PRACTICAL AUTONOMOUS SEISMIC RECORDER IMPLEMENTATION AND USE

• US 20110019502A1
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conocophillips Company (ConocoPhillips)
• Original Assignee: Conocophillips Company (ConocoPhillips)
• Inventors: BREWER, Joel D., EICK, Peter M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/20 Arrangements of receiving elements, e.g. geophone pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/24 Recording seismic data
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2200/12 Clock synchronization-related issues

Abstract

Seismic systems and methods are provided to synchronize both source and receiver data using inexpensive timers and/or low energy timers to obtain high resolution seismic data.

Claims

1. A seismic recording system comprising:

a) a seismic energy source,

b) an autonomous data recorder with a field timer, and

c) a standard timer,

wherein the field time from the field timer (b) is corrected using a regional drift.

2. The seismic recording system of claim 1, wherein said seismic energy source (a) is a ZENSEIS™

, vibroseis, seismic vibrator, airgun, plasma shot, dynamite or combinations thereof.

3. The seismic recording system of claim 1, wherein said autonomous data recorder (b) comprises one or more data receivers selected from the group consisting of a geophone, hydrophone, accelerometer, electrodynamic receiver, and combinations thereof.

4. The seismic recording system of claim 1, wherein said control timer (d) and field timer (b) are selected from the group consisting of mechanical timer, electromechanical timer, digital timer, and software timer.

5. The seismic recording system of claim 1, wherein said standard timer (c) is selected from the group consisting of oscillator, GPS time record, radio time standard, “

Coordinated Universal Time”

(UTC), and binary coded decimal (BCD) time code.

6. A method of recording seismic data comprising:

a) deploying one or more autonomous data recorders comprising a data receiver and a field timer;

b) monitoring time simultaneously on a standard timer and a control timer wherein said control timer is synchronized to said field timer;

c) transmitting seismic energy from a seismic energy source said energy source comprising a transmitter and a field timer;

d) recording seismic data and field time record from one or more autonomous seismic recorders; and

e) correcting the field time record for the seismic data using a regional time drift.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said seismic energy source is a ZENSEIS™

, vibroseis, seismic vibrators, airguns, plasma shots, dynamite or combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said autonomous data recorder comprises a data receiver selected from the group consisting of a geophone, hydrophone, accelerometer, electrodynamic receiver, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said control timer and field timer are selected from the group consisting of mechanical timer, electromechanical timer, digital timer, and software timer.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said standard timer (c) is selected from the group consisting of oscillator, GPS time record, radio time standard, “

Coordinated Universal Time”

(UTC), and binary coded decimal (BCD) time code.

11. An autonomous data recorder comprising:

a) a seismic data receiver,

b) a field timer, and

c) a battery

wherein said field timer has less than 2 millisecond time accuracy and drift of said field timer is corrected to a standard timer.

12. The autonomous data recorder of claim 11, wherein said recorder comprises a GPS satellite receiver.

13. The autonomous data recorder of claim 11, wherein said seismic data receiver is selected from the group consisting of a geophone, hydrophone, accelerometer, electrodynamic receiver, and combinations thereof.

14. The autonomous data recorder of claim 11, wherein said control timer and field timer are selected from the group consisting of mechanical timer, electromechanical timer, digital timer, and software timer.

15. The autonomous data recorder of claim 11, wherein said autonomous data recorder comprises a method to receive a date and time standard selected from the group consisting of a radio ping, GPS time record, radio time standard, “

Coordinated Universal Time”

(UTC), and binary coded decimal (BCD) time code.