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US 2016/0109600 A1Published application
Virtual marine seismic spread acquisition
AssigneeCgg Services SAS
InventorsThomas MENSCH, Damien GRENIÉ, Risto SILIQI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Presented are methods and a system for efficiently acquiring seismic data based on a virtual seismic spread. A streamer vessel and a source vessel are used in combination and in a specific spatial arrangement collect seismic data. The source arrays can be fired simultaneously, creating blended seismic data that is separated with a deblending algorithm or sequentially to collect seismic data directly. The virtual seismic spread can be configured to reduce survey time or decrease capital costs and health safety and environment exposure based on the size of the streamer array towed by the streamer vessel.
Claims20
A method for acquiring seismic data over a survey area, the method comprising:
- deploying a streamer vessel and a source vessel to acquire seismic data along a first acquisition line associated with the survey area,
- wherein the streamer vessel and the source vessel each are configured to have at least one source array and wherein the streamer vessel is also configured to have a plurality of streamers each of which have receivers for recording seismic data, and
- wherein the source vessel is deployed adjacent to the streamer vessel such that it is offset from the streamer vessel in a cross-line direction relative to the first acquisition line;
- firing the at least one source array associated with the streamer vessel;
- recording, by the receivers, first seismic data associated with the firing of the at least one source array associated with the streamer vessel to generate a first coverage area;
- firing the at least one source array associated with the source vessel;
- recording, by the receivers, second seismic data associated with the firing of the at least one source array associated with the source vessel to generate a second coverage area which is adjacent to the first coverage area;
- and
- deploying the streamer vessel and the source vessel along a second acquisition line to acquire the seismic data, the second acquisition line being adjacent to the first acquisition line,
- wherein an offset of the second acquisition line relative to the first acquisition line is calculated so that the first coverage area corresponding to the first acquisition line is adjacent to the second coverage area corresponding to the second acquisition line.
7 more elements
A method for acquiring seismic data over a survey area, the method comprising:
- deploying a streamer vessel and one or more source vessels to acquire seismic data along one or more acquisition lines associated with the survey area;
- configuring each of the streamer vessel and the one or more source vessels with one or more source arrays, wherein the streamer vessel has a plurality of streamers and the one or more source vessels either have no streamers or streamers which are shorter than those associated with the streamer vessel;
- performing a pass along each of the one or more acquisition lines for collecting seismic data wherein the one or more source vessels travel behind the streamer vessel such that the source arrays associated with the one or more source vessels are in line with streamer heads associated with the streamer vessels;
- and
- firing a source associated with the streamer vessel and a source associated with each of the one or more source vessels simultaneously and acquiring the seismic data associated with the simultaneous shots,
- wherein an offset between successive passes is calculated so that a first coverage area corresponding to a first acquisition line is adjacent to the second coverage area corresponding to a second, adjacent, acquisition line, and
- wherein the first coverage area is achieved by the plurality of streamers and one or more of the source arrays of the streamer vessel, and the second coverage area is achieved by one of the source vessels and its corresponding source array.
4 more elements
A marine seismic acquisition system for collecting seismic data, the system comprising:
- a streamer vessel configured to tow a plurality of multi-sensor streamers and one or more sources along an acquisition line;
- one or more source vessels configured to tow one or more sources along a line adjacent, in a cross-line direction, to the streamer vessel and parallel to the acquisition line,
- wherein the streamer vessel is separated from each of the one or more source vessels by approximately a distance equal to a cross-line width of an associated coverage area;
- and
- a controller configured to coordinate source firings by the one or more sources associated with the streamer vessel and the one or more sources associated with the one or more source vessels and to collect seismic blended seismic data associated with the simultaneous firings via the multi-sensor streamers,
- wherein the associated coverage area corresponds to a first coverage area generated by the one or more sources of the streamer vessel and a second coverage area generated by the one or more sources of the one or more source vessels.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.