CGG: Imaging Innovation at Mad Dog

Subsurface Imaging, part of CGG’s Geoscience division, has delivered a step-change in subsalt image quality over the Mad Dog field in the Green Canyon area of the US Gulf of Mexico.

Fast access to high-quality images was critical to BP and partners in modifying and optimizing the ongoing drilling program.

Through continued investment in imaging technology and supercomputing capacity, CGG said it was able to reduce project cycle time by almost half while delivering improved subsalt images. 

Ocean-bottom nodes (OBN) seismic data combined with full-waveform inversion (FWI), for velocity model derivation, provided this improvement in imaging at the subsalt Mad Dog Field. Project cycle time was significantly reduced, when compared to projects where the velocity model was constructed using discrete interpretation methods. FWI provided a fast-track velocity model that facilitated a superior migration for depth imaging just weeks after delivery of the OBN data.

Sophie Zurquiyah, CEO, CGG, said, “CGG has demonstrated again that it is the provider of choice in OBN imaging around the world, particularly for subsalt imaging in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. With our advanced technology and close collaboration with imaging and interpretation geophysicists from our clients, CGG continues to improve image quality and reduce cycle time for all imaging projects.”