Three-dimensional seismic imaging of the Rye Patch geothermal reservoir

摘要

A 3-D surface seismic survey was conducted to explore the structure of the Rye Patch geothermal reservoir (Nevada), to determine if modern seismic techniques could be successfully applied in geothermal environments. Furthermore, it was intended to map the structural features which may control geothermal production in the reservoir. The seismic survey covered an area of 3.03 square miles and was designed with 12 north-south receiver lines and 25 east-west source lines. The receiver group interval was 100 feet and the receiver line spacing was 800 feet. The source interval was 100 feet while the source line spacing was 400 feet. The sources were comprised of 4 vibrator trucks arranged in a box array. Seismic processing involved, among other steps, the picking of over 700,000 of the possible one million traces to determine first arrival travel times, normal moveout correction, 3-D stack, deconvolution, time migration, and depth conversion. The final data set represents a 3-D cube of the subsurface structure in the reservoir. Additionally, the travel times were used to perform tomographic inversions for velocity estimates to support the findings of the surface seismic imaging. The results suggest the presence of at least one dominant fault responsible for the migration of fluids in the reservoir. Furthermore, it is suggested that this feature might be part of a fault system that includes a graben structure.