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US 4,064,479 AGranted
Vertically directive arrays for marine seismic exploration
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorWilliam H. Ruehle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for marine seismic exploration has arrays of sources and receivers which discriminate against horizontal traveling source-generated noise. Directive arrays of sources or receivers have a length which is longer than the wavelength of the lowest frequency of the seismic pulse. The spacing between the elements in the array is less than the wavelength of the highest characteristic frequency in the seismic pulse.
Claims5
In a system for marine seismic exploration comprising:
- a marine vessel,
- a plurality of seismic energy sources each producing seismic pulses having a broadband frequency content including the lowest frequency, the highest frequency and the predominant frequency of the seismic energy in each pulse,
- a plurality of hydrophones for detecting reflected seismic pulses, and
- means for towing said sources and said hydrophones in horizontal linear arrays behind said vessel with fixed spacing between said sources, fixed spacing between said hydrophones, and an offset distance between the array of sources and the array of hydrophones,
- the improvement wherein the length of at least one of said arrays is longer than the wavelength of the lowest frequency within the broadband frequency content of said seismic pulses, and wherein the spacing between elements of said array is less than the wavelength of the highest frequency within the broadband frequency content of said seismic pulses.
2 more elements
In a system for marine seismic exploration comprising:
- a marine vessel,
- a plurality of seismic energy sources each producing seismic pulses having a broadband frequency content including the lowest frequency, the highest frequency and the predominant frequency of the seismic energy in each pulse, and
- means for towing said sources in a linear array behind said vessel with fixed spacing between said sources,
- the improvement wherein the length of said array of sources is longer than the wavelength of the lowest frequency within the broadband frequency content of said seismic pulses, and wherein the spacing between said sources is less than the wavelength of the highest frequency within the broadband frequency content of said seismic pulses.
1 more element
In a system for marine seismic exploration comprising:
- a marine vessel,
- a seismic energy source producing seismic pulses having a broadband frequency content including the lowest frequency, the highest and the predominant frequency of the seismic energy in each pulse,
- a plurality of seismic detectors, and
- means for towing said detectors in a horizontal linear array behind said vessel with fixed spacing between said detectors,
- the improvement wherein the length of said array is longer than the wavelength of the lowest frequency within the broadband frequency content of said seismic pulses and wherein the spacing between detectors is less than the wavelength of the highest frequency within the broadband frequency content of said seismic pulses.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.