PGS Geophysical AS

Methods for performing a marine survey of a subterranean formation using a hybrid combination of ocean bottom seismic (“OBS”) receivers, wide towed sources, and moving streamers are described herein. In one aspect, a sail line separation in a crossline direction is determined based on an average streamer separation and number of streamers. An array of OBS receivers are deposited on a surface of a subterranean formation with an OBS receiver separation that is based on the sail line separation. Wide towed sources and streamers are towed above the array of OBS receivers behind a survey vessel that travels sail lines separated by the sail line separation. The wide towed sources may be activated above the array of OBS receivers. Wavefields reflected from the subterranean formation are recorded at the OBS receivers and receivers located in the streamers as seismic data.

A system and method controls impulsive source activations in a blended acquisition marine seismic survey. A component of the system generates a sequence of dither values deterministically and stores the sequence of dither values, or source activation indicators derived therefrom, in a non-transitory medium readable by a control system operable to execute shot points during the survey responsive to the values stored in the medium. According to some embodiments, generating the dither values comprises iteratively selecting from a fixed set of candidate dither values to produce a candidate sequence of dither values. The selecting is based on evaluating one or more quantitative measures of randomness and one or more quantitative measures of separation exhibited by at least a portion of the candidate sequence of dither values. Generated sequences improve deblending results by reducing coherence exhibited by the dither values in the sequences.

A marine seismic data acquisition system may include first and second containers deployable in a body of water. The first container includes a first seismic data acquisition channel capable of transducing seismic energy in the body of water having a first maximum amplitude, and the second container includes a second seismic data acquisition channel capable of transducing seismic energy in the body of water having a second maximum amplitude. The first seismic data acquisition channel is associated with at least a first seismic sensor, and the second seismic data acquisition channel is associated with at least a second seismic sensor. The second sensor corresponds to a same sensor type as the first seismic sensor, and the first maximum amplitude is higher than the second maximum amplitude.

One embodiment disclosed relates to an array of sensors for towed marine streamers. The array may include a first plurality of transducers of a first form configured to have a first polarity in electrical response to a change in an environmental condition and a second plurality of transducers of a second form coupled to the first plurality of transducers and configured to have a second polarity, opposite of the first polarity, in electrical response to the change in the environmental condition. The first plurality may be equal to the second plurality. The first plurality of transducers may be coupled to the second plurality of transducers in a linearly alternating fashion. The array may be coupled to a amplifier. The array may be included along a length of at least a portion of a marine streamer. Another embodiment disclosed relates to a method of acquiring sensor signals in a marine streamer being towed by a vessel during a seismic marine survey. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

A marine seismic data acquisition system may include first and second containers deployable in a body of water. The first container includes a first seismic data acquisition channel capable of transducing seismic energy in the body of water having a first maximum amplitude, and the second container includes a second seismic data acquisition channel capable of transducing seismic energy in the body of water having a second maximum amplitude. The first seismic data acquisition channel is associated with at least a first seismic sensor, and the second seismic data acquisition channel is associated with at least a second seismic sensor. The second sensor corresponds to a same sensor type as the first seismic sensor, and the first maximum amplitude is higher than the second maximum amplitude.

A cyclic source group for marine seismic surveying includes a set of three or more impulsive marine seismic sources and at least one controller configured to activate the sources in sequential activation cycles. The activation cycles are such that exactly one nominal shot point occurs for each of the sources in the set during each activation cycle and all nominal shot points within a given activation cycle are distinct. Pairs of sequential nominal shot points within the activation cycle and across sequential activation cycles define respective nominal shot point intervals. At least two of the nominal shot point intervals are unequal, but nominal shot points for each individual source in the set occur at regular intervals.

A hydrophone device body is formed by first and second electrically conductive enclosures disposed on opposite sides of an electrically insulative member. Electrically conductive surfaces of the device's positive and negative electrodes on the exterior of the device body are symmetrical about the device body. When placed appropriately in a submersible container, such as along the central longitudinal axis of a seismic streamer or cable, the device is resistant to cross feed noise that couples to its electrodes from outside the streamer or cable.

Methods and apparatus are described for using ambient acoustic energy as a passive source in marine seismic surveys. An example embodiment includes (a) accessing signals that were recorded by sensors in the presence of acoustic energy that was emitted by a passive source during a marine seismic survey; (b) identifying a point to represent a location from which the acoustic energy was emitted; (c) isolating, from the recorded signals, a direct wavefield arriving at the sensors from a direction of the identified point; and (d) generating an estimated passive source wavefield at the identified point by backpropagating the isolated direct wavefield to the identified point. The estimated passive source wavefield may be used, together with signals recorded by the sensors, to generate an image of a subsurface earth volume without the use of active seismic sources.

This disclosure presents processes and systems for generating an image of a subterranean formation from seismic data recorded in a seismic survey of the subterranean formation. The seismic data is contaminated with low frequency noise in a low frequency band. Processes and systems reconstruct seismic data in the low frequency band of the seismic data to obtain low frequency reconstructed seismic data that is free of the low frequency noise. The low frequency reconstructed seismic data is used to construct a velocity model of the subterranean formation. The velocity model and the low frequency reconstructed seismic data are used to generate an image of the subterranean formation that reveals structures of the subterranean formation without contamination from the low frequency noise.

Techniques are disclosed relating to deblending of sources in multi-source geophysical survey data, including marine or land-based data. Multiple sets of deblended receiver traces are generated by iteratively applying a coherency filter to estimated sets of deblended receiver traces and updating a residual until a termination condition is reached. In some embodiments, applying the coherency filter during a current iteration may include determining coefficients of the coherency filter based on estimated sets of deblended receiver traces from an immediately prior iteration. In further embodiments, applying the coherency filter may include applying a 3D projection filter, such as an fxy projection filter.