Sandeep Chandola

Sandeep Chandola

MSc	Physics
PhD university	H.N. Bahuguna Garhwal University

Sandeep Chandola is a Custodian (Geophysics) with PETRONAS, the Malaysian national oil company. He received a master's degree in physics in 1984 from H.N. Bahuguna Garhwal University and a specialized diploma in petroleum geophysics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 1985. Sandeep started his career as a field geophysicist with ONGC, the Indian national oil company, and served for more than 20 years in various capacities in seismic data acquisition, interpretation, technology evaluation and strategic planning. In 2005, he joined PETRONAS Carigali in the Exploration Division, where he continues. His main professional contributions include design and implementation of innovative land, marine, and OBC 3D acquisition geometries, introduction of several new geophysical technologies (broadband seismic, 4C seismic, 4D seismic, controlled-source electromagnetics, full-tensor gradiometry, passive seismic, etc.) in ONGC and PETRONAS. Sandeep is a part of the Global Affairs Committee of SEG, a member of SEG, EAGE, and the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (India), and has been on the organizing committee of several workshops and conferences by SEG and EAGE. Sandeep has more than 35 technical publications, including papers presented at the SEG, EAGE, IPTC, PGCE, SPG, and other international conferences. He was the recipient of the coveted National Petroleum Management Programme Award by the government of India in 2005 and the Professional of the Year Award by ONGC in 2004. In 2002, Sandeep also received the award for presenting the best technical paper at SPG conference at Mumbai.

SEG Special Commendation 2024

Sandeep Kumar Chandola is recognized with the Special Commendation Award for his many years of service, dedication to the profession, technical contributions, and advancement of PETRONAS geoscientists. Chandola is currently general manager and chief geophysicist for PETRONAS supervising some 120 geophysicists and having helped develop a large number of young geoscientists in PETRONAS with the introduction of the world-class “Geoscience Capability Development Programme.” He was elected to serve on the SEG Board of Directors as Director at Large (2024-2027), chairs SEG’s Asia Pacific Advisory Committee and has been the SEG Honorary Lecturer (Pacific South). He has more than 70 publications to his name in his 39 years of experience. Chandola has been an International Petroleum Technology Conference board member representing SEG since 2021. He is described as “a transformative leader with almost four decades of proven track record in hydrocarbon exploration and production and deployment of cutting-edge technologies to support hydrocarbon exploration, development, and new energy business.”

Biography Citation for the Special Commendation Award

by Andrew Long

Sandeep Kumar Chandola is a deserving recipient of SEG Special Commendation for 2024. Sandeep, with his nearly four decades of global experience in geophysical sciences, embodies the essence of this commendation through his significant contributions to the geosciences community and unwavering commitment to fostering the next generation of geoscientists.

Sandeep's professional journey is marked by his leadership in promoting and advancing SEG's mission and influence, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. An SEG Honorary Lecturer in 2014, he has been a frequent member of boards and committees with SEG; the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers; the International Petroleum Technology Conference; the Indonesian Petroleum Association; the Asia Petroleum Geoscience Conference and Exhibition; the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists, India; and the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

As chair or cochair of SEG’s Asia Pacific Advisory Committee since 2016, he has been instrumental in driving membership growth and actively engaging in key SEG activities. His leadership was pivotal in the establishment of the SEG Asia Pacific office in 2019, and he has since been an organizer, keynote speaker, and chair at numerous workshops, fostering a robust platform for professional exchange and development in geophysics. His role as an associate editor for SEG's Interpretation journal and his numerous accolades from various international geophysical societies attest to his profound influence and respect within the scientific community.

At PETRONAS, Sandeep has spearheaded numerous innovative technologies, too many to list, that have positioned Malaysia as a global hub for testing new marine seismic technologies beneficial to the global exploration success in recent years of PETRONAS.

Sandeep’s commitment to mentoring is evidenced by his impactful leadership in PETRONAS’ Exploration Capability Development Programme, which has enhanced the skills of a large number of young and midcareer geoscientists. This initiative not only underpins his dedication to professional development but also his belief in nurturing talent to sustain the industry’s future. More recently, he championed the design and establishment of an integrated geophysical computing platform for PETRONAS that provides high-performance computing services solutions across their entire spectrum of activities and business.

Recognizing Sandeep Kumar Chandola with the 2024 SEG Special Commendation not only celebrates his individual achievements and leadership but also signals SEG’s recognition of the strategic importance of geophysical advancements outside of North America, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. His leadership exemplifies the qualities of professional and community stewardship essential to the advancement of geosciences and SEG’s global mission. It is with great respect and admiration that his nomination for this commendation is wholeheartedly endorsed.

2014 SEG Honorary Lecturer, Pacfic South

Marine seismic acquisition: Expanding the possibilities

Historically, towed-streamer marine seismic acquisition has been a compromise between the geophysical requirements and the operational constraints. For several years advancements in marine streamer acquisition were on enhancing productivity by towing a large number of steamers and on design improvements in streamers and air gun sources. With the increasing demand of high-quality seismic imaging of complex geology, the focus in the last decade has shifted to "tune" the survey for improved wavefield sampling, bandwidth, and illumination.

The advent of broadband streamer-acquisition techniques has arguably been one of the most important developments in geophysics in the twenty-first century. These techniques involve removal of the free-surface ghost present in the conventional flat-tow hydrophone data, using a combination of novel streamer design/configuration and proprietary data-processing techniques, to deliver a broadband signal. Equally important has been the evolution of multi-azimuth (MAZ), wide-azimuth (WAZ) and full-azimuth (FAZ) acquisition to improve the illumination of structurally complex targets through better samplings of the azimuths.

This presentation shall focus on the aspects considered key enablers for expanding the possibilities in marine streamer acquisition. The following acquisition techniques, currently available in the market, shall be covered in the presentation:

• Dual-sensor streamers
• Over-under streamers
• Variable depth streamers
• MAZ, WAZ and FAZ circular shooting
• Emerging trends (multi-sensor streamers, broadband circular shooting, etc.)

Several case histories from Southeast Asia will cover application of the whole range of broadband acquisition techniques under diverse geological settings. Results of world's first 3D broadband full-azimuth circular shooting survey in Southeast Asia shall also be presented.

Additional Resource

A recording of the lecture is available.

External links

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