Oil Search concludes record-breaking survey in Kurdistan
SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Oil Search Limited and Wireless Seismic announced Tuesday that in December, following seven months of continuous operations, Asian Oilfield Services (ASIAN) completed a large 3D seismic survey over the Taza Block in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using Wireless Seismic’s real-time, radio-based RT System 2 seismic data acquisition system.
The acquisition project sets a new world record for the number of seismic channels transmitted cable-free in real time by deploying over 13,000 channels with an active recording patch of 6,400 channels.
Oil Search, operator of the Taza PSC and contractor to the Ministry of Natural Resources, contracted ASIAN to conduct the 636 km2 survey over the extremely rugged terrain of the Taza Block that included very rough access for the line crews and the vibrator fleet, extreme heat, pre-existing minefields, and the explosive remnants of war.
“We are very impressed with the reduced HSE exposure and other benefits that eliminating cables have delivered without compromising the data quality,” stated Nigel Wilson, General Manager of Exploration, Oil Search. “I am pleased to be able to report that we completed the survey safely.”
“The scalability of the RT System 2 became truly apparent as the crew deployed 13,000 channels across a large area of hilly terrain,” continued Wilson. “Another major benefit from the elimination of cables was the reduced interference by farmers as they recommenced work in their fields in October, after the onset of the first rains.”
“The real-time QC and noise monitoring was especially useful, allowing us to continuously monitor the status of the spread despite significant noise bursts from cultural and other activities inside and outside the survey area from time to time,” explained Wilson.
“We are delighted that the RT System 2 has been used to conduct another large 3D survey in the rough terrain of the Kurdistan region,” said Mick Lambert, President & CEO of Wireless Seismic. “This project has proven, beyond doubt, that the system is capable of tackling the most challenging large-scale projects while delivering significant HSE benefits compared to other systems.”
