Seismic data acquisition system with selectively enabled sensor units, and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001575-B2
Application number	US-80350310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2010
Priority date	Jun 29, 2010
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A disclosed seismic survey system includes one or more streamer(s) each having multiple spaced apart sensor units, and a data recording and control system. Each sensor unit receives a command from the data recording and control system, and operates in an enabled state or a disabled state dependent upon the command. The data recording and control system collects and stores data from enabled sensor units. The sensor units produce data when in the enabled state, and dissipate significantly less electrical power in the disabled state. A described sensor unit includes one or more sensor(s), an analog-to-digital converter, and a control unit that enables or disables the analog-to-digital converter dependent upon the command. A disclosed method for acquiring seismic survey data includes issuing an enable or disable command to each of multiple spaced apart sensor units, and receiving and storing data from those sensor units that are enabled.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seismic survey system, comprising:
at least one marine seismic streamer, wherein each streamer includes a plurality of spaced apart sensor units, and wherein each of the sensor units is adapted to receive a command and to operate in an enabled state or a disabled state dependent upon the command; and
a data recording and control unit that generates a configuration table specifying an enabled/disabled condition for each of the sensor units and, based on the configuration table, issues commands to enable or disable selected sensor units to provide a compressed sensing arrangement of enabled sensor units,
wherein the data recording and control unit further collects and stores data from enabled sensor units.

2. The seismic survey system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the sensor units produce data when in the enabled state, and do not produce data when in the disabled state.

3. The seismic survey system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the sensor units dissipate significantly less electrical power in the disabled state relative to the enabled state.

4. The seismic survey system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the data recording and control unit generates the configuration table using random number generation.

5. The seismic survey system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor units are uniformly spaced along the streamer, and where the enabled sensor units of the compressed sensing arrangement are not uniformly spaced.

6. The seismic survey system of claim 1 , further comprising a ship that tows the at least one streamer through a body of water.

7. The seismic survey system of claim 1 , wherein each sensor unit comprises:
at least one sensor adapted to produce an analog output signal indicative of seismic wave energy;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to receive the analog output signal produced by the at least one sensor, and adapted to periodically sample the analog output signal and to produce a digital data output indicative of the sampled analog output signal; and
a control unit coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, and adapted to receive a command and to enable or disable the analog-to-digital converter dependent upon the command, wherein said enabling or disabling is independent of other sensor units in the seismic sensing array.

8. The seismic survey system of claim 7 , wherein the seismic sensing array comprises at least one towed marine seismic streamer.

9. The seismic survey system of claim 7 , wherein the analog-to-digital converter is disabled by stopping a clock signal.

10. The seismic survey system of claim 7 , wherein the control unit is adapted to produce an enable signal dependent upon the command, and wherein the analog-to-digital converter is coupled to receive the enable signal and adapted to sample the analog output signal produced by the at least one sensor and to produce the digital data output dependent upon the enable signal.

11. The seismic survey system of claim 7 , wherein the control unit is adapted to provide electrical power to the analog-to-digital converter dependent upon the command.

12. The seismic survey system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a hydrophone.

13. The seismic survey system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a hydrophone and an accelerometer or particle-velocity sensor.

14. The seismic survey system of claim 13 , wherein the number of sensing axes for the accelerometer or particle-velocity sensor is between one and three, inclusive.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration table generated by the data recording and control unit specifies a disabled condition for a majority of the sensor units.

Assignees

• Boerresen Claes Nicolai
• Tenghamn Stig Rune Lennart
• Pgs Geophysical As

Inventors

• Børresen Claes Nicolai
• Tenghamn Stig Rune Lennart

Classifications

• G01V1/3808 Primary

  Seismic data acquisition, e.g. survey design · CPC title