Utility of advanced HyLogging Imaging Spectroscopy to detect hydrocarbons for petroleum exploration
Methods: Experimental Work
limited in certain ways (Clark et al.), i.e. produces certain expected measurements that fit into expected boundaries. Since petroleum is hydrocarbons, the methods of research done by current author essentially were built on the foundation of such rational expectations. Table 1 lists known characteristics of the HyLogger system:
Spectrometer spectral range400 – 2500 nm
Nominal spectral resolution16 nm
No. of spectral channels196
Spectrometer spatial resolution8 mm * 8 mm
No of observations (spectra) / metre125
Linescan camera spatial resolution0.1 mm
Robotic table scanning rate60 mm/second
Typical daily acquisition600 m
Laser profilometer resolution0.25 mm
Light sourceQuartz halogen
Table SEQ "Table" \*Arabic 1 : Nominal HyLogging System Characteristics used at Emmie Bluff
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. The post-processing software The Spectral Geologist (TSG Core™) , has been used to re-assemble all acquired measurements and archive them in a single database format.
The resulting output provides a map of shortwave-infrared (SWIR) responsive alteration mineralogy down the length of the core, dynamically linked to the image of the core, a mineral summary plot displaying all SWIR responsive minerals present in more than 5% content, in the form of a normalized histogram down the drillhole. 3D visualisation of the output was also done, by the means of additional software.
Interpretation of the data was done by visually locating each drillhole plot in its correct 3-D position by the human interpreters, highly skilled in geology. Unfortunately, such analysis is extremely hard to implement in software, first because of the differences in measurements produced by various brands of hyper-spectrometers (mentioned in the previous chapter), and second, because of unfortunately low intellectual, intuitive and combined spatial processing capacities of artificial intelligence vs. human geologist brain. The latter is able to connect alteration and stratigraphic boundaries that are represented by the mineralogy assays, thereby creating surfaces which allow producing ultimate conclusions about the sample being studied (Wilson et al., 2010). Geologists are spatial people who use a variety of cues, knowledge and experience to effect an interpretation. Associating every spectrum with an image connects the richness of the spectrometer’s output with the human brain. All spectra are associated with digital colour images of ~ 0.1 mm spatial resolution. These are automatically mosaiced into a mostly continuous linescan style image of the entire core registered to the spectral and profilometer data stream. A variety of sample images are key products in the interactive analysis and delivery system, as well as the mineral spectroscopy. So, in conclusion, the interpretation of results is a highly intricate, non-transparent routine performed by highly complicated processing inside an experienced geologist's mind, discovering patterns and associations of the mosaic linescan generated images, real pictures of samples, measurement plots and other associated information, like location where samples were collected, etc.
References
Clark, et al.
Wilson, et al. 2010.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (GEOLOGY) RELATED TO GEOSCIENCE, GEOCHEMISTRY AND PETROLEUM ENGINEERING
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The meaning of “physically offset in acquisition location” is not …