Halliburton Geophysical Services, Inc.

Apache Corporation

Input/output, Inc.

David J Monk

Cameron B Wason

Michael Stephen Bahorich

Robert G McBeath

William Nicholas Goodway

James A Musser

Paul G Young

Paul Young

A method for seismic surveying includes deploying a group of vertically sensitive seismic particle motion responsive sensors at each of a plurality of geodetic survey positions. The groups each include at least two sensors spaced apart by a first selected horizontal distance. The groups are separated from each other by a second selected distance larger than the first distance. Signals detected by each of the sensors resulting from actuation of a seismic energy source are recorded. At least one of an in-line and a cross-line component of a gradient of the vertical component of the seismic wavefield is determined at each group location by determining a difference between the signals detected by each sensor in a respective group.

Method for acquiring seismic data

A method for acquiring marine seismic data includes towing a seismic energy source in a body of water and towing a seismic sensor at a selected distance from the seismic energy source. The seismic energy source is actuated a plurality of positions, a distance between each of the plurality of actuations being randomly different than any other such distance. Seismic energy detected by the seismic sensor is substantially continuously recorded through a plurality of actuations of the at least one seismic energy source. The recording includes recording a geodetic position of the at least one seismic energy source and the at least one seismic sensor at each actuation.

Method for acquiring marine seismic data

A method for marine seismic surveying includes towing seismic sensors in a plurality of streamers in the water, actuating a seismic energy source in the water at selected times and detecting seismic signals at the sensors resulting from the actuation of the source. A data trace is created for each of the detected signals. At least one Fresnel zone is determined for at least some of the seismic data traces. A contribution of each of the traces to each one of a plurality of bins defined in a predetermined pattern is computed, based on the Fresnel zone associated with each trace. Based on the computed contributions, a maximum lateral distance between corresponding seismic sensors is determined that will result in a contribution sum above a selected threshold.

Method for determining adequacy of seismic data coverage of a subsurface area being surveyed and its application to selecting sensor array geometry

A method for processing data from dual sensor receivers to produce a combined seismic trace. A first seismic trace is received from a geophone and second seismic trance from a hydrophone in a dual sensor receiver. This first and second seismic traces are transformed into a first and second seismic spectrum. The seismic spectrums are deghosted to obtain deghosted spectrums. The seismic spectra may be added to obtain a deghosted third spectrum. An inverse power is computed for each of the deghosted spectra. The inverse powers for each deghosted spectra are divided by sums of the deghosted spectra to obtain diversity filters. The first and third diversity filters are applied to the first seismic spectrum to obtain a scaled first seismic spectrum. The other scaled spectra are formed in a like manner. The diversity scaled seismic spectrum is inversely transformed to obtain the combined seismic trace.

Dual sensor signal processing method for on-bottom cable seismic

A method is disclosed for processing of dual sensor OBC data that corrects for angular incidence angle, corrects for estimated reflectivity, and combines the corrected sensor traces using an optimal diversity scaling technique. In one embodiment, the disclosed method takes seismic traces from a geophone and a hydrophone, corrects the geophone trace for the incidence angle, determines diversity filters for optimally combining the geophone and hydrophone traces, applies the diversity filters, estimates a reflectivity coefficient for the ocean bottom (potentially for different angles of reflection), scales the geophone data according to the reflectivity, and re-applies the diversity filters to obtain a combined trace. The combined trace is expected to have various artifacts eliminated, including ghosting and reverberation, and is expected to have an optimally determined signal-to-noise ratio.

Dual sensor signal processing method for on-bottom cable seismic wave detection

To eliminate undesirable energy recorded during seismic surveying, a trace that models the undesirable energy on the recorded data trace is prepared. The model trace is first estimated using a suitable technique, such as wavefield extrapolation. Then, the model trace is modified using a best estimate of the amplitude, phase and time delay differences between the model trace and the data trace. The estimated amplitude, phase and time delay differences may be used to design a cross-equalization filter, which is used to cross-equalize the model trace with the data trace. Alternatively, the best estimate determination may include using a weighted sum of the model trace, its imaginary component, and their derivatives. When weighted and summed together, these components form a cross-equalized model trace that closely approximates the undesirable energy on the recorded data trace. Lastly, the cross-equalized model trace is subtracted from the data trace to substantially eliminate the undesirable energy.

Method for attenuating undesirable data, such as multiples, using

The present invention provides method of interpolating spatially aliased seismic data. This method produces high resolution interpolated data based on a locally planar model of reflection events using a two dimensional power diversity slant stack process that transforms the data from the t-x-y domain to t-xslope-yslope domain. The present invention further provides an improved technique for the 3D interpolation of aliased events and is applicable to the interpolation of 2D seismic data.

Interpolation of aliased seismic traces

A method for attenuating coherent and incoherent noise in seismic signal data is provided. Seismic signal data is transformed from a time-space domain using a Radon-transform domain. In the Radon-transform domain, coherent noise is attenuated by muting and incoherent noise is attenuated by diversity stacking. Data remaining in the Radon-transform domain in transformed back to the time-space domain by an inverse Radon transform.

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Sugarland, TX, United States of America

David J Monk