Dr. Fons ten Kroode

Fons ten Kroode studied theoretical physics at the University of Amsterdam and obtained a PhD in pure mathematics from the same university. After a year as visiting assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he joined Shell Research in 1991 as an associate borehole geophysicist. Over the years, he has conducted R&D on a variety of topics in the area of seismic imaging, ranging from seismic signal processing to estimating models of the subsurface and constructing accurate images of reflection data. He has strong interests in both the mathematical physics underlying the algorithms and in practical implementation on High Performance Compute systems.  At present, he is leading Shell’s seismic imaging R&D groups in Amsterdam and Houston.

Affiliation: Shell Global Solutions International BV

Title of the talk: High Performance Computing for Seismic Imaging

Abstract: The oil industry routinely acquires seismic data in order to image the subsurface. Images are used to explore for new hydrocarbon accumulations and to optimize field development. Processing the seismic data into images has always required large compute systems. The main drivers are the large data volumes and the sophisticated algorithms required to construct reliable images at large depths under complex overburdens. In this talk I will touch upon both aspects and explain the delicate balance between computational cost and image quality.

Snapshot of a seismic wavefield propagating in a salt dominated geology