Marine surveys conducted with multiple source arrays
AssigneePGS Geophysical AS
InventorGert-Jan Adriaan van Groenestijn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Marine surveys carried out with multiple source arrays comprising three or more sources are discussed. Each source of a multiple source array is an array of source elements, such as air guns. The sources of a multiple source array may be arranged in particular type of configuration that is effectively maintained while the survey vessel travels a sail line. The sources of the multiple source array are activated to acoustically illuminate a subterranean formation with acoustic signals. Two or more sources of a multiple source array may be activated to create blended seismic data. Methods to deblend, source deghost, and attenuate noise in the blended seismic data obtained by using a multiple source array are also discussed.
Claims17
In a process that generates an image of a subterranean formation using marine seismic techniques with multiple sources activated in a body of water above the subterranean formation and receivers located in the body of water to record wavefield responses from the subterranean formation in one or more data-storage devices, the specific improvement comprising:
- retrieving recorded blended seismic data generated by the receivers from the one or more data storage devices, the recorded blended seismic data representing overlapping reflections from the subterranean formation;
- computing a deblended seismic data matrix of pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gathers from the recorded blended seismic data, each pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gather estimating a gather of deblended seismic data recorded at a common-receiver location;
- and
- using the deblended seismic data matrix to generate an image of the subterranean formation, thereby providing a visual representation that reveals structures and layers within the subterranean formation.
A computer system that generate an image of a subterranean formation, the computer system comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more data-storage devices;
- and
- machine-readable instructions stored on the one or more data-storage devices that when executed using the one or more processors controls the system to execute operations comprising:
- retrieving recorded blended seismic data from one or more data storage devices, the recorded blended seismic data representing blended wavefields reflected from a subterranean formation in response to source wavefields produced by multiple sources activated in the body of water;
- computing a deblended seismic data matrix of pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gathers from the recorded blended seismic data, each pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gather estimating a gather of deblended seismic data recorded at a common-receiver location;
- and
- computing an image of the subterranean formation using the deblended seismic data matrix.
Apparatus for generating an image of a subterranean formation using multiple sources activated in a body of water above the subterranean formation and receivers located in the body of water to record wavefield responses from the subterranean formation in one or more data-storage devices, the apparatus comprising:
- means for retrieving recording blended seismic data from one or more data storage devices, the recorded blended seismic data representing overlapping reflections from the subterranean formation;
- means for computing a deblended seismic data matrix of pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gathers from the recorded blended seismic data, each pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gather estimating a gather of deblended seismic data recorded at a common-receiver location;
- and
- means for using the deblended seismic data matrix to generate an image of the subterranean formation.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium having machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for enabling one or more processors of a computer system to generate an image of a subterranean formation located below a body of water by performing the operations comprising:
- retrieving recorded blended seismic data from one or more data storage devices, the recorded blended seismic data generated by receivers located in the body of water and representing blended wavefields reflected from the subterranean formation in response to source wavefields produced by multiple sources located in the body of water;
- computing a deblended seismic data matrix of pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gathers from the recorded blended seismic data, each pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gather estimating a gather of deblended seismic data recorded at a common-receiver location;
- and
- computing an image of the subterranean formation using the deblended seismic data matrix.
A method of manufacturing a geophysical data product, the method comprising:
- activating multiple sources located in a body of water above a subterranean formation, creating source wavefields above the subterranean formation;
- recording blended seismic data generated by receivers located in the body of water in one or more data storage devices, the recorded blended seismic data representing blended wavefields reflected from the subterranean formation in response to the source wavefields;
- computing a deblended seismic data matrix of pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gathers from the recorded blended seismic data, each pseudo-deblended common-receiver-station gather estimating a gather of deblended seismic data recorded at a common-receiver location;
- computing an image of the subterranean formation using the deblended seismic data matrix;
- and
- storing the image of the subterranean formation on a non-transitory computer-readable medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.