuracy of the measured data. To achieve a significant improvement it is important to understand the experimental error contribution from each hardware component in relation to the target effect on the data. We present error propagation analysis for CSEM acquisition, which reveals feasible limitations for target detection. Further, we show how equipment can be optimally improved to extend applicability of the technology.