Processing, Interpretation, and 3D Geological Ground Model Production
Offshore wind farm geophysical surveying has only recently begun to catch up with geophysical processing and interpretation standards that have been the bare minimum in the Oil and Gas sector for decades. With the rapid improvements in data acquisition technology that have occurred over the past ten years, the offshore wind farm industry is recognising that the basic standard of seismic processing and interpretation that has previously been accepted in this sector is extracting only a fraction of the information contained in modern geophysical data. This represents a huge and unnecessary waste of resources.
At RIL, we have pioneered the use of oil-industry standard interpretation software to extract the full value of standard, high-resolution, single-channel seismic reflection data. We have developed a highly specialised, modular workflow, imagisTM, through working on some of the most challenging infrastructure projects in Europe (e.g. Crossrail, Thames Tideway, and London Gateway projects, all in London) as well as on many offshore wind farm projects. Our expertise spans many forms of over-water site investigations. We have worked on semi-submersible and jack-up rig site investigations through to highly detailed, high-resolution hydrographic and Sub-Bottom Profiling seismic surveys for marine infrastructure foundation design. We have extensive experience in offshore wind farm developments around the world and probably the longest track record of any near-surface geophysical consultancy in this sector.
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Our strong background in working with geotechnical engineering Clients in the field of near-surface geophysics means that we can combine oil-industry standard software and skills with a sound understanding of the unique problems presented by shallow near-shore and on-shore geology. Rather than try to downscale skills from large-scale oil industry projects to fit the requirements of the renewable sector, like some service providers, we have explicitly developed the seismic reflection workflows in conjunction with clients’ own geotechnical engineering experts to deliver robust, high-resolution products that are directly usable by your technical teams.
With our imagisTM workflow we are able to create 3D geological ground models from standard, high-resolution, single-channel and/or multi-channel seismic reflection data. We can start with processed data provided by you, or we can take raw data directly from the contractor to be processed by our in-house processing team or an external third party as appropriate. We have integrated into our proprietary workflow specialist 2D/3D interpretation software used for multi-million-pound oil-industry seismic surveys specifically to meet the demanding requirements for
offshore wind farms and emerging tidal stream, tidal range, and wave energy projects. Digital geological map data and borehole and Cone Penetrometer Test (CPT) geotechnical information can be incorporated directly into our seismic interpretation workspace in order to ensure that our interpretation is consistent with all available site information.
Our fundamental ethos is that all available geophysical, geological, and borehole/intrusive data should be fully utilised to produce a single 3D geological ground model that is consistent with all available geophysical, geological, and geotechnical datasets. We will provide you with a cost effective, focussed, fit-for-purpose solution tailored to your specific requirements. We guarantee that you will have access to all the datasets for further analysis as needed, and that you are in control of the data archive.
The same approach can also be followed in relation to geophysical investigations of natural and man-made reservoirs, and especially the deltaic sequences at the upstream end of the reservoirs where siltation tends to occur.