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PRESS
RELEASE:
Second- and Higher-order
Traveltimes Patent Issued to 3DGeo
Mountain View, CA (November
12, 2001). 3DGeo Inc., provider of seismic imaging
software and services to the oil and gas industry, announces
today that it was issued Patent No. 6324478, Second-and Higher-order
Traveltimes for Seismic Imaging, by the United States Patent
and Trademark Office.
"This new patent further
demonstrates that 3DGeo is extremely committed to bringing
new leading-edge technology to our customers," said Alexander
M. Popovici, CEO of 3DGeo. "Our new patented technology will
provide even greater accuracy and resolution for our 3-D seismic
images".
The new technology covered
by the patent allows for simple and fast computations of second-order
and higher-order traveltimes. Previously, it was considered
throughout the industry to be too complicated or too time
consuming to achieve these higher order finite traveltimes.
"By protecting our intellectual
property our customers can be assured that 3DGeo is a single
source of the industry's most advanced imaging algorithms,"
said Popovici. "This is all part of our company's business
strategy - one that resulted in our being named as part of
the InfoWorld Top 100 Innovative companies for 2001".
Patent Abstract:
Seismic traveltimes are computed using a conditional high-order
method:
the traveltime computation operator is second- or higher-order
if enough suitable upwind traveltimes are available, and first-order
otherwise. Typically, a first-order operator is employed only
around singularities, e.g. corners and cusps; a high-order
operator is employed for the vast majority of grid points
in the target volume. Selectively switching to first-order
makes the method relatively simple and computationally efficient,
as compared to a pure high-order method. At the same time,
most traveltimes are computed to high-order accuracy. In the
preferred embodiment, the traveltime front is selectively
advanced at its minimum traveltime grid point, using a finite-difference
approximation to the eikonal equation. A narrow band propagation
zone is used to advance the finite-difference stencil. Tentative
traveltimes for the narrow band adjacent to the traveltime
front are computed using the eikonal equation and arranged
on a heap. The minimum traveltime (top of the heap) is selected
as an accepted traveltime, saved in the output table, and
removed from the heap. Tentative traveltimes for all non-accepted
grid points neighboring the selected point are then computed/recomputed
and put on the heap.
About 3DGeo:
3DGeo
Inc.'s (3DGeo) is a leading provider of advanced imaging software
services for the oil and gas industry. 3DGeo helps oil and
gas companies visualize 3-D earth structures and reduce the
drilling risk associated with oil and gas exploration. Companies
that use 3DGeoÕs services lower the cost of production, provide
faster delivery of oil and gas to the marketplace, and tap
oil and gas from ever more challenging plays.
In 1997, 3DGeo developed
an Internet-based seismic processing system (INSP) to deliver
leading-edge seismic services over the Internet and Intranets.
INSP enables exploration companies to directly control their
critical seismic imaging projects, without purchasing and
maintaining expensive hardware and software. The Internet
collaborative platform allows clients to participate directly
in the model building and interpretation of 3-D structures,
greatly shortening "time-to-drilling decisions". 3DGeo provides
much shorter time between the acquisition of the data and
the informed decision on where to drill.
3DGeo is a privately-owned
company with Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.
For more information contact 3DGeo at info@3dgeo.com
Public Relations by
Topside Network Joe Knox, 510-207-2972
e-mail: Jknox@topsidenetwork.com
3DGeo Development Corporation
Alexander M. Popovici, 650-969-3886 email: Mihai@3dgeo.com
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