Geophysical survey node rolling method and system

• US 9,753,174 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cgg Services Sa (CGG)
• Original Assignee: Cgg Services Sas (CGG)
• Inventors: Maxwell, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Curtis
• Application Number:
  US14/036,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/168 Deployment of receiver elements G01V1/3843 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/20 Arrangements of receiving elements, e.g. geophone pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/247 Digital recording of seismic data, e.g. in acquisition units or nodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/20 operating with propagation of electric current

Abstract

A method for acquiring geophysical data includes connecting a power module comprising a data transfer port and a power transfer port to a geophysical data acquisition device to provide a geophysical sensing node and deploying the geophysical sensing node. While deployed, data is transferred from the geophysical data acquisition device to the power module via the data transfer port and power is transferred from the power module to the geophysical data acquisition device via the power transfer port. The method also includes retrieving the geophysical sensing node and replacing the power module with a newly charged power module to provide a newly charged geophysical sensing node, and deploying the newly charged geophysical sensing node. Corresponding systems are also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring geophysical data, the method comprising:

connecting a power module comprising a data transfer port and a power transfer port to a geophysical data acquisition device to provide a geophysical sensing node;

deploying the geophysical sensing node and recording geophysical data therewith;

transferring the geophysical data from the geophysical data acquisition device to the power module via the data transfer port and transferring power from the power module to the geophysical data acquisition device via the power transfer port;

retrieving the geophysical sensing node from a trailing edge of a rolling active spread, and replacing the power module with a newly charged power module to provide a newly charged geophysical sensing node;

deploying the newly charged geophysical sensing node at a leading edge of the rolling active spread; and

while a rolling survey continues, connecting the power module to a charging station to transfer data to and/or to receive power from the charging station before reusing the power module to replace another power module of another geographical sensing node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transfer port and the power transfer port are the same port.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the power transfer port is configured to inductively couple to a power input port of the geophysical data acquisition device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring data from the geophysical data acquisition device to the power module and transferring power from the power module to the geophysical data acquisition device occur while the geophysical data acquisition device is deployed and actively acquiring data.

5. A system for acquiring geophysical data, the system comprising:

a plurality of geophysical sensing nodes, each geophysical sensing node thereof comprising a geophysical data acquisition device connected to a power module, the power module configured to receive data from the geophysical data acquisition device via a data transfer port on the power module and provide power to the geophysical data acquisition device via a power transfer port on the power module;

a charging station configured to connect to one or more power modules and receive data from the one or more power modules and provide power to the one or more power modules; and

a robotic equipment configured to retrieve one or more of the geophysical sensing nodes, to replace the power module of any retrieved geophysical sensing node with a charged power module, and to redeploy the retrieved geophysical sensing node during a rolling survey, and, while the rolling survey continues, to provide the retrieved power module to the charging station to be charged and/or to transfer the data,

wherein the robotic equipment retrieves one of the geophysical sensing nodes from a trailing edge of a rolling active spread, and redeploys the one of the geophysical sensing nodes at a leading edge of the rolling active spread.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of geophysical sensing nodes form the active spread.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the power transfer port is a wireless inductively coupled port.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the charging station comprises a power output port configured to connect to the power transfer port.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the charging station comprises a power supply module configured to provide power to the power output port.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the charging station comprises a data input port configured to connect to the data transfer port.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the power module comprises a data transfer memory configured to store geophysical data.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the power transfer port and the data transfer port are the same port.

13. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

data processing equipment for processing data acquired by the plurality of geophysical sensing nodes.

14. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

one or more data analysis workstations.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein the power module is recharged from the charging stations via a second power transfer port distinct from the power transfer port, and/or transfers data to the charging station via a second data transfer port different from the data transfer port.

16. The system of claim 5, wherein the robotic equipment uses Global Positioning System, GPS, to retrieve and redeploy the one or more geophysical sensing nodes.

17. The system of claim 5, wherein each power module includes a connection detector to detect whether the data transfer port and/or the power transfer port is connected.