METHOD FOR SEPARATING INDEPENDENT SIMULTANEOUS SOURCES
First Claim
1. A method of seismic exploration above a region of the subsurface containing structural or stratigraphic features conducive to the presence, migration, or accumulation of hydrocarbons, wherein is provided a blended source seismic survey containing at least two interfering seismic source excitations therein, comprising the steps of:
- (a) within a computer, accessing at least a portion of said blended source seismic survey;
(b) selecting one of said at least two interfering seismic source excitations;
(c) obtaining at least a time of activation and location coordinates for said selected one of said at least two interfering seismic source excitations;
(d) using at least said time of activation and said location coordinates for said selected one of said at least two interfering seismic source excitations, separating said selected source excitation from said at least two interfering seismic source excitations using sparse inversion, thereby producing at least one single source gather; and
(e) using said at least one single source gather to explore for hydrocarbons within said region of the subsurface.
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Abstract
This is a method of separating simultaneous sources that uses an inversion-type approach. Each source will preferably activated at a random time with respect to the others. These random delays tend to make the interference between sources incoherent while the reflections create coherent events within a series of shots. The shot separation is performed via a numerical inversion process that utilizes the sweeps for each shot, the start times of each shot, and the coherence of reflection events between nearby shots. Implementation of this method will allow seismic surveys to be acquired faster and cheaper.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of seismic exploration above a region of the subsurface containing structural or stratigraphic features conducive to the presence, migration, or accumulation of hydrocarbons, wherein is provided a blended source seismic survey containing at least two interfering seismic source excitations therein, comprising the steps of:
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(a) within a computer, accessing at least a portion of said blended source seismic survey; (b) selecting one of said at least two interfering seismic source excitations; (c) obtaining at least a time of activation and location coordinates for said selected one of said at least two interfering seismic source excitations; (d) using at least said time of activation and said location coordinates for said selected one of said at least two interfering seismic source excitations, separating said selected source excitation from said at least two interfering seismic source excitations using sparse inversion, thereby producing at least one single source gather; and (e) using said at least one single source gather to explore for hydrocarbons within said region of the subsurface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of collecting marine seismic data seismic above a region of the subsurface containing structural or stratigraphic features conducive to the presence, migration, or accumulation of hydrocarbons, comprising the steps of:
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(a) selecting a plurality of shot locations; (b) activating a first source proximate to a first one of said plurality of shot locations; (c) activating a second source proximate to a second one of said plurality of shot locations at an interval of time after said first source activation, said interval of time being at least approximately a random interval of time and said interval of time being short enough that said first source activation and said second source activation interfere; (d) recording said first source activation and said second source activation through at least one seismic receiver; (e) performing steps (b) and (c) a plurality of times, thereby acquiring a blended source seismic survey, said blended source seismic survey containing at least two interfering seismic source excitations therein; (f) within a computer, accessing at least a portion of said blended source seismic survey; (g) selecting one of said at least two interfering seismic source excitations; (h) separating said selected source excitation from said at least two interfering seismic source excitations using sparse inversion, thereby producing a single source gather; and (i) using said single source gather to explore for hydrocarbons within said region of the subsurface. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification