Active separation tracking and positioning system for towed seismic arrays

A seismic streamer array tracking and positioning system comprising:

• a towing vessel for towing a seismic array;
• a seismic streamer array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers;
• an active streamer positioning device (ASPD) attached to each seismic streamer for positioning each seismic streamer;
• a master controller for issuing vertical and horizontal positioning commands to each ASPD for maintaining a specified array geometry;
• an environmental sensor for sensing environmental factors which influence the towed path of the towed array;
• a tracking system for tracking the streamer horizontal and vertical positions versus time during a seismic data acquisition run;
• an array geometry tracking system for tracking the array geometry versus time during a seismic data acquisition run, wherein the master controller compares the vertical and horizontal positions of the streamers versus time and the array geometry versus time to desired streamer positions and array geometry versus time and issues positioning commands to the ASPDs to maintain the desired streamer positions and array geometry versus time.

A seismic streamer array tracking and positioning system comprising:

• a towing vessel for towing a seismic array;
• a seismic streamer array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers;
• an active streamer positioning device (ASPD) attached to each seismic streamer for vertically and horizontally positioning each seismic streamer relative to the array;
• a master controller for issuing positioning commands to each ASPD for maintaining a specified array geometry;
• an environmental sensor for sensing environmental factors which influence the path of the towed array;
• a tracking system for tracking the streamer positions versus time during a seismic data acquisition run;
• an array geometry tracking system for tracking the array geometry versus time during a seismic data acquisition run, wherein the master controller compares the positions of the streamers versus time and the array geometry versus time to a desired position and array geometry versus time and issues positioning commands to the ASPDs to maintain the desired position and array geometry versus time, wherein the master controller factors in environmental and maneuverability factors into the positioning commands to compensate for environmental and maneuverability influences on the position of the streamers and the array geometry;
• and
• a monitor for determining the status of each streamer, wherein the master controller adjusts the array geometry to compensate for a failed streamer and removes the failed streamer from the array.

A seismic streamer array tracking and positioning system comprising:

• a towing vessel for towing a seismic array;
• a seismic streamer array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers;
• an active streamer positioning device (ASPD) attached to each seismic streamer for vertically and horizontally positioning each seismic streamer relative to the array;
• and
• a master controller for issuing positioning commands to each ASPD for maintaining a specified array path.

A seismic streamer array tracking and positioning system comprising:

• a towing vessel for towing a seismic array;
• a seismic streamer array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers;
• an active streamer positioning device (ASPD) attached to each seismic streamer for vertically and horizontally positioning each seismic streamer relative to the array;
• a master controller for issuing positioning commands to each ASPD and to the towing vessel for maintaining an optimal path, wherein the master controller further comprises a processor for calculating an optimal path for the seismic array for optimal coverage during seismic data acquisition over a seismic field, and a streamer behavior prediction processor which predicts array behavior, wherein the master controller compensates for predicted streamer behavior in issuing positioning commands to the towing vessel and the ASPDs for positioning the array along the optimal path, wherein the master controller compensates for environmental and maneuverability factors in the positioning commands.

A method for tracking and positioning a seismic streamer array comprising:

• for towing a seismic array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers;
• attaching an active streamer positioning device (ASPD) each seismic streamer for positioning the seismic streamer relative to other seismic streamers within the array;
• and
• issuing vertical and horizontal positioning commands to each ASPD for maintaining a specified array geometry.

A method for tracking and positioning a seismic streamer array comprising:

• towing a seismic array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers from a towing vessel;
• attaching an active streamer positioning device (ASPD) to each seismic streamer for positioning each seismic streamer;
• issuing positioning commands from a master controller to each ASPD to adjust vertical and horizontal position of a first streamer relative to a second streamer in the array for maintaining a specified array geometry;
• sensing environmental factors which influence the towed path of the towed array;
• tracking the streamer positions versus time during a seismic data acquisition run;
• tracking the array geometry versus time during a seismic data acquisition run, wherein the master controller compares the positions of the streamers versus time and the array geometry versus time to desired streamer positions and array geometry versus time and issues positioning commands to the ASPDs to maintain the desired streamer positions and array geometry versus time.

A method for tracking and positioning a seismic streamer array comprising:

• towing a seismic array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers from a towing vessel;
• issuing vertical and horizontal positioning commands to each ASPD for maintaining a specified array geometry;
• sensing environmental factors which influence the path of the towed array;
• tracking the streamer positions versus time during a seismic data acquisition run;
• tracking the array geometry versus time during a seismic data acquisition run, wherein the master controller compares the positions of the streamers versus time and the array geometry versus time to a desired position and array geometry versus time and issues positioning commands to the ASPDs to maintain the desired position and array geometry versus time, wherein the master controller factors in environmental and maneuverability factors into the positioning commands to compensate for environmental and maneuverability influences on the position of the streamers and the array geometry;
• and
• determining the status of each streamer, wherein the master controller adjusts the array geometry to compensate for a failed streamer and removes the failed streamer from the array.

A method for tracking and positioning seismic streamer array comprising:

• towing a seismic array comprising a plurality of seismic streamers;
• attaching an active streamer positioning device (ASPD) attached to each seismic streamer for positioning each seismic streamer;
• and
• issuing vertical and horizontal positioning commands to each ASPD for maintaining a specified array path.