Patent · US Active

Highly-sparse seabed acquisition designs adapted for imaging geological structure and/or monitoring reservoir production

US11016208B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
6References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 11, 2016
Grant dateMay 25, 2021
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 11, 2038

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01V2210/169
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Disclosed are advantageous designs for highly-sparse seabed acquisition for imaging geological structure and/or monitoring reservoir production using sea surface reflections. The highly-sparse geometry designs may be adapted for imaging techniques using the primary and higher orders of sea surface reflection and may advantageously allow for the use of significantly fewer sensors than conventional seabed acquisition. The highly-sparse geometry designs may be relevant to 3D imaging, as well as 4D (“time-lapse”) imaging (where the fourth dimension is time). In accordance with embodiments of the invention, geophysical sensors may be arranged on a seabed to form an array of cells. Each cell in the array may have an interior region that contains no geophysical sensors and may be sufficiently large in area such that a 500 meter diameter circle may be inscribed therein.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.