Signal processing

Quality and resolution enhancement of seismic data is fundamental to successful seismic interpretation. Part of my group investigates a variety of approaches such as statistical wavelet estimation, blind deconvolution, independent component analysis and empirical mode decomposition to find novel methods to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and resolution of seismic data.

Microseismicity

Microseismic monitoring involves the acquisition of continuous seismic data for the purpose of locating and characterizing seismic activity in nonconventional reservoirs such as tight-gas, tight-oil or heavy-oil fields. Microseismic monitoring differs in many respects from seismic surveys that are traditionally used for oil and gas exploration and development, including the type of source, the receivers and methods of analysis. Used for decades in the mining industry to monitor deep underground mines, it has emerged in the past few years as an important tool for monitoring hydraulic fracture well treatments, steam-injection in heavy-oil fields, and for management of oil, gas and geothermal reservoirs. There are also very strong links with global earthquake seismology where similar techniques have been used to study the structure and geodynamic processes that shape the Earth.

The Microseismic Industry Consortium is an established, applied-research initiative that is jointly hosted by the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. This geophysical research initiative is focused on technological innovations in microseismic methods and their practical applications for resource development.

Attenuation and anisotropic wave propagation

Attenuation and velocity anisotropy are ubiquitous features in the Earth. Velocity anisotropy can for instance be caused by preferential alignment of cracks or minerals. Aligned cracks can also cause azimuthal variations in attenuation. Variations in fluid saturations in hydrocarbon or CO2 reservoirs are mimicked by changes in seismic attenuation as well. The combined analysis of attenuation and velocity anisotropy can therefore reveal pertinent information about lithology, fracture orientations, in situ stress and fluid contents. Accurate estimation of anisotropy and attenuation parameters can therefore greatly aid in seismic interpretation and reservoir characterization.

Postdocs
Dr Hongxue Han - Stress analysis of horizontal wells

Students
Ala'a Abdallah (PhD) - Energy budgets of earthquakes
Lonn Brown (PhD) - Seismic interferometry for time-lapse monitoring
Xiaonan Chen (PhD) - Bedding-plane slip and casing deformation
Camilo de la Hoz (PhD) - Detection of seismic events using satellite-based ground motion monitoring
Samira Fakhraeian (MSc) - Fingerprinting of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data
Serafim Grubas (PhD) - Automated event detection and location using machine learning
Farwa Jabeen (MSc) - InSAR-based earthquake monitoring
Areshi Karunarathne (PhD) - Integrated microseismic analysis
Luana Kiefer (MSc) - Geomechanical modeling of rock deformation
Mark Mlella (PhD) - Machine learning for well deformation
Raisha Pradisti (PhD) - Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for NE British Columbia
Utkarsh Pratap (PhD) - Full-waveform-based event locations

Former postdocs
Dr Himanshu Barthwal, now at University of Western Ontario, Canada
Dr Maiza Bekara, now at PGS, UK
Dr Frank Calixto Mory, now at Institute of Mine Seismology, Australia
Dr Thomas Eyre, now at Univ of Calgary, Canada
Dr Wardah Fadil, now at ESG, Canada
Dr Behrooz Ferdowsi, now at Univ of Pennsylvania, USA
Dr Melanie Grob, now independent consultant, Canada
Dr Somak Hazra, unknown.
Dr Roberto Henry Herrera, now at Halliburton, Canada
Dr Piyush Jain, now at Natural Resources Canada, Canada
Dr Zhenhua Li, now at Tetra Tech, Canada
Dr Mitch Liddell, now at DGT Associates, USA
Dr Khademul Molla, now at University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Dr Joshua Jones, independent, USA
Dr Javad Kazemian, now at d1g1t Inc, Canada
Dr Vincent Roche, now at Univ College Dublin, Ireland
Dr Jean-Baptiste Tary, now at Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
Dr Yoones Vaezi, now at SoftServe, Canada
Dr Ekaterina Vsemirnova, continued at Durham University, UK
Dr Xu Yang, now at Yonsei University, South Korea
Dr Jiyang Ye, now at Kalkulo AS, Norway
Dr Chao Zhang, now at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Dr John Zhou, continued at Samsung, South Korea

Former MSc/PhD students and Research Assistants
Ms Ozioma Adimonye, Canada
Mr Adedeji Awujoola, continued at Shell, Nigeria
Dr Himanshu Barthwal, now at Univ of Western Ontario, Canada
Mr Ibinabo Bestmann, now at Caribou, USA
Dr Thomas Blanchard, now at Total, UK
Dr Ryan Borowiecki, now at ConeTec Investigations, Canada
Mr Colin Brisco, now at Imperial Oil, Canada
Dr Hanh Bui, now at Alberta Geological Survey, Canada
Mr Fernando Castellanos, now at CNRL, Canada
Mr Drew Chorney, now at Sowilo DS, Canada
Mr Kien Do, now at Weatherford, Canada
Dr Kristof de Meersman, now at Earth Signal Processing, Canada
Dr Amna Feroz, now at CNRL, Canada
Dr Jiajun Han, now at CGG, Canada
Dr Dinh Nho Hung, now at CGG, UK
Mr Ken Kocon, now at Statistics Canada, Canada
Mr Edouard Kravchinksy, now at Univ of Toronto, Canada
Dr Zhenhua Li, now at Tetra Tech, Canada
Ms Hang Lu, pursuing Computer Sciences
Ms Tahmina Mirzayeva, now at CNRL
Dr Wail Mousa, now at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia
Mr Jorge Nustes Andrade, now at CGG, Canada
Ms Ana Ortega Perez, now at Silixa, Canada
Ms Jordan Phillips, now at Canadian Society for Evolving Energy, Canada
Dr Carl Reine, now at Sound QI, Canada
Dr Mauricio Reyes Canales, now at Alberta Energy Regulator, Canada
Dr Yoones Vaezi, now at SoftServe, Canada
Ms Jieyu Zhang, now at Enverus, Canada
Ms Yiru Zhou, now at University of Toronto