Integrated passive and active seismic surveying using multiple arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10061046-B2
Application number	US-201313759986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2013
Priority date	Feb 6, 2012
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

Microseismic mapping using buried arrays with the integration of passive and active seismic surveys provides enhanced microseismic mapping results. The system is initially set up by recording seismic data with the buried array installation while shooting a significant portion of the 3D surface seismic survey. The 3D surface seismic survey provides the following data: shallow 3D VSP data from the buried arrays; P-wave and converted wave data for the area covered by the buried array that benefits from the planned data integration processing effort; and microseismic data and associated analysis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seismic surveying method of a deep subsurface volume based above the deep subsurface volume, the method comprising:
arranging at least one first array of first sensors in a horizontal surface arrangement, the horizontal surface arrangement being disposed on a near-surface of the ground above the deep subsurface volume and being substantially parallel to the deep subsurface volume;
arranging at least one second array of second sensors in a vertical surface arrangement, the vertical surface arrangement being disposed in at least one shallow borehole disposed in the near-surface of the ground above the deep subsurface volume and extending short of the deep subsurface volume, the vertical surface arrangement being substantially perpendicular to the deep subsurface volume different from the horizontal arrangement;
imaging the deep subsurface volume by collecting first seismic data with the first sensors in response to first seismic energy, the first seismic data at least including compressional and shear velocity information passing from the deep subsurface volume to the horizontal surface arrangement;
imaging the near-surface volume as opposed to the deep subsurface volume by collecting second seismic data with the second sensors in response to second seismic energy, the second seismic data at least including compressional and shear velocity information passing through the near-surface to the vertical surface arrangement;
determining at least one near-surface property of the near-surface by generating a near-surface model of the near-surface from the collected second seismic data;
correcting the imaging of the deep subsurface volume from the collected first seismic data with the imaging of the near-surface volume from the collected second seismic data by constraining a first model of the deep subsurface volume derived from the first seismic data with the at least one determined near-surface property from the near-surface model of the near-surface derived from the second seismic data; and
determining at least one subsurface property of the deep subsurface volume from the combined seismic data so constrained.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein arranging in the horizontal surface arrangement comprises arranging the at least one first array of the first sensors in a first density relative to the deep subsurface volume; and wherein arranging in the vertical surface arrangement comprises arranging the at least one second array of the second sensors in a second density in the near-surface relative to the deep subsurface volume, the second density being different from the first density.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein collecting the first and second seismic data in response to the first and second seismic energies comprises actively generating the first and second seismic energies by operating at least one seismic source.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one seismic source is selected from the group consisting of a blast charge, a vibrator, an air gun, a water gun, a sparker, an impulsive source, a compressive wave source, and a shear wave source.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein operating the at least one seismic source comprises operating at least one first seismic source and at least one second seismic source, wherein the at least one first seismic source is the same as or is different from the at least one second seismic source; and wherein the at least one first and second seismic sources generate same or different output energies.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein collecting the first and second seismic data in response to the first and second seismic energies comprises collecting the first and second seismic data in response to the first and second seismic energies from at least one passively generated event.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one passively generated event is selected from the group consisting of an earthquake, a fault slippage, a production operation in a well, a fracturing operation in the well, a breaking-up of ice, an environmental source with identifiable location, equipment operation, animal activity, and weather activity.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one subsurface property of the deep subsurface volume is selected from the group consisting of a subsurface structure, an inelastic parameter, an elastic parameter, a velocity, a near-surface velocity model, an anisotropy parameter, acoustic impedance, shear impedance, attenuation, density, brittleness, rigidity, fracture attribute, and pore pressure.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensors comprise an accelerometer, a geophone, a hydrophone, a fiber optic sensor, a microphone, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second sensors each comprise a three-component geophone having a geophone element and having a low-noise amplifier integrated therein.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein arranging the at least one first array of the first sensors in the horizontal surface arrangement relative to the subsurface volume comprises:
arranging the first sensors as surface sensors on the surface of the ground above the deep subsurface volume;
arranging the first sensors as ocean-bottom sensors on the surface of a seabed above the deep subsurface volume; or
towing the first sensors on at least one streamer in water above the surface of a seabed above the deep subsurface volume.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein arranging the at least one second array of the second sensors in the vertical surface arrangement relative to the deep subsurface volume comprises coupling the at least one second array of the second sensors in at least one borehole disposed in the near-surface and disposed substantially vertical to the surface of the ground above the deep subsurface volume.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein coupling the at least one second array of the second sensors in the at least one shallow borehole disposed substantially vertical to the surface of the deep subsurface volume comprises:
drilling the at least one shallow borehole in the near-surface short of the deep subsurface volume;
disposing the at least one second array of the second sensors on a tubular;
disposing the tubular with the at least one second array in the at least one shallow borehole; and
coupling the second sensors to the deep subsurface volume adjacent the at least one borehole.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein drilling the at least one shallow borehole comprises drilling the at least one shallow borehole on land or on a seabed.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein coupling the second sensors to the near-surface volume adjacent the at least one shallow borehole comprises cementing the second sensors in the at least one shallow borehole or suspending the second sensors in fluid in the at least one shallow borehole.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein arranging the at least one second array of the second sensors in the vertical surface arrangement near-surface relative to the deep subsurface volume comprises suspending the at least one second array on a substantially vertical line disposed in a water column above the at least one shallow subsurface volume.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the substantially vertical line is a tether line of an ocean bottom cable having the at least one first array of the first sensors.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
collecting third seismic data with at least the second sensors in response to microseismic energy; and
adjusting the determined subsur

Assignees

• Ion Geophysical Corp

Inventors

• Hofland Gregg S
• Leveille Jacques P
• Kahn Daniel S
• Faber Kees
• Laroo Rick
• Lawson Jerry L
• Balla William A
• Saur Michael J

Classifications

• G01V1/306

  for determining physical properties of the subsurface, e.g. impedance, porosity or attenuation profiles · CPC title

• G01V1/288 Primary

  Event detection in seismic signals, e.g. microseismics (G01V1/36 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01V1/42

  using generators in one well and receivers elsewhere or vice versa (G01V1/52 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01V2210/123

  Passive source, e.g. microseismics · CPC title

• G01V1/40

  specially adapted for well-logging · CPC title