# US 12,216,238 B2 · Flaring methodologies for marine seismic data acquisition > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,216,238 B2 - Document ID: US12216238B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/028,102 - Filed: 2018-07-05 - Published: 2018-11-01 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2010-06-07 - Assignees: ConocoPhillips Company - Applicants: Conocophillips Company - Inventors: Peter M. Eick; Joel D. Brewer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216238B2 ## CPC - G01V 1/3826: {dynamic steering, e.g. by paravanes or birds} - G01V 1/3808: {Seismic data acquisition, e.g. survey design} - G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02) ## Abstract A method of determining an optimal flare spacing for streamers towed behind a seismic vessel comprising the steps of: using a computer specially adapted with a seismic data analysis package to analyze prior seismic data for a survey area; analyzing migration broadcast patterns to estimate a maximum sampling distance; calculating a wavelet expansion as a function of flare spacing; creating synthetic gaps in the prior seismic data coverage by dropping traces at different flare spacing; testing capability of different interpolation algorithms in the seismic data analysis package to close the synthetic gaps; and determining an optimal flare spacing based upon the capability of the different interpolation algorithms to close the synthetic gaps. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for marine seismic data acquisition, the method comprising: using a computer specially adapted with a seismic data analysis package to analyze prior seismic data for a survey area; selecting a flare spacing for a streamer configuration, the streamer configuration including a plurality of seismic receivers having a first lateral distance between outer-most, rearward-most seismic receivers that is greater than a second lateral distance between outer-most, front-most seismic receivers; creating synthetic gaps in coverage of the prior seismic data by dropping a trace at different flare spacing; testing capability of different interpolation algorithms to close the synthetic gaps created by the trace with the flare spacing; and determining an optimal flare spacing for the streamer configuration based upon the capability of the different interpolation algorithms to close the synthetic gaps. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: selecting an actual flare spacing for marine seismic data acquisition. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the prior seismic data is 2D seismic data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the prior seismic data is 3D seismic data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal flare spacing is within 12% of nominal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal flare spacing is within 20% of nominal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal flare spacing is within 10% to 25% of nominal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal flare spacing is within 10% to 30% of nominal. ### Claim 9 A method for marine seismic data acquisition, the method comprising: obtaining prior seismic data for a survey area in a marine environment; preventing trace data in the prior seismic data from being processed by creating one or more synthetic gaps in the prior seismic data; testing a capability of different interpolation algorithms to close the one or more synthetic gaps; and determining an optimal flare spacing for a streamer configuration based upon the capability of the different interpolation algorithms to close the one or more synthetic gaps. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: creating a wavelet expansion using the prior seismic data, the wavelet expansion being a function of a flare spacing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the wavelet expansion is further created using a geological model of the survey area. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the optimal flare spacing is within 15% expansion of nominal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the optimal flare spacing is within 20%-30% expansion of nominal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) Th method of claim 9, wherein the optimal flare spacing avoids wavefield oversampling. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the optimal flare spacing prevents any unpopulated gaps that cannot be in-filled by the different interpolation algorithms. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the streamer configuration is a flared configuration or a non-flared configuration. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the flared configuration includes a rear portion of a streamer system being wider than a front portion of the streamer system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the streamer configuration includes a constant rate of flaring along an entire length of a seismic streamer system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the streamer configuration includes a rate of flaring that is rearwardly increasing along a length of a seismic streamer system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the streamer configuration includes a first plurality of streamers having a first length and a second plurality of streamers having a second length, the first length being less than the second length. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the first plurality of streamers is in a non-flared configuration and the second plurality of streamers includes a flared section. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the first plurality of streamers or the second plurality of streamers has varying streamer lengths.