Variable buoyancy control and recovery system for seismic data acquisition
AssigneeION Geophysical Corporation
InventorAndré W. Olivier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seismic apparatus includes one or more seismic cable systems configured to acquire seismic data, each seismic cable system having one or more of a cable jacket, a reservoir for a ballast fluid or other ballast medium, and an actuator or other transfer mechanism configured to transfer the ballast fluid between the reservoir and the seismic cable system during acquisition of the seismic data, e.g., where the ballast fluid is transferred to the seismic cable system within the cable jacket. A controller can be configured to adjust a buoyancy of the seismic cable system responsive to the transfer of the ballast fluid, e.g., where the internal volume expands or contract based on the fluid transfer.
Claims25
An apparatus comprising:
- a seismic cable system configured to acquire seismic data, the seismic cable system having a cable jacket;
- a reservoir for ballast fluid;
- a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the ballast fluid between the reservoir and the seismic cable system during acquisition of the seismic data, wherein the ballast fluid is transferred to the seismic cable system within the cable jacket;
- and
- a controller configured to adjust a buoyancy of the seismic cable system responsive to the transfer of the ballast fluid.
A ballast module comprising:
- a housing adapted for mounting the ballast module along a seismic cable system configured for acquiring seismic data;
- a reservoir disposed within the housing, the reservoir configured to transfer a ballast medium between the reservoir and a volume defined within an outer jacket of the seismic cable system;
- and
- a controller configured to selectively operate the reservoir to control buoyancy of the seismic cable system, wherein the buoyancy is responsive to changes in the volume based on the transfer of the ballast medium during acquisition of the seismic data by the seismic cable system.
A seismic data acquisition system comprising:
- one or more seismic cables configured for acquiring seismic data;
- one or more ballast modules disposed along each seismic cable, each of the ballast modules comprising:
- a housing configured for mounting the ballast module between adjacent sections of the respective seismic cable;
- a reservoir disposed within the housing, the reservoir containing a ballast fluid;
- and
- a transfer mechanism coupled to the reservoir, the transfer mechanism configured to transfer the ballast fluid between the reservoir and a volume defined within the respective seismic cable jacket;
- wherein buoyancy along a length of each seismic cable is controlled by changes in the volume defined within the respective cable jacket, responsive to the transfer of the ballast fluid.
The system of claim 18, further comprising a processor in communication with the one or more ballast modules, the processor configured to trim the buoyancy of each seismic cable along the respective length thereof, wherein the buoyancy is responsive to selective transfer of the ballast fluid as determined by the processor.
A method comprising:
- deploying a seismic cable to a seismic medium;
- acquiring seismic data with the seismic cable;
- operating a ballast module to transfer a ballast medium between a reservoir and one or more adjacent sections of the seismic cable, wherein the reservoir is disposed within a housing configured for mounting the ballast module between the adjacent sections;
- and
- controlling a buoyancy of the seismic cable, wherein the buoyancy is responsive to the transfer of the ballast medium to a volume defined within the cable jacket of the one or more adjacent sections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.