ZGY Utility

The user can convert between SEG-Y and ZGY outside Petrel using the ZGY utility. The purpose of ZGY Utility is to convert data between ZGY and SEG-Y. Compared to SEGY, ZGY is organized differently and is compressed. ZGY Utility can also convert from ZGY to ZGY, e.g. to compress a cube even more, or to output uncompressed ZGY files. When Seismic Server Admin loads ZGY, the data is decompressed, and computations are done on decompressed data. ZGY utility also has the availability to process multiple SEG-Y files in one batch. Starting the ZGY utility If you have a local installation of Petrel the ZGY utility may be started from the start programs menu.

Converting from SEG-Y to ZGY When converting a SEG-Y file to ZGY, the main input to ZGY Utility is a so-called description file, in which the parameters for the format conversion are set, namely the location of SEG-Y file and the SEG-Y format. How to convert from SEG-Y to ZGY
1. Create a template file (see how to below and in the Formats and files used in ZGY utilities section) to describe your input SEG-Y. 2. Create a SEG-Y description file (including a pointer to the template file, see below for details).

3. If you have already run a conversion on the SEG-Y file, you can delete the summary files to force their regeneration. Deleting of the summary file should be done after each conversion of SEG-Y. For more information on Summary files see Formats and files used in ZGY utilities. 4. In ZGY Utility, under Input file name, enter the path to the SEG-Y description file. Ensure the Input file type is set to SEG-Y. You can clip amplitude values, and click Next. 5. Follow the prompts and enter the conversion parameters. Notes on the parameters are in the Formats and files used in ZGY utilities.

How to create a template file The template file specifies the SEG-Y input file format, e.g byte locations for header parameters. When the template file enables correct SEG-Y loading, it can be reused with other SEG-Y files from the same source.
1. Either use one of the example IESX and Charisma template files provided with the installation in a templates directory, or click Create SEG-Y template example in the first page of the ZGY Utility interface. 2. Run the SEG-Y header analyzer to view the SEG-Y format. 3. Edit the template file according to the commented instructions in the example file. 4. Add a pointer to the file in the SEG-Y description text file.

How to create a SEG-Y description file

1. Click Create SEG-Y description example in the first page of the ZGY Utility interface. Edit the file according to the commented instructions in the file. Enclose file names and paths in double quotation marks. File names and paths must be given as absolute paths. 2. Add a pointer to the template file. 3. Set the name of the directory where the summary files will be stored. 4. Set the name of the SEG-Y file(s) you want to compress. Enter one file name per line, wildcards are accepted. 5. Save the file and add its path to the Input file name field in ZGY utility.

Conversion parameters
Clipping

This optional parameter allows the user to remove large spikes in the data. Any value with an absolute value larger than the clip value is set to the clip value.
Output file

Input a file name, and a file type. If the file type is set to uncompressed ZGY, the resulting output will be compatible with the blocked format used in the Interpretation and Modeling package in Petrel. Default is ZGY (compressed seismic file). If uncompressed is desired, the ZGY (uncompressed seismic file) needs to be selected when converting the SEG-Y.
Compression quality

The conversion from SEG-Y to ZGY optionally includes compression, and this compression can lead to some loss of data resolution. The loss of resolution is

proportional to the chosen Signal to Quantization Noise Ratio. The SQNR is the logarithm of the energy in the signal divided by the energy in the noise introduced by the compression. Use the View Type control to view the actual difference between the original SEGY and the compressed ZGY.
Subset selection

After selecting the compression quality, you can select a subset of the data to compress, as opposed to compressing all of the input data. This can, for example, be used to extract a subset from an existing ZGY file.
Trouble shooting

Common mistakes when getting the error: "Unable to open the specified input file!" are:
Spelling: misspelling of the name. Copy the file name from the address bar of the operating systems file explorer then paste it into ZGY Utility. Extensions of the file names used in the description file (usually .txt and .sgy) must not be forgotten. By default, known extensions are not shown in Windows Explorer, and are thus often forgotten when writing the file names down. Spaces in the file name: If the file names contain spaces, you need to "quote" the whole address and name line. Access: The user running ZGY Utility needs read-rights to the input files. If none of the above works, start from scratch with a completely blank description file. Input the three lines needed, without any commented lines or empty lines in between.

Converting from ZGY to SEG-Y The conversion of a ZGY-file back to SEG-Y format, or decompression, is straightforward. Use the file to decompress as input to ZGY Utility, and start the process by clicking Next. A progress bar appears, and when completed, the final decompression factor is reported.

Formats and files used in ZGY utility

Example template file
The following is the first few lines of a template file. Further configuration details are provided in the template file. # file version 0 # byte order; b = big-endian ("unix"), l = little-endian ("pc") b # line number location; r = reel header, t = trace header t # number of samples location; r = reel header, t = trace header t # sample interval location; r = reel header, t = trace header t # ******** REEL TEXT HEADER ******** # size 3200 # charset; e = EBCDIC, a = ASCII e # ******** REEL BINARY HEADER ******** # size 400

Example description file

The following is an example of a description file: # SEG-Y template file: "h:\store\segy2zgy-data\template\petrobank.txt" # path for summary of the SEG-Y file(s): "h:\store\segy2zgy-data\summary\my_survey_name\ # input SEG-Y file(s): "h:\store\segy\my_survey_name\*.segy"

Multiple file input

ZGY Utility can process multiple SEG-Y files in one batch. You can create one big ZGY file by concatenating many SEG-Y files. The merging process assumes that all files belong to the same RCXY-grid. It does not consider XY locations, but concatenates inlines. Merged files must belong to the same RCXY-grid. This includes files with or without overlap. Files with different orientations should not be merged; though technically feasible, the result will not make sense. ZGY Utility retrieves from the SEG-

Y input file, and stores in the ZGY file, four (inline, xline, x, y)-quadruples. However, these are not necessarily corners (as in corners of the smallest rectangle covering the entire survey extent). Rather they are in general the lowest and highest xlines for the lowest and highest inlines. Only if the lowest and highest inlines are equal or larger in extent than the rest of the survey, will these four points be actual corners of the survey. In the case of overlapping inlines between two files, data from the first file in the list takes precedence. If wildcards are in used in the description file, the order is determined by the sorting method of the operating system. Linux and Windows may use different rules to sort file names when some files begin with uppercase and others begin with lowercase. Linux is case-sensitive and Windows is not.

ZGY Utility SEG-Y Template File

# This file contains a SEG-Y template which may be reused for multiple SEG-Y files. The template parameters must be listed in the correct order. Lines starting with '#' are comments # ******** GENERAL ******** # file version 0 # byte order; b = big-endian ("unix"), l = little-endian ("pc") b # line number location; r = reel header, t = trace header t # number of samples location; r = reel header, t = trace header t # sample interval location; r = reel header, t = trace header t # ******** REEL TEXT HEADER ******** # size 3200 # charset; e = EBCDIC, a = ASCII e # ******** REEL BINARY HEADER ******** # size 400

# header entries; '*' denote important parameters in poststack 3D seismic. Enter a value in the override column to override the value in the SEG-Y file # byte size override comment 1 4 - Job identification number 5 4 - * Line number 9 4 - Reel number 13 2 No. traces per ensemble 15 2 No. aux. traces per ensemble 17 2 - * Sample interval (microsec) 19 2 Sample interval of original field recording (microsec) 21 2 - * No. samples per trace 23 2 No. samples per trace in original field recording # Data format code values: # 1 = 32-bit IBM floating-point # 2 = 32-bit two's complement integer # 3 = 16-bit two's complement integer # 4 = 32-bit fixed-point with gain (obsolete) # 5 = 32-bit IEEE floating-point # 8 = 8-bit two's complement integer 25 2 - * Data format code 27 2 Ensemble fold 29 2 - Trace sorting code 31 2 Vertical sum code 33 2 Sweep frequency at start 35 2 - Sweep frequency at end 37 2 - Sweep length (millisec) 39 2 Sweep type code 41 2 Trace number of sweep channel 43 2 Sweep trace taper length at start (millisec) 45 2 Sweep trace taper length at end (millisec) 47 2 - Taper type (1 = linear, 2 = cos, 3 = other) 49 2 - Correlated data traces (1 = no, 2 = yes) 51 2 Binary gain recovered (1 = yes, 2 = no) 53 2 - Amplitude recovery method # Measurement system (1 = meters, 2 = feet) values: # 1 = Meters # 2 = Feet 55 2 - * Measurement system (1 = meters, 2 = feet) 57 2 Impulse signal polarity 59 2 Vibratory polarity code 301 2 - * SEG-Y Format Revision Number 303 2 - * Fixed length trace flag 305 2 - * No. of 3200-byte Textual Header Extensions

# ******** TRACE HEADER ******** # size 240 # header entries; '*' denote important parameters in poststack 3D seismic. Enter a value in the override column to override the value in the SEG-Y file # byte size override comment 1 4 - Trace sequence number within line 5 4 - Trace sequence number within file 9 4 Original field record number 13 4 Trace number within original field record 17 4 Energy source point number 21 4 CDP ensemble number 25 4 Trace number within CDP ensemble 29 2 Trace type identification code 31 2 No. of vertically summed traces yielding this trace 33 2 No. of horizontally stacked traces yielding this trace 35 2 - Data use (1 = production, 2 = test) 37 4 Distance from center of source point to center of receiver group 41 4 Receiver group elevation 45 4 - Surface elevation at source 49 4 Source depth below surface 53 4 - Datum elevation at receiver group 57 4 - Datum elevation at source 61 4 Water depth at source 65 4 Water depth at group 69 2 Elevation / depth scaling factor (+ = multiply, - = divide) 71 2 - * Coordinate scaling factor (+ = multiply, - = divide) 73 4 Source coordinate X 77 4 Source coordinate Y 81 4 Group coordinate X 85 4 Group coordinate Y # Coordinate unit values: # 1 = Length (meters or feet) # 2 = Seconds of arc # 3 = Decimal degrees # 4 = Degrees, minutes, seconds 89 2 - * Coordinate unit 91 2 Weathering velocity 93 2 Subweathering velocity 95 2 Uphole time at source (millisec) 97 2 Uphole time at group (millisec) 99 2 - Source static correction (millisec) 101 2 Group static correction (millisec) 103 2 - * Total static applied (millisec)

105 107 109 111 113 115 117 119 121 123 125 127 129 131 133 135 137 139 141 143 145 147 149 151 153 155 157 159 161 163 165 167 169 171 173 175 177 179 181 185 189 193 197 201 203 205

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 4

Lag time A (millisec) Lag time B (millisec) Delay recording time (millisec) Mute time start (millisec) Mute time end (millisec) * Number of samples in this trace * Sample interval (microsec) Instrument gain type Instrument gain constant Instrument early or initial gain Correlated (1 = no, 2 = yes) Sweep frequency at start (Hz) Sweep frequency at end (Hz) Sweep length (millisec) Sweep type code Sweep trace taper length at start (millisec) Sweep trace taper length at end (millisec) Taper type (1 = linear, 2 = cos, 3 = other) Alias filter frequency (Hz) Alias filter slope (db/octave) Notch filter frequency (Hz) Notch filter slope (dB/octave) Low-cut frequency (Hz) High-cut frequency (Hz) Low-cut slope (dB/octave) High-cut slope (dB/octave) Year data recorded Day of year Hour of day (24 hour clock) Minute of hour Second of minute Time basis code (1 = local, 2 = GMT, 3 = other, 4 = UTC) * Trace weighting factor Geophone group number of roll switch position one Geophone group number of first trace within original field record Geophone group number of last trace within original field record Gap size (total number of groups dropped) Taper over travel at beginning or end of line * CDP X * CDP Y * Inline number * Crossline number * Shotpoint number * Shotpoint number scalar (+ = multiply, - = divide) Trace value measurement unit Transduction constant

211 213 215 217 221

2 2 2 4 4

Transduction unit Device/trace identifier * Time scalar (+ = multiply, - = divide) Gravity Magnetic