Integrated Passive Seismic: An innovative exploration tool for challenging areas- More than 800 seismographs at work!!!
During the last 4 years more than 800 3-componemt seismographs have been installed by Seismotech worldwide, in different projects for hydrocarbon, mining and geothermal surveys. Seismotech has developed tools andPassive Seismic methodologies in order to exploit the whole seismic signal from 0. – 40Hz in one acquisition scheme. Earthquake or Noise-based techniques are applied on the acquired datasets and 3D tomographic results, virtual reflection imaging and/or active fault identification and characterization are provided, by analyzing the signal according to its content.
Mining Exploration
Seismotech participated in SMART EXPLORATION, and EU funded scientific project, in the context of HORIZON 2020.As a part of the project, Seismotech installed 130 stations network over mountainous and unexplored area of a bauxite field. The results of the Passive Seismic survey were extremely interesting for the mining exploration industry and for this reason an innovation certificate awarded to Seismotech and its scientific collaborator TU DELFT.
In Gerolekas Bauxite mining field, the innovative passive seismic interferometry method was developed and applied successfully for the first time (Polychronopoulou et al, 2021).The results show that Passive seismic methods apart from their efficiency in large scale exploration surveys can provide solutions even at a small mining/reservoir scale problems.
Geothermal Projects
In terms of geothermal surveys, two network of 30 stations were installed in the Netherlands (in Luttelgeest and Delft) for monitoring purposes during drilling or production phases. The method is also ideal for geothermal exploration purposes, considering that 3D P&S-wave velocity models can be provided along with the accurate seismic event locations that may indicate fault and fractures within the investigated volume.
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Hydrocarbon Exploration
Currently, two Earthquake-based Passive Seismic surveys are taking place in North-East India. Seismotech was awarded by ONGC and OIL INDIA LTD the two contracts. For the project with ONGC 348 (8 broadband) and for OIL INDIA 272 are installed in Tripura and Assam-Arunanchal respectively. In total 620, 3-component seismographs are recording simultaneously and continuously, for 8 months.
The two projects are located in challenging areas, in terms of accessibility, complicated geology, social and environmental sensitivity. For these reasons, the outcome of the passive seismic surveys it is expected to be highly beneficial for ONGC and OIL exploration programs and may open the road for new projects in other difficult blocks in Northeast India, which is also a tectonically active region.
