Method for acquiring geophysical data by dynamically manipulating survey spread

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10197690-B2
Application number	US-201615008977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2016
Priority date	Feb 16, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments relate generally to marine geophysical surveying and, more particularly, embodiments relate to methods for acquiring geophysical data by dynamically manipulating survey spread in response a change in location of a target. A method may comprise actuating an energy source in a body of water, wherein a target for a marine geophysical survey system is located beneath a bottom of the body of water. The method may further comprise detecting energy generated by the energy source. The method may further comprise manipulating a position of a survey spread in response to a change in distribution of the target beneath the bottom of the body of water.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
actuating an energy source in a body of water, wherein a target for a marine geophysical survey system is located beneath a bottom of the body of water;
detecting energy generated by the energy source;
monitoring a distribution of the target during detection of the energy; and
manipulating a position of a survey spread in response to a change in distribution of the target beneath the bottom of the body of water during detection of the energy.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the survey spread comprises a plurality of spaced apart streamers and an energy source, wherein the streamers each comprise geophysical sensors disposed therein.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of manipulating the position of the survey spread comprises changing a position of the energy source in response to the change in distribution of the target, and changing a position of at least one of the streamers in response to the change in distribution of the target.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising towing one or more deflectors in the body of water, and manipulating the deflectors to change the lateral position and/or depth of the one or more of the streamers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of manipulating the position of the survey spread comprises changing depth and/or lateral spacing of streamers in the survey spread.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the position of the survey spread is manipulated in response to a change in the distribution of the depth of the target beneath the bottom of the body of water.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the survey spread comprises streamers arranged in a fan configuration, and wherein the step of manipulating the position of the survey spread comprising changing the amount of fanning.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising changing relative positioning between two or more survey vessels in response to the change in distribution of the target beneath the bottom of the body of water.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising producing a geophysical data product from the detected energy and storing the geophysical data product on a non-transitory machine-readable medium suitable for importing onshore.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the change in distribution of the target is an actual change in depth, lateral position, and/or width of a first portion of the target with respect to a second portion of the target.

11. A marine geophysical survey system comprising:
a survey spread comprising a plurality of spaced apart streamers and an energy source, wherein the streamers each comprise geophysical sensors disposed therein; and
a data processing system operable to:
monitor a distribution of a target during data acquisition; and
determine a manipulation of a position of the survey spread in response to a change in distribution of the target beneath a bottom of a body of water during the data acquisition.

12. The marine geophysical survey system of claim 11 , wherein the manipulation of the position of the survey spread comprises a change to a position of the energy source, and a change to a position of at least one of the streamers.

13. The marine geophysical survey system of claim 11 , wherein the survey spread further comprises one or more deflectors coupled to the streamers, wherein the deflectors are operable to change the lateral position and/or depth of the streamers.

14. The marine geophysical survey system of claim 11 , wherein the manipulation of the position of the survey spread comprises a change to depth and/or lateral spacing of the streamers in the survey spread.

15. The marine geophysical survey system of claim 11 , wherein the manipulation of the position of the survey spread is in response to a change in the distribution of the depth of the target beneath the bottom of the body of water.

16. The marine geophysical survey system of claim 11 , wherein the streamers are arranged in a fan configuration, and wherein the manipulation of the position of the survey spread is in response a change to the amount of fanning of the streamers.

17. The marine geophysical survey system of claim 11 , wherein the data processing system is further operable to determine the change in distribution of the target.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions executable by a data processing system to cause a machine to:
receive measurements of detected energy, wherein the detected energy was generated by an energy source in a marine geophysical survey;
monitor a distribution of a target during data acquisition; and
determine a manipulation of a position of a survey spread in response to a change in distribution of the target for a marine geophysical survey system during the data acquisition, wherein the target is located beneath a bottom of a body of water.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising instructions executable by the data processing system to cause the machine to determine the change in distribution of the target.

20. A method comprising:
actuating a seismic source in a body of water;
detecting seismic energy generated by the seismic source after the seismic energy has interacted with a target for a marine geophysical survey system located beneath a bottom of the body of water;
monitoring depth of the target during detection of the energy; and
changing a position of at least one survey spread in response to a change in the depth of the target beneath the bottom of the body of water during the detection of the energy, wherein the survey spread comprises a plurality of spaced apart streamers and an energy source, wherein the streamers each comprise seismic sensors disposed therein, wherein at least one of the seismic sensor detects the seismic energy, wherein the changing the position comprises changing a depth of at least one of the plurality of streamer and changing lateral positioning between two or more of the plurality of spaced apart streamers.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the step of changing the position further comprises changing depth of one or more subarrays of the seismic source and lateral positioning between two or more of the subarrays.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the seismic source comprises a plurality of subarrays of seismic sources, wherein the changing the position comprises changing lateral depth and positioning of one or more of the seismic sources in a particular one of the subarrays independent of other seismic sources in the particular one of the subarrays.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of streamers are towed in a fan configuration in which lateral spacing between the streamers increases with increasing distances from a survey vessel towing the streamers, and wherein the step of changing the position further comprising increasing or decreasing an amount of fanning in response changing depth of the target.

Assignees

• Pgs Geophysical As

Inventors

• Malling Michael
• Lund Toralf
• Vincent-Dospital Tom
• Jahren Tollef

Classifications

• G01V1/3826

  dynamic steering, e.g. by paravanes or birds · CPC title

• G01V1/38

  specially adapted for water-covered areas (G01V1/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01V1/3808 Primary

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

• G01V1/3835

  measuring position, e.g. by GPS or acoustically · CPC title