Partnership for Success
ION has a long history of delivering cutting-edge seismic technologies that solve the E&P industry's most intractable imaging and operational challenges. Over the last several years, the company has focused its efforts on evangelizing, and bringing to market, a series of full-wave (multicomponent) seismic acquisition platforms. System Four was the first ION platform outfitted with the company's digital, 3C sensor called VectorSeis, helping to make full-wave recording cost effective on land. VectorSeis Ocean was the next to emerge in 2004.
When VectorSeis Ocean (VSO) was conceived in 2002, our industry needed an ocean-bottom cable (OBC) system capable of delivering step-change improvements in image quality and operational productivity. Traditional technologies appeared inadequate to address major imaging challenges such as gas clouds and complex, steeply-dipping, sub-salt structures. In keeping with its tradition of innovating to satisfy customer needs, ION developed the revolutionary VSO system for redeployable, full-wave acquisition from the seabed.
The VSO concept went quickly from the development laboratories to the field. In late 2003, Chevron was planning an aggressive exploration and development drilling program in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).
As a result, GX Technology (GXT), an ION subsidiary, developed an innovative proposal for Chevron detailing a multi-field imaging program, which would combine existing seismic data, newly acquired multicomponent data, and advanced depth imaging technologies and workflows. The new seismic data would be acquired with VSO and integrated via a Gator command & control software platform from ION subsidiary Concept Systems.
GXT offers an Integrated Seismic Solution (ISS) in which GXT acts as the start-to-finish general contractor for a seismic program. The group is unique in that it does not actually own any seismic vessels. Instead, it outsources the actual field acquisition operation to experienced seismic contractors. For the Chevron project, GXT identified Reservoir Exploration Technology (RXT) of Oslo, Norway as its preferred seabed acquisition contractor.
Chevron's program, combined with other GoM projects put together by GXT, created sufficient backlog that RXT was able to raise more than $20 million in venture capital and to procure the necessary technology from ION. The VSO configuration (6 x 6km cables with 4C stations spaced 25 meters apart) gave RXT the ability to acquire data quickly, efficiently, safely and with higher resolution and lower cost than ever before. Field operations began late in 2004.
Within 12 months of the initial VSO deployment, crew productivity was already exceeding that of traditional systems, and image quality was significantly improved.
Based on its demonstrated success with the VectorSeis Ocean system, RXT was able to secure additional capital commitments from investors to purchase up to six additional VSO systems over the next several years. RXT's backers were encouraged by the differentiation that the improved images provided versus competing OBC contractors and, more broadly, versus P-wave-only streamer data.
The partnership among RXT, ION's Marine Imaging Systems Division, Concept Systems and GX Technology showcased the potential of VectorSeis Ocean technology.
Beyond image quality, ION's unique buoy based architecture reduces costs and in-field personnel risk associated with traditional dedicated recording vessels, decreasing HSE incidents and providing a cost-efficient solution for OBC. RXT continued to extract more productivity with each successive survey as technology refinements were incorporated into the system and as RXT field crews further developed their knowledge of the system. VSO has shown that eliminating traditional hard-wired cable recording can enable highly productive acquisition, without compromising data quality.
VSO went from concept to commercial reality in a short period of time, changing the way oil & gas companies think about seismic imaging in the marine environment.
