Seismic vibrator to produce a continuous signal

• US 9,551,798 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reflection Marine Norge AS
• Original Assignee: WesternGeco LLC (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Jeffryes, Benjamin P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baghdasaryan, Hovhannes
• Application Number:
  US13/011,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: 367/46, 367 39- 42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/005 with exploration systems emitting special signals, e.g. frequency swept signals, pulse sequences or slip sweep arrangements

Abstract

A seismic vibrator receives a pilot signal having a predetermined waveform. The pilot signal causes vibrational actuation of at least one moveable element of the seismic vibrator. A continuous seismic signal having content in a first frequency bandwidth of multiple frequencies is generated by the seismic vibrator.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a control unit of a seismic vibrator, a non-frequency-swept pilot signal having a predetermined waveform;

in response to the pilot signal, the control unit causing vibrational actuation of at least one moveable element of the seismic vibrator; and

generating, by the seismic vibrator due to the vibrational actuation of the at least one moveable element, a first continuous seismic signal having content in a first frequency bandwidth of multiple frequencies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the continuous seismic signal generally follows the predetermined waveform of the pilot signal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a second seismic vibrator that is also activated by the pilot signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a second seismic vibrator that is activated by a second, different pilot signal; and

generating, by the second seismic vibrator, a second continuous seismic signal having content in a second, different frequency bandwidth of multiple frequencies.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a second seismic vibrator that is activated by a second, different pilot signal, wherein different codes are applied to the first and second pilot signals; and

generating, by the second seismic vibrator, a second continuous seismic signal having content in the first frequency bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

to recover an impulse response from a received signal based on the first continuous seismic signal,

applying a first time window to a representation of the first continuous seismic signal;

applying a second time window to the received signal; and

deconvolve the time-windowed representation of the first continuous seismic signal with the time-windowed received signal.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

applying multiple first time windows to the representation of the first continuous seismic signal; and

applying multiple second time windows to the received signal,

wherein the multiple first time windows overlap, and the multiple second time windows overlap.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second time window contains the first time window.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the representation of the first continuous seismic signal comprises one or a combination of:

(1) the pilot signal, or

(2) a signal measured in the seismic vibrator, or

(3) a signal measured by a sensor proximate the seismic vibrator.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the deconvolving comprises cross-correlating the time-windowed representation and the time-windowed received signal.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the deconvolving comprises:

creating a band-limited inverse of the representation of the first continuous seismic signal.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transforming the received signal into data corresponding to a static receiver, wherein the received signal is received by a receiver that was moving.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the seismic vibrator is in motion during generation of the first continuous seismic signal.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the first continuous seismic signal having the content in the first frequency bandwidth is generated without sweeping the pilot signal across the frequencies of the first frequency bandwidth.

14. A system comprising:

a seismic vibrator having a control unit and at least one moveable element, wherein the control unit is responsive to a pilot signal to cause oscillating movement of the at least one moveable element, wherein the pilot signal has a predetermined waveform with content at multiple frequencies within a first frequency bandwidth,

wherein oscillating movement of the at least one moveable member is to cause generation of a first continuous seismic signal having content in the first frequency bandwidth, wherein the first continuous seismic signal having the content in the first frequency bandwidth is generated without sweeping the pilot signal across the frequencies of the first frequency bandwidth.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a controller to provide the pilot signal to the seismic vibrator.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second seismic vibrator that is activatable by the pilot signal to produce a second continuous seismic signal having content in the first frequency bandwidth.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second seismic vibrator that is activated by a second, different pilot signal that has content at multiple frequencies in a second, different frequency bandwidth, wherein the second seismic vibrator is responsive to the second pilot signal to produce a second continuous seismic signal having content in the second frequency bandwidth.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second seismic vibrator that is activated by a second, different pilot signal having content in the first frequency bandwidth, wherein different codes are applied to the first and second pilot signals, wherein the second seismic vibrator is responsive to the second pilot signal to produce a second continuous seismic signal having content in the first frequency bandwidth.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a controller to recover an impulse response from a received signal based on the first continuous seismic signal, wherein the controller is to recover the impulse response by

applying a first time window to a representation of the first continuous seismic signal;

applying a second time window to the received signal; and

deconvolve the time-windowed representation of the first continuous seismic signal with the time-windowed received signal.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the representation of the first continuous seismic signal comprises one or a combination of:

(1) the pilot signal, or

(2) a signal measured in the seismic vibrator, or

(3) a signal measured by a sensor proximate the seismic vibrator.

21. An article comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that upon execution cause a system having a processor to:

send a non-frequency-swept pilot signal to a seismic vibrator, wherein the pilot signal has a predetermined waveform having content at multiple frequencies in a predetermined frequency bandwidth, wherein the seismic vibrator is responsive to the pilot signal to generate a continuous seismic signal having content at multiple frequencies in the predetermined frequency bandwidth; and

process a signal received by a seismic receiver in response to the continuous seismic signal.

22. The article of claim 21, wherein processing the signal comprises recovering an impulse response from the received signal, wherein recovering the impulse response comprises:

applying a first time window to a representation of the continuous seismic signal;

applying a second time window to the received signal; and

deconvolve the time-windowed representation of the first continuous seismic signal with the time-windowed received signal.

24. The article of claim 21, wherein the continuous seismic signal having the content in the predetermined frequency bandwidth is generated without sweeping the pilot signal across the multiple frequencies in the predetermined frequency bandwidth.