3D seismic acquisition
AssigneeConocoPhillips Company
InventorsPeter M. Eick, Joel D. Brewer, Charles Clinton Mosher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed are methods of marine 3D seismic data acquisition that do not require compensation for winds and currents.
Claims14
A method of imaging a marine 3D survey area, comprising:
- a) obtaining a geology model of a marine survey area;
- b) determining a bin size and orientation based on a smallest feature to be mapped and a shape of a marine geology model;
- c) determining a stability of a compressed seismic imaging source and receiver station and sampling design (“CSI design”), and if unstable modify said bin size or orientation and re-determine said stability iteratively to produce a stable CSI design;
- d) establishing a set of sampling rules or criteria for coverage of said marine survey area to assure that appropriate data is recorded so said stable CSI design can be properly reconstructed;
- e) acquiring 3D seismic data traces over said marine survey area allowing wind and marine current to direct at least a portion of vessel travel, wherein said 3D seismic data traces are acquired over said marine survey area until said sampling rules or criteria are satisfied;
- f) reconstructing a wavefield and regularizing 3D seismic data traces using reconstruction techniques to produce seismic data;
- and
- g) processing said seismic data and imaging said survey area.
A method of acquiring marine 3D seismic data comprising:
- a) acquiring 3D seismic data of a marine area to be surveyed allowing wind and marine current to direct at least twenty five percent (25%) of vessel travel;
- b) collecting positioning data while acquiring 3D data;
- and
- c) continuing step a) until said collected positioning data indicates that sufficient coverage of said marine area satisfies a predetermined set of sampling rules or criteria.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium carrying computer executable instructions for imaging a marine survey area, which when executed by at least one processor of a computer, implement:
- acquiring 3D seismic data of a marine area to be surveyed allowing wind and marine current to direct at least twenty five percent (25%) of vessel travel;
- collecting positioning data while acquiring 3D data;
- continuing step a) until said collected positioning data indicates that coverage of said marine area satisfies a predetermined set of sampling rules;
- wherein an actual pathway travelled is mapped and used to thereby confirm sufficient coverage and that said rules have been met.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium carrying computer executable instructions for imaging a marine survey area, which when executed by at least one processor of a computer, implement:
- obtaining or developing a geology model of a marine survey area;
- determining a bin size and orientation based on a smallest feature to be mapped and a shape of a marine geology model;
- determining a stability of a compressed seismic imaging source and receiver station and sampling design (“CSI design”), and if unstable modify said bin size or orientation and re-determine said stability iteratively to produce a stable CSI design;
- establishing a set of sampling rules or criteria for coverage of said marine survey area to assure that appropriate data is recorded so said stable CSI design can be properly reconstructed;
- acquiring 3D seismic data traces over said marine survey area allowing wind and marine current to direct at least a portion of vessel travel, wherein said said 3D seismic data traces are acquired over said marine survey area until said sampling rules or criteria are satisfied.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.