Westerngeco L.l.p.

Eskild Storteig

Martin N Howlid

Rune Toennessen

Kenneth E Welker

Rune Tønnessen

Rohit Singh

Oeystein Traetten

Emmanuel Keskes

Philippe Saint-Pere

Per Helgerud

Vahid Moosavi

Stephane Cordier

William R B Lionheart

An apparatus includes a streamer having one or more seismic data acquisition devices enclosed within a skin. The skin has a modulus of elasticity of at least 30 MPa to attenuate a flow noise.

Marine seismic streamer with increased skin stiffness

Systems and methods for automatic steering of marine seismic sources are described. One system comprises a marine seismic spread comprising a towing vessel and a seismic source, the seismic source comprising one or more source arrays each having a center of source array, each source array having one or more source strings; a seismic source deployment sub-system on the towing vessel, the sub-system controlled by a controller including a software module, the software module and the deployment sub-system adapted to control an inline distance between one of the centers of source array and a target coordinate. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, allowing a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Active steering systems and methods for marine seismic sources

The present invention provides a steerable hydrofoil. The apparatus includes at least one steerable hydrofoil panel, at least one body part coupled to the at least one steerable hydrofoil panel to allow the at least one steerable hydrofoil panel to rotate about an axis, and at least one actuator for rotating the at least one steerable hydrofoil panel by a selected angle about the axis.

Steerable hydrofoil

A seismic survey system includes a winch having a winch cable coupleable to a source array towable between two deflected lead-ins, a positioning system for determining a current position of the source array and a controller for adjusting the winch to modify the current position of the source array to a desired crossline position. The winches may be attached to the deflected lead-ins or mounted on a tow vessel. The winches exert lateral forces on the source array, derived from the deflected lead-ins, to control the inline position of the source array. A method includes positioning a seismic source array in tow behind a vessel comprises determining a current position of the source array and adjusting a lateral force applied to the source array to move the source array to a desired crossline position. Optionally, by adjusting the gun cable winch, the inline position may be controlled.

Active steering for marine sources

A method for use in seismic surveying includes determining the shape of a seismic cable during a seismic survey; determining the tension on the seismic cable at a plurality of points along the seismic cable; and predicting a current that will impact the seismic cable from the determined shape and the determined tension. The method may be practiced two-dimensionally in the context of a marine survey employing a towed streamer array or three-dimensionally in the context of laying an array of ocean bottom cables on the seabed. The predicted currents can, in some embodiments, be used to make steering corrections for the seismic cables.

Current prediction in seismic surveys

A system for adjusting a deflector in a seismic survey comprises a generally upright deflector body and at least one bridle connected to a seismic cable. The bridle includes an upper segment secured to an upper connection point on the deflector body, and a lower segment coupled to a lower connection point on the deflector body. The upper bridle segment, lower bridle segment and deflector body define a geometry between themselves. This geometry is adjustable by at least one actuator so as to control the tilt angle of the deflector body.

System for depth control of a marine deflector

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for reducing wing-tip vortex energy during seismic exploration. The apparatus includes a vortex concentrator of deployed proximate a tip of a hydrofoil and a vortex reducing device deployed proximate the vortex concentrator.

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Lierskogen, Norway

Eskild Storteig