Adaptive sweep method and device for seismic exploration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10222494-B2
Application number	US-201313962250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2013
Priority date	Aug 9, 2012
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

Controller and method for adapting a frequency sweep for a vibro-acoustic source element that is configured to generate acoustic waves during a seismic survey. The method includes driving a seismic source element to generate a current frequency sweep; recording seismic data with plural seismic sensors in response to the current frequency sweep; selecting, during the seismic survey, a data subset of the seismic data, wherein the data subset has a size less than 10% of the seismic data; calculating with a processing device an attribute based on the data subset; and calculating a new frequency sweep based on the attribute.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for adapting a frequency sweep for a vibro-acoustic source element that is configured to generate acoustic waves during a seismic survey, the method comprising:
driving a seismic source element to generate a current frequency sweep;
recording seismic data with plural seismic sensors in response to the current frequency sweep;
selecting, during the seismic survey, a data subset of the seismic data, wherein the data subset has a size less than 10% of the seismic data;
calculating with a processing device an attribute based on the data subset;
calculating a new frequency sweep based on the attribute; and
driving the seismic source element with the new frequency sweep.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data subset spans minutes or hours of recording and the seismic data represents days of recording.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calculating an attribute step comprises:
receiving the attribute as feed-back from an image processing step.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes a signal to noise ratio estimate of the selected data subset.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating a new frequency sweep based on the attribute includes overall amplitude adjustments of an energy spectrum generated by the source element.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes a ratio of high frequencies to low frequencies of the current frequency sweep.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes cutoff frequencies to be applied to the current frequency sweep to better match a nature of a surveying target.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes phase adjustments to various spectral components of the current frequency sweep.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute is related to marine wildlife or regional sound propagation characteristics.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frequency sweep is a swept sine wave signal.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the frequency sweep is a bandlimited pseudorandom signal.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes at least two of a signal to noise ratio of the selected data subset, overall amplitude adjustments of an energy spectrum generated by the source element, a ratio of high frequencies to low frequencies of the current frequency sweep, cutoff frequencies to be applied to the current frequency sweep to better match a nature of a surveying target, phase adjustments to various spectral components of the current frequency sweep, marine wildlife characteristics, and regional sound propagation characteristics.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending the new frequency sweep to the seismic source element during the seismic survey; and
using the new frequency sweep instead of the current frequency sweep for the reminder of the seismic survey.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source element is a vibratory device.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source element is a marine device.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of drive signals are updated, wherein each drive signal excites a unique source array that is deployed and operated simultaneously in such a fashion as to create separable data sets.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes an estimate of signal coherence of the selected data set.

18. A method for adapting a frequency sweep for a vibro-acoustic source element that is configured to generate acoustic waves during a seismic survey, the method comprising:
driving a seismic source element to generate a current frequency sweep;
recording seismic data with plural seismic sensors in response to the current frequency sweep;
selecting, during the seismic survey, a data subset of the seismic data, wherein the data subset has a size less than the seismic data;
calculating with a processing device a signal to noise ratio estimate of the selected data subset;
calculating a new frequency sweep based on the signal to noise ratio estimate; and
driving the seismic source element with the new frequency sweep.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the frequency sweep is a swept sine wave signal or a bandlimited pseudorandom signal.

20. A method for adapting a frequency sweep for a vibro-acoustic source element that is configured to generate acoustic waves during a seismic survey, the method comprising:
driving a seismic source element to generate a current frequency sweep;
recording seismic data with plural seismic sensors in response to the current frequency sweep;
selecting, during the seismic survey, a data subset of the seismic data, wherein the data subset has a size less than of the seismic data;
calculating with a processing device an attribute based on the data subset;
calculating a new frequency sweep based on the attribute; and
driving the seismic source element with the new frequency sweep.

Assignees

• Cgg Services Sa
• Cgg Services Sas

Inventors

• Teyssandier Benoit
• Dowle Robert
• Ruet Laurent
• Sallas John

Classifications

• G01V1/3808

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

• G01V1/005 Primary

  with exploration systems emitting special signals, e.g. frequency swept signals, pulse sequences or slip sweep arrangements · CPC title