Multi-vessel seismic acquisition system and method
AssigneeCgg Services SAS
InventorsDamien Grenie, Thomas Mensch, Risto Siliqi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method and system for acquiring seismic data. The system includes a first streamer vessel configured to tow a first source array and a first streamer spread; a first source vessel configured to tow a second source array; and a second source vessel configured to tow a third source array. The first to third source arrays are distributed along a non-linear profile while the first streamer vessel and the first to second source vessels move along an inline direction (X).
Claims20
A marine seismic acquisition system comprising:
- a first streamer vessel configured to tow a first source array and a first streamer spread;
- a first source vessel configured to tow a second source array;
- and
- a second source vessel configured to tow a third source array,
- wherein the first to third source arrays are distributed along a non-linear profile while the first streamer vessel and the first to second source vessels move along an inline direction (X), the second and the third source array being towed on a same side of the first streamer spread relative to the inline direction, and
- wherein the first streamer vessel, the first source vessel and the second source vessel are (1) staggered along the inline direction so that no two vessels have a same inline position and (2) staggered along a cross-line direction so that no two vessels have a same cross-line position, the cross-line direction being perpendicular to the inline direction.
A marine seismic acquisition system comprising:
- first to nth vessels, each configured to tow a corresponding source array of first to nth source arrays;
- and
- at least one vessel also configured to tow a corresponding streamer spread,
- wherein the first to nth source arrays are distributed along a non-linear profile while the first to nth vessels move along an inline direction (X), the second to nth source arrays being towed on a same side of the streamer spread relative to the inline direction, and
- wherein the first to nth vessels are (1) staggered along the inline direction so that no two vessels have a same inline position and (2) staggered along a cross-line direction so that no two vessels have a same cross-line position, the cross-line direction being perpendicular to the inline direction.
A method for acquiring marine seismic data, the method comprising:
- towing one streamer spread with a streamer vessel along an inline direction;
- towing three source arrays with the streamer vessel and first and second source vessels, wherein the second and the third source array are towed on a same side of the streamer spread relative to the inline direction;
- steering the streamer vessel and the first and second source vessels so that the three source arrays are located on a non-linear curve;
- firing the three source arrays according to a given firing sequence;
- and
- recording seismic data with seismic sensors located on the streamer spread as a result of firing the three source arrays,
- wherein the streamer vessel, the first source vessel and the second source vessel are (1) staggered along the inline direction so that not two vessels have a same inline position and (2) staggered along a cross-line direction so that not two vessels have a same cross-line position, the cross-line direction being perpendicular to the inline direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.