US 10,871,588 B2Granted

Seismic surveys with increased shot point intervals for far offsets

AssigneePGS Geophysical AS

InventorsManuel Beitz, Christian Strand

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Abstract

Techniques are disclosed relating to configuring a marine seismic survey. In some embodiments, a vessel may be coupled to one or more seismic sources and one or more seismic streamers, and a second vessel may be coupled to one or more far offset seismic sources. The near offset sources may be configured to actuate according to a shot point interval; the far offset sources may be configured to actuate according to a longer shot point interval. In some embodiments, the longer shot point interval may be a multiple of the near offset source shot point interval. Determining the first and second shot point intervals may be based in part on, for example, the wave frequencies of the far offset sources, the requirements of a full wave inversion process, or various configurational parameters of seismic surveys.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

towing, from one or more vessels during a portion of a marine seismic survey performed by a survey system, a set of multiple seismic sources at respective source offsets from a plurality of seismic streamers;
wherein the set of multiple seismic sources includes towing a set of one or more near offset seismic sources that includes all sources in the survey system whose source offsets are less than a first threshold source offset during the portion of the marine seismic survey;
wherein the set of multiple seismic sources further includes a set of one or more far offset seismic sources that includes all sources in the survey system whose source offsets remain between the first threshold source offset and a second, greater threshold source offset during the portion of the marine seismic survey;
actuating the set of near offset seismic sources during the portion of the marine seismic survey according to a first shot point interval, wherein the first shot point interval is a near offset shot point interval measured in distance or time between actuations of any member of the set of near offset seismic sources;
actuating the set of far offset seismic sources during the portion of the marine seismic survey according to a second shot point interval, wherein the second shot point interval is a far offset shot point interval measured in distance or time between actuations of any member of the set of near offset seismic sources, wherein the second shot point interval is longer in distance or time than the first shot point interval;
and
collecting, via the plurality of seismic streamers, seismic data responsive to actuation of the one or more near offset seismic sources and the one or more far offset seismic sources.

4 more elements

A survey system, comprising:

a plurality of seismic streamers;
a set of multiple seismic sources that includes:
a set of one or more near offset seismic sources;
a set of one or more far offset seismic sources;
and
survey equipment configured to:
tow, from one or more vessels during a portion of a marine seismic survey performed by the survey system, the set of multiple seismic sources at respective source offsets from the plurality of seismic streamers;
wherein the set of one or more near offset seismic sources includes all sources in the survey system whose source offsets are less than a first threshold source offset during the portion of the marine seismic survey;
wherein the set of one or more far offset seismic sources includes all sources in the survey system whose source offsets remain between the first threshold source offset and a second, greater threshold source offset during the portion of the marine seismic survey;
actuate at least one of the set of one or more near offset seismic sources according to a first shot point interval, wherein the first shot point interval is a near offset shot point interval measured in distance or time between actuations of any source in the set of one or more near offset seismic sources;
actuate at least one of the set of one or more far offset seismic sources according to a second shot point interval, wherein the second shot point interval is a far offset shot point interval measured in distance or time between actuations of any source in the set of one or more far offset seismic sources, wherein the second shot point interval is greater in time or distance than the first shot point interval, wherein the second shot point interval is an integer multiple of the first shot point interval, and wherein actuation of at least one source in the set of one or more far offset seismic sources is configured to occur substantially simultaneously with at least source in the set of one near offset seismic sources;
wherein the plurality of seismic streamers is configured to receive seismic data responsive to actuation of the set of one or more far offset seismic sources and the set of one or more far offset seismic sources during the portion of the marine seismic survey;
and
a recording system configured to generate a stored record of the seismic data.

11 more elements

A method of manufacturing a geophysical data product, comprising:

towing, from one or more vessels during a portion of a marine seismic survey performed by a survey system, a set of multiple seismic sources at respective source offsets from a plurality of seismic streamers;
actuating one or more members of a set of near offset seismic sources in the marine seismic survey according to a first firing pattern during a portion of the marine seismic survey, wherein the set of near offset sources includes all sources in the survey system whose source offsets are less than a first threshold source offset during the portion of the marine seismic survey;
actuating one or more members of a set of far offset seismic sources according to a second firing pattern during the portion of a marine seismic survey, wherein the set of far offset sources includes all sources in the survey system whose source offsets remain between the first threshold source offset and a second, greater threshold source offset during the portion of the marine seismic survey, wherein under the second firing pattern, the set of far offset seismic sources fire less frequently than the set of near offset seismic sources;
collecting, via the plurality of seismic streamers, geophysical data responsive to actuation of the one or more members of the set of near offset seismic sources and the one or more members of the set of far offset seismic sources during the portion of the marine seismic survey;
and
storing the geophysical data on a tangible, computer-readable medium, thereby completing the manufacture of the geophysical data product.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/823,221Filed 27 Nov 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 14 Dec 2016
Published: US 2018/0164457 A114 Jun 2018
Granted: 22 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G01V 1/3808
Specially adapted for water-covered areas: seismic data acquisition, e.g. survey design
G01V 1/3843
Specially adapted for water-covered areas: deployment of seismic devices, e.g. of streamers
G01V 1/181
Receiving elements, e.g. seismometer, geophone or torque detectors, for localised single point measurements: geophones
G01V 1/186
Receiving elements, e.g. seismometer, geophone or torque detectors, for localised single point measurements: hydrophones