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Paradigm shift in 3D multicomponent seismic imaging in the Arabian Gulf

ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Houston, USA

Hamad Bu Al-Rougha

Zakum Development Company, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Corresponding author: j.m.reilly{at}exxonmobil.com

Ocean-bottom cable (OBC) technology has many applications in petroleum exploration and exploitation. It permits us to acquire data in areas with intensively developed production infrastructure that impede conventional marine-streamer acqui- sition. Permanently installed OBC systems provide data for monitoring production from reservoirs. In addition to their logistical advantages, OBC systems also allow us to acquire multicomponent data. Typically, 2-C OBC data are acquired by two types of detectors: hydrophones (fluid-pressure change detectors) and single- or multicomponent geophones (particle-velocity or acceleration detectors). The multicomponent character of OBC data permits us to discriminate between upcoming and downgoing waves and to attenuate water-column reverberations. At the same time, because of the differences between the physical measurement characteristics of hydrophones and geophones, their data character (including noise levels, multiple content, coupling effects) can be very different. These differences frequently produce severe data-quality issues, particularly in shallow-water environments.