Conocophillips Company

Shearwater Geoservices Software Inc.

Other

Conocophillips Company - IP Services Group

Peter M Eick

Joel D Brewer

Shan Shan

Stephen KamLing Chiu

Charles Clinton Mosher

Frank D Janiszewski

Chengbo Li

William Meredith Menger

Jun Cao

Charles Wayne Emmons

Robert G Keys

Sam T Kaplan

Peter W Cramer

Stephen K Chiu

Tony Maultsby

A method of determining an optimal flare spacing for streamers towed behind a seismic vessel comprising the steps of: using a computer specially adapted with a seismic data analysis package to analyze prior seismic data for a survey area; analyzing migration broadcast patterns to estimate a maximum sampling distance; calculating a wavelet expansion as a function of flare spacing; creating synthetic gaps in the prior seismic data coverage by dropping traces at different flare spacing; testing capability of different interpolation algorithms in the seismic data analysis package to close the synthetic gaps; and determining an optimal flare spacing based upon the capability of the different interpolation algorithms to close the synthetic gaps.

Flaring methodologies for marine seismic data acquisition

Methods and systems of analyzing and optimizing a seismic survey design are described. A system includes a plurality of seismic receivers disposed in a survey area at a plurality of receiver locations. The system also includes a plurality of seismic sources disposed in the survey area at a plurality of source locations. The plurality of receiver locations and the plurality of source locations are specified by a seismic survey design minimizing any artifacts identified in a filtered spectrum obtained by applying a frequency-wavenumber filter to a central midpoint space summation. The plurality of receiver locations and the plurality of source locations are determined based on a comparison of the filtered spectrum to a second filtered spectrum. The second filtered spectrum is for a second central midpoint space summation.

Optimal survey design

Improved methods of providing acoustic source signals for seismic surveying, wherein a plurality of signals can be easily separated from one another after data acquisition, wherein the source signals are not sweep based.

WAVSEIS sourcing

A method for 2D seismic data acquisition includes determining source-point seismic survey positions for a combined deep profile seismic data acquisition with a shallow profile seismic data acquisition wherein the source-point positions are based on non-uniform optimal sampling. A seismic data set is acquired with a first set of air-guns optimized for a deep-data seismic profile and the data set is acquired with a second set of air-guns optimized for a shallow-data seismic profile. The data are de-blended to obtain a deep 2D seismic dataset and a shallow 2D seismic dataset.

Use NUOS technology to acquire optimized 2D data

Methods of designing seismic survey and acquisition of seismic data with reduced noise using equally or optimally irregularly spaced sources or receivers are described. Specifically, prime number ratios for the station to line spacing is used to prevent harmonic leakage and other noise contaminations in the acquired seismic data.

Prime number survey design

Disclosed are methods of marine 3D seismic data acquisition that do not require compensation for winds and currents.

3D seismic acquisition

A method of performing notch compensation and a system to perform notch compensation for a first seismic streamer are described. The method includes disposing the first seismic streamer at a first depth, where the seismic streamer includes a first set of sensors to receive reflections resulting from a seismic source, the reflections indicating a notch at a frequency. The method also includes disposing a second seismic streamer at a second depth, the second depth being less than the first depth and the second seismic streamer including a second set of sensors to receive reflections resulting from the seismic source. The method further includes processing the reflections received by the first set of sensors and the second set of sensors together to derive the match filter, and applying the match filter to the reflections received by the first set of sensors of the first seismic streamer to compensate for the notch.

Marine deterministic notch compensation

Methods of analyzing and optimizing a seismic survey design are described. Specifically, the sampling quality is analyzed as opposed to the overall quality of the whole survey. This allows for analysis of the impact of the offsets, obstacles, and other aspects of the survey on the sampling quality, which will improve the ability to compress the resulting data and minimize acquisition footprints.

Use nuos technology to acquire optimized 2D data

The invention relates to an arrangement for seismic acquisition the spacing between each adjacent pairs of receiver and sources lines is not all the same. Some receiver and/or source lines and/or receiver and/or source spacings are larger and some are smaller to provide a higher quality wavefield reconstruction when covering a larger total area or for a similar total area of seismic data acquisition while providing a wavefield that is optimally sampled by the receivers and sources so that the wavefield reconstruction is suitable for subsurface imaging needs.

Seismic data acquisition using designed non-uniform receiver spacing

The presently disclosed technology relates to an arrangement for seismic acquisition where the spacing between adjacent pairs of receiver and sources lines is not all the same. Some receiver and/or source lines and/or receiver and/or source spacings are larger and some are smaller to provide a higher quality wavefield reconstruction when covering a larger total area or for a similar total area of seismic data acquisition, while providing a wavefield that is optimally sampled by the receivers and sources so that the wavefield reconstruction is suitable for subsurface imaging needs.

The present disclosure provides methods of data acquisition and processing of seismic data that combines nodal survey design, especially sparse nodal surveys, with the hybrid gather processing methodologies.

Nodal hybrid gather

A method of generating a magnetic anomaly map and a system to develop a magnetic anomaly map are described. The method includes obtaining magnetic compass data recorded by two or more magnetic compasses disposed along a seismic streamer that traverses a first area and obtaining measurements from one or more navigation systems over the first area. The method also includes determining a correct position of each of the two or more magnetic compasses based on the measurements from the one or more navigation systems, and comparing the magnetic compass data with theoretical magnetic field data at the correct positions to generate a magnetic anomaly map.

Magnetic field measurement via streamer cables

The present invention relates to a method for synchronizing continuous seismic survey. In particular, the present invention employs a semaphore scheme for the vibes to autonomously and continuously initiate sweeps, thereby decoupling the vibratory source subsystem from the recording subsystem. By using a continuous recorder and the method of the present invention, the recording trucks and the observers can be eliminated, and the vibratory sources can be initiated more efficiently than conventional systems.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Peter M Eick