US4293309A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of obtaining and recording seismic and geochemical data
Assignee: Stm Corp
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Filing: 1980-02-27
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Granted: 1981-10-06
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Expires: 2000-02-27
Abstract
Abstract A method is disclosed for determining the location of hydrocarbon reservoirs which comprises the steps of drilling boreholes along a linear path to a depth below the weathered zone, sampling the soil and drilling fluid found at the bottom of the boreholes for the presence of constituents, such as gaseous hydrocarbons and bacteria, indicating the presence of hydrocarbons, detonating explosive charges at the bottom of the boreholes to seismically determine the geological structure of the test area and plotting the resultant values for the constituent presence and geological structure data, with the plot having a common axis representing the linear path along which the boreholes are drilled. This method permits multiple and distinct indications of the presence of hydrocarbon reservoirs to be integrated to more uniformly and reliably predict the presence of a hydrocarbon reservoir.
Inventors
- 👤 Sylvester T. Miller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 03:48
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01V; G01V11/00; G01V9/00; G01V9/007
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
149 words
A method for locating hydrocarbon deposits beneath the ground comprising the steps of: drilling a plurality of boreholes in a test area to a predetermined depth; collecting samples from selected ones of each of said plurality of boreholes at said predetermined depth; generating a pressure pulse within each of said plurality of boreholes at said predetermined depth at discrete time intervals to thereby generate pressure waves through the ground at the surface of said plurality of boreholes to determine geological structure at said plurality of boreholes; analyzing said samples from selected ones of each of said plurality of boreholes for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits; and processing said pressure waves at selected ones of said plurality of boreholes and said analyses of constituents in said samples from corresponding ones of said plurality of boreholes to determine the presence and location of hydrocarbon deposits within the test area.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
149 words
A method for locating hydrocarbon deposits beneath the ground comprising the steps of: drilling a plurality of boreholes in a test area to a predetermined depth; collecting samples from selected ones of each of said plurality of boreholes at said predetermined depth; generating a pressure pulse within each of said plurality of boreholes at said predetermined depth at discrete time intervals to thereby generate pressure waves through the ground at the surface of said plurality of boreholes to determine geological structure at said plurality of boreholes; analyzing said samples from selected ones of each of said plurality of boreholes for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits; and processing said pressure waves at selected ones of said plurality of boreholes and said analyses of constituents in said samples from corresponding ones of said plurality of boreholes to determine the presence and location of hydrocarbon deposits within the test area.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing said samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposit comprises analyzing said samples for the presence of light, gaseous hydrocarbons from the group consisting of C-1 through C-6.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of collecting samples from selected ones of each of said plurality of boreholes comprises the steps of collecting soil samples and drilling fluid samples, said step of analyzing said samples further comprising acid extracting said light, gaseous hydrocarbons absorbed and adsorbed in said soil samples and collecting a known amount of gas from above the drilling fluid samples to determine the concentration of light, gaseous hydrocarbons.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of analyzing said samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits comprises analyzing said samples for the type and concentration of bacteria found in the presence of hydrocarbons in said samples.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of drilling a plurality of boreholes to a predetermined depth comprises the step of drilling the plurality of boreholes to a depth below the weathered zone in the test area.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
172 words
A method for locating hydrocarbon deposits underneath the ground comprising the steps of: drilling a plurality of boreholes in a test area, each of said plurality of boreholes being drilled to a predetermined depth and each of said plurality of boreholes being located a known distance from the next adjacent borehole; collecting samples from the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; analyzing said samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits; placing explosives at the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; detonating each explosive at discrete intervals; measuring the pressure waves generated by said detonations with seismic metering instruments placed above ground; and plotting the pressure waves generated at the surface from said detonation in each of said plurality of boreholes and constituents present in corresponding ones of said samples from each of said plurality of boreholes on a common axis representing the location of said plurality of boreholes to thereby permit comparison of the geological structure and constituent presence at each of said plurality of boreholes.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
172 words
A method for locating hydrocarbon deposits underneath the ground comprising the steps of: drilling a plurality of boreholes in a test area, each of said plurality of boreholes being drilled to a predetermined depth and each of said plurality of boreholes being located a known distance from the next adjacent borehole; collecting samples from the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; analyzing said samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits; placing explosives at the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; detonating each explosive at discrete intervals; measuring the pressure waves generated by said detonations with seismic metering instruments placed above ground; and plotting the pressure waves generated at the surface from said detonation in each of said plurality of boreholes and constituents present in corresponding ones of said samples from each of said plurality of boreholes on a common axis representing the location of said plurality of boreholes to thereby permit comparison of the geological structure and constituent presence at each of said plurality of boreholes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the step of analyzing said samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposit comprises analyzing said samples for the presence of light, gaseous hydrocarbons from the group consisting of C-1 through C-6.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the step of collecting samples from said plurality of boreholes comprises the steps of collecting soil samples and drilling fluid samples, said step of analyzing said samples further comprising acid extracting said light, gaseous hydrocarbons absorbed and adsorbed in said soil samples and collecting a known amount of gas from above the drilling fluid samples to determine the concentration of light, gaseous hydrocarbons.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 6 wherein said step of analyzing said samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits comprises analyzing said samples for the type and concentration of bacteria found in the presence of hydrocarbons in said samples.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 6 wherein said step of drilling a plurality of boreholes to a predetermined depth comprises the step of drilling said plurality of boreholes to a depth below the weathered zone in the test area.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
216 words
A method for finding hydrocarbon reservoirs underneath the ground comprising the steps of: drilling a plurality of boreholes in a test area along a generally linear path, each of said plurality of boreholes being drilled to a depth below the weathered zone in the test area and each of said plurality of boreholes being spaced a known distance from immediately adjacent boreholes; collecting soil samples and drilling fluid samples from the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; analyzing said soil samples and said drilling fluid samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits, said constituents comprising light, gaseous hydrocarbons C-1 through C-6 and bacteria associated with the presence of hydrocarbons; placing explosives at the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; detonating said explosives at discrete time intervals in each of said plurality of boreholes; measuring the pressure waves generated by each of said detonations by seismic measuring devices placed above ground to determine the geological structure of the test area; and plotting the geological structure of the test area and the presence of said constituents on a common axis representing the linear path along which each of said plurality of boreholes are drilled to thereby permit comparison of the geological structure and constituent presence at each of said plurality of boreholes.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
216 words
A method for finding hydrocarbon reservoirs underneath the ground comprising the steps of: drilling a plurality of boreholes in a test area along a generally linear path, each of said plurality of boreholes being drilled to a depth below the weathered zone in the test area and each of said plurality of boreholes being spaced a known distance from immediately adjacent boreholes; collecting soil samples and drilling fluid samples from the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; analyzing said soil samples and said drilling fluid samples for constituents indicating the presence of hydrocarbon deposits, said constituents comprising light, gaseous hydrocarbons C-1 through C-6 and bacteria associated with the presence of hydrocarbons; placing explosives at the bottom of each of said plurality of boreholes; detonating said explosives at discrete time intervals in each of said plurality of boreholes; measuring the pressure waves generated by each of said detonations by seismic measuring devices placed above ground to determine the geological structure of the test area; and plotting the geological structure of the test area and the presence of said constituents on a common axis representing the linear path along which each of said plurality of boreholes are drilled to thereby permit comparison of the geological structure and constituent presence at each of said plurality of boreholes.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-10-05 | 1985-04-06 | 1985-10-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-10-05 | 1989-04-06 | 1989-10-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-10-05 | 1993-04-06 | 1993-10-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |