Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080253225 | Seismic Cable Positioning Using Coupled Inertial System Units - An apparatus and a method of its use in a marine seismic survey are disclosed. The apparatus includes a seismic survey object ( | 10-16-2008 |
20080262738 | Updating Information Regarding Sections of a Streamer That are in a Body of Water - To perform a marine survey, a streamer is deployed into a body of water, where the streamer has plural first sensors to perform a subterranean survey. Indications are received from second sensors in corresponding sections of the streamer, where the indications are regarding which sections are in the body of water. Information is updated regarding which sections of the streamer are in the body of water in response to the received indications. | 10-23-2008 |
20080316859 | Methods for Controlling Marine Seismic Equipment Orientation During Acquisition of Marine Seismic Data - Methods are described for actively steering a towed marine seismic component using one or more actively controllable control members; reducing the actively steering of the control members during duration of a time window of recording seismic reflections from a sub-surface geological feature of interest; and resuming the actively steering of the control members after the time window. The marine seismic component may be a streamer, a source, or both. Other methods allow measuring initial orientation of a streamer based on measuring static control surface angle of a control surface of an inline steerable bird. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, and allow a reader to ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b). | 12-25-2008 |
20090147619 | In-Sea Power Generation for Marine Seismic Operations - A method for conducting seismic operations includes the steps of deploying a seismic streamer carrying an electrically powered device from a vessel into water having waves, providing an in-sea generator in electrical connection with the device, producing electricity from the in-sea generator by harvesting mechanical energy from the waves, and providing the produced electricity to the device. | 06-11-2009 |
20090157242 | Controlling Movement of a Vessel Traveling Through Water During a Seismic Survey Operation - To perform control of movement of a marine vessel traveling through water during a seismic survey operation, input information relating to factors that affect a speed of the marine vessel is received. The speed of the marine vessel is adjusted in response to the received information relating to the factors that affect the speed of the marine vessel. | 06-18-2009 |
20090231953 | Methods and Systems for Determining Coordinates of an Underwater Seismic Component in a Reference Frame - A method comprising determining coordinates of a first point rigidly attached to a rigid body floating on the sea surface in a desired coordinate reference frame; measuring orientation parameters of the rigid floating body to determine 3D offset in the coordinate reference frame of the first point to any point on or rigidly attached to the body; applying a 3D coordinate shift from the first point to a second point rigidly attached to the body, thus determining coordinates of the second point in the desired reference frame; determining a distance from the second point to one or more devices that are components of a seismic acquisition spread, by comparing transmission times of a signal to recording times of transmitted signals and multiplying by a signal propagation rate; and determining relative positions of components of the spread to each other and to devices rigidly attached to the rigid body. | 09-17-2009 |
20090296519 | DETERMINING POSITIONING OF SURVEY EQUIPMENT USING A MODEL - To performing positioning of survey equipment, measurements of acoustic signals reflected from at least one boundary of a marine environment are received. The reflected acoustic signals are reflected from the at least one boundary in response to acoustic signaling originated by an acoustic source. A positioning model is updated based on the measurements of the acoustic signals, wherein the positioning model contains information relating to positions of components of a positioning system that includes the acoustic source and acoustic receiver | 12-03-2009 |
20090316525 | MARINE SEISMIC STREAMER SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR NON-LINEAR SEISMIC SURVEY NAVIGATION - Methods for determining by acoustic ranging relative positions of marine seismic streamers in a network of streamers are described, as well as streamer configurations and systems which overcome weak or non-existent acoustic positioning signals. The acoustic network includes a plurality of acoustic transceiver pairs, and the methods include implementing a network solution-based reconfiguration of the acoustic transceiver pairs. When the network of streamers changes more than a critical amount, the network is reconfigured, the critical amount being when the network solution-based reconfiguration is no longer adequate to provide enough acoustic signals to give reasonable relative positions of the acoustic transceiver pairs in the network due to their spatial relation. | 12-24-2009 |
20100002076 | USING CAMERAS IN CONNECTION WITH A MARINE SEISMIC SURVEY - A technique includes obtaining data indicative of images of a marine seismic source event, which are acquired by underwater cameras and processing the data to determine an attribute (a seismic bubble volume or motion, as non-limiting examples) that is associated with the seismic source event. | 01-07-2010 |
20100002537 | PERFORMING QUALITY CONTROL WITH RESPECT TO POSITIONING OF SURVEY HARDWARE - To perform quality control with respect to positioning of survey hardware, survey navigation data is acquired regarding components of the survey hardware used to perform a survey operation with respect to a subterranean structure. Error statistics according to the survey navigation data are determined in real time. An action is effected in response to the error statistics. | 01-07-2010 |
20100002538 | DETERMINING THE STRUCTURE OF A TOWED SEISMIC SPREAD ELEMENT - A technique includes obtaining a plurality of sets of measurements of distances between nodes located on a seismic spread element while the element is in tow. Each set is acquired in response to the operation of a different set of sources. The technique includes determining a three-dimensional structure of the seismic spread element while in tow based at least in part on the sets of measurements. | 01-07-2010 |
20100020637 | Methods for Controlling Marine Seismic Equipment Orientation During Acquisition of Marine Seismic Data - Methods are described for actively steering a towed marine seismic component using one or more actively controllable control members; reducing the actively steering of the control members during duration of a time window of recording seismic reflections from a sub-surface geological feature of interest; and resuming the actively steering of the control members after the time window. The marine seismic component may be a streamer, a source, or both. Other methods allow measuring initial orientation of a streamer based on measuring static control surface angle of a control surface of an inline steerable bird. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, and allow a reader to ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. | 01-28-2010 |
20100074050 | Determining a Position of an Object of a Positioning Network Associated with a Marine Survey Arrangement - To determine a position of an object in a positioning network associated with a marine survey arrangement, images of targets on the object in the positioning network are captured with a plurality of cameras. Based on known positions of the plurality of cameras and known separation between the targets, positions of the targets are computed by processing the images. A position of the object is derived based on the positions of the targets. | 03-25-2010 |
20100246322 | DETERMINING A POSITION OF A SURVEY RECEIVER IN A BODY OF WATER - To determine a position of a survey receiver used to measure a response of a subterranean structure to a survey signal, positions of the survey receiver as the survey receiver descends in a body of water to a surface are received from an acoustic ranging system. Measurement information associated with movement of the survey receiver is received from at least one sensor. Based on the measurement information from the acoustic ranging system and the at least one sensor, the position of the survey receiver at the surface once the survey receiver has reached the surface is computed. | 09-30-2010 |
20100302901 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USING AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE TO FACILITATE SEISMIC DATA ACQUISITION - A technique facilitates the use of seismic data. The technique utilizes an autonomous underwater vehicle to obtain data on water column characteristics in a seismic survey area. The data can be used to adjust aspects of the seismic survey data and/or the seismic survey technique. | 12-02-2010 |
20110007602 | ACCURACY OF A COMPASS PROVIDED WITH A CARRIER STRUCTURE FOR USE IN SUBTERRANEAN SURVEYING - Techniques or mechanisms are provided to improve accuracy in determining headings and/or shapes of carrier structures based on measurements made by one or more compasses that are attached to or provided with the carrier structures. The carrier structures are used to carry survey receivers that detect survey signals affected by a subterranean structure. | 01-13-2011 |
20110266086 | Seismic Data Acquisition Using Self-Propelled Underwater Vehicles - The present disclosure generally relates to the use of a self-propelled underwater vehicle for seismic data acquisition. The self-propelled underwater vehicle is adapted to gather seismic data from the seafloor and transmit such data to a control vessel. The self-propelled underwater vehicle may be redeployed to several seafloor locations during a seismic survey. Methods for real-time modeling of a target zone and redeployment of the self-propelled underwater vehicle based on the modeling are also described. | 11-03-2011 |
20110270526 | UPDATING INFORMATION REGARDING SECTIONS OF A STREAMER THAT ARE IN A BODY OF WATER - To perform a marine survey, a streamer is deployed into a body of water, where the streamer has plural first sensors to perform a subterranean survey. Indications are received from second sensors in corresponding sections of the streamer, where the indications are regarding which sections are in the body of water. Information is updated regarding which sections of the streamer are in the body of water in response to the received indications. | 11-03-2011 |
20120020184 | USING A DISTRIBUTED OPTICAL ACOUSTIC SENSOR TO POSITION AN OBJECT - A distributed optical acoustic sensor is provided along a structure in a body of water. The distributed optical acoustic sensor is used to detect acoustic waves generated by at least one acoustic source for positioning of at least one object in relation to the structure. | 01-26-2012 |
20120020185 | Collision Avoidance for Instrumented Probes Deployed From a Seismic Vessel - One embodiment of the invention concerns a probe that couples to a seismic vessel via a tow cable. When deploying probes from a seismic vessel that is towing source arrays and streamers, the probe and its tow cable can tangle with elements of the towed seismic spread. However, a cable guide may be used to lessen the risk for such entanglement by guiding the tow cable into the water at a distance removed from the seismic spread. Also, the probe may be steerable to steer the probe and tow cable away from the seismic spread. Other embodiments are described herein. | 01-26-2012 |
20120082001 | Monitoring the Quality of Particle Motion Data During a Seismic Acquisition - A technique includes acquiring particle motion data from a plurality of particle motion sensors while in tow during a seismic survey. During the seismic survey, the particle motion data are processed without deghosting the particle motion data to determine whether at least some portion of the particle motion data is inadequate for an application that relies on the particle motion data. | 04-05-2012 |
20120221182 | CONTROLLING MOVEMENT OF A VESSEL TRAVELING THROUGH WATER DURING A SEISMIC SURVEY OPERATION - To perform control of movement of a marine vessel traveling through water during a seismic survey operation, input information relating to factors that affect a speed of the marine vessel is received. The speed of the marine vessel is adjusted in response to the received information relating to the factors that affect the speed of the marine vessel. | 08-30-2012 |
20130028050 | DETERMINING AN ORIENTATION ANGLE OF A SURVEY SENSOR - Measurement data acquired by at least one sensor in a cable structure towed through a body of water is received. A torsional vibration noise component in the measurement data is estimated. The torsional vibration noise component is used to estimate a rotation angle of the at least one survey sensor with respect to a reference coordinate system of the cable structure. | 01-31-2013 |