Marine seismic survey method and system

Abstract

An inventive method provides for control of a seismic survey spread while conducting a seismic survey, the spread having a vessel, a plurality of spread control elements, a plurality of navigation nodes, and a plurality of sources and receivers. The method includes the step of collecting input data, including navigation data for the navigation nodes, operating states from sensors associated with the spread control elements, environmental data for the survey, and survey design data. The positions of the sources and receivers are estimated using the navigation data, the operating states, and the environmental data. Optimum tracks for the sources and receivers are determined using the position estimates and a portion of the input data that includes at least the survey design data. Drive commands are calculated for at least two of the spread control elements using the determined optimum tracks. The inventive method is complemented by an inventive system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 collecting input data from a seismic survey spread having a plurality of spread control elements, a plurality of navigation nodes, and a plurality of seismic sources and receivers, the plurality of spread control elements having at least a seismic source control element and a streamer control element, both of which are configured to be towed by a vessel, the input data including:
 navigation data for the navigation nodes; 
 operating states from sensors associated with the spread control elements; 
 environmental data for the survey; and 
 survey design data; 
   estimating positions of the seismic sources and receivers using the navigation data, the operating states, the environmental data, or combinations thereof;   determining optimum tracks for the seismic sources and receivers using the estimated positions and a portion of the input data that includes the survey design data; and   calculating drive commands using the determined optimum tracks for controlling the seismic source control element and the streamer control element configured to be towed by the vessel.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the navigation data, the operating states, the environmental data and the survey design data are input to a transform function to perform the estimating, determining, and calculating steps. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the positions are estimated according to a spread model within the transform function, and the optimum tracks are input to the spread model for calculation of the drive commands. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the spread model calculates a first set of estimated positions using input that includes at least the operating states and the environmental data, the navigation data includes a second set of estimated positions, and the first and second set of estimated positions are combined with the transform function to produce the estimated seismic source and receiver positions and predicted residuals. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the predicted residuals are used to estimate a set of parameters that characterize the spread model, and the spread model parameters are used to calibrate the spread model. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the predicted residuals are used to estimate error states associated with one or more sensors that measure the environmental data. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the optimum tracks are determined according to a weighting function within the transform function, wherein the weighting function receives as inputs the survey design data and the estimated positions. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising automatically validating the calculated drive commands and delivering the validated drive commands to the spread control elements, whereby a desirable survey objective may be attained. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the drive commands include commands for controlling at least vessel propeller, vessel thruster, spread component steering device, or vessel cable winch. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors associated with the spread control elements include one or more sensor types of tension, water flow rate, inclination, orientation, acceleration, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the collected environmental data includes one or more data types of current, salinity, temperature, pressure, speed of sound, wave height, wave frequency, wind speed, and wind direction. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the survey design data is selected from spread tracks, performance specifications, and survey objectives, wherein the performance specifications are selected from drag and maneuvering characteristics for the vessel, steerable cable devices, steerable seismic source devices, and deflectors, drag characteristic for the towed cables, seismic sources, and floatation devices, and winch operating characteristics. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the survey design data includes one or more data types of area, depth, area rotation or shooting orientation, line coordinates, required coverage, local constraints, optimizing factors and historical data. 
     
     
         14 . The method of claim  54 , wherein the operator input data includes spread parameter settings and environmental data, and wherein the pre-survey data includes environmental sensor data. 
     
     
         15 . The method of claim  54 , wherein the real-time survey data includes one or more data types of cable tension, water flow rate, inclination, orientation, acceleration, velocity, position, spread control element setting, environmental data, seismic signal and noise data, and operator input. 
     
     
         16 . The method of claim  54 , wherein the simulated survey data includes one or more data types of simulated pre-survey, simulated operator input, simulated current survey, simulated near-real time survey, simulated real-time survey, and simulated environmental data. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the collected input data further includes raw seismic sensor data, and using the raw seismic sensor data to produce quality indicators for the estimated positions, the quality indicators selected from binning datasets, absolute noise data, signal-to-noise ratios, and seismic signal frequency content. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the spread model is a hydrodynamic force model of the spread components, a pure stochastic model of the spread components, employing one of the L-norm fitting criteria, or a neural network. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the force model contains marine current data. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the spread model is a pure stochastic model of the spread components. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the spread model employs one of the L-norm fitting criteria. 
     
     
         22 . The method  claim 3 , wherein the spread model is a neural network. 
     
     
         23 . A system comprising:
 a seismic survey spread having a plurality of spread control elements, a plurality of navigation nodes, and a plurality of seismic sources and receivers, wherein the plurality of spread control elements comprises a seismic source control element and a streamer control element, both of which are configured to be towed by a vessel;   a database for receiving input data for controlling the seismic survey spread including: navigation data for the navigation nodes;
 operating states from sensors associated with the spread control elements; 
 environmental data for the survey; and 
 survey design data; 
   a computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for estimating positions of the seismic sources and receivers using the navigation data, the operating states, the environmental data, or combinations thereof;   a computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for determining optimum tracks for the seismic sources and receivers using the estimated positions and a portion of the input data that includes the survey design data; and   a computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for calculating drive commands using the determined optimum tracks for controlling the seismic source control element and the streamer control element configured to be towed by the vessel.   
     
     
         24 . A method comprising:
 towing a plurality of seismic survey spread elements generally behind a vessel, wherein the plurality of seismic survey spread elements comprises a plurality of spread control elements, and wherein the plurality of spread control elements comprises a seismic source control element and a streamer control element;   providing a set of desired coordinate positions of the seismic source control element and the streamer control element, wherein the set of desired coordinate positions is determined using navigation data for a plurality of navigation nodes, operating states from sensors, environmental data for a seismic survey, and survey design data;   
       independently measuring a set of actual coordinate positions of the seismic source control element and the streamer control element;
 calculating a difference between the set of desired coordinate positions and the set of actual coordinate positions to form residuals; and 
 using the residuals as set points in one or more controllers to calculate drive commands for controlling the seismic source control element and the streamer control element being towed generally behind the vessel. 
 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein at least one of the controllers uses a PID correction method. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising planning a path for the vessel within a constraint corridor that allows steering available in the spread control elements to achieve a target shape and a target track for the seismic survey spread elements. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising estimating optimum tracks for tow points of the spread control elements that provide a cross-line component relative to an optimum track for the spread control elements. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein each of the drive commands is used to control at least one of position, speed, and heading of the vessel. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the drive commands include commands for controlling at least one vessel propeller, vessel thruster, vessel thruster setting, vessel propeller pitch, vessel propeller rotation speed, vessel rudder angle, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the spread control elements comprise a vessel control element, a source control element, and a streamer control element in coordination with each other. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the spread control elements comprise a vessel control element and a source control element in coordination with each other. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the spread control elements comprise a vessel control element and a streamer control element in coordination with each other. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the spread control elements comprise a source control element and a streamer control element in coordination with each other. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the spread control elements comprise at least two vessel control elements in coordination with each other. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein one of the at least two vessel control elements is associated with a first vessel and another of the at least two vessel control elements is associated with a second vessel. 
     
     
         36 . A method, comprising:
 providing a seismic survey spread having one or more vessels and one or more spread control elements, wherein the spread control elements comprise one or more vessel control elements, one or more source control elements and one or more streamer control elements, wherein the source control elements and the streamer control elements are configured to be towed by the one or more vessels; and   controlling the seismic survey spread by coordinating the positioning of the vessel control elements and the source control elements and streamer control elements configured to be towed by the one or more vessels.   
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein coordinating the positioning of the vessel control elements, the source control elements and the streamer control elements comprises:
 providing a set of desired coordinate positions of the spread control elements, wherein the set of desired coordinate positions is obtained from one or more data types selected from operating states from sensors associated with the spread control elements, environmental data for the survey and survey design data;   independently measuring a set of actual coordinate positions of the spread control elements;   calculating the difference between the set of desired coordinate positions and the set of actual coordinate positions to form residuals; and   using the residuals as set points in one or more controllers to calculate drive commands for the spread control elements.   
     
     
         38 . A method, comprising:
 providing a seismic survey spread having one or more vessels and one or more spread control elements, wherein the spread control elements comprise one or more vessel control elements, one or more streamer control elements and one or more source control elements, wherein the source control elements and the streamer control elements are configured to be towed by the one or more vessels;   estimating one or more positions of the spread control elements based on data received from one or more acoustic positioning receivers and one or more reference points on a seismic survey spread with respect to the earth; and   controlling the seismic survey spread by coordinating the positioning of the vessel control elements and the source control elements configured to be towed by the one or more vessels based on the estimated positions.   
     
     
         39 . A method, comprising:
 providing a seismic survey spread having one or more vessels and one or more spread control elements, wherein the spread control elements comprise one or more vessel control elements, one or more source control elements and one or more streamer control elements, wherein the source control elements and the streamer control elements are configured to be towed by the one or more vessels; and   
       controlling the seismic survey spread by coordinating the positioning of the streamer control elements and the source control elements configured to be towed by the one or more vessels. 
     
     
         40 . A method, comprising:
 providing a seismic survey spread having a first vessel and a second vessel, the first vessel having a first vessel control element and a first source control element configured to be towed by the first vessel, and the second vessel having a second vessel control element and a second source control element configured to be towed by the second vessel;   
       estimating one or more positions of the first vessel control element, the second vessel control element, the first source control element and the second source control element based on data received from one or more acoustic positioning receivers and one or more reference points on the seismic survey spread with respect to the earth; and
 controlling the seismic survey spread by coordinating the positioning of the first vessel control element, the second vessel control element, the first source control element configured to be towed by the first vessel and the second source control element configured to be towed by the second vessel based on the estimated positions. 
 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the positions are estimated according to a spread model used to predict residuals, and further comprising:
 using the predicted residuals to estimate one or more parameters of the spread model; and   feeding the parameters back into the spread model.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the collected input data includes one or more data types of pre-survey, operator input, present survey, near-real time, real-time survey, and simulated survey. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the sensors measure current velocity, wind velocity or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         44 . A method, comprising:
 providing a seismic survey spread having one or more vessels, one or more source arrays and one or more spread control elements, wherein the spread control elements comprise one or more vessel control elements, one or more source control elements and one or more streamer control elements, wherein the source control elements and the streamer control elements are configured to be towed by the one or more vessels; and   steering the source arrays in an inline motion using the vessel control elements;   steering the source arrays in a cross line motion using the source control elements; and   coordinating the positioning of the vessel control elements and the source control elements and streamer control elements configured to be towed by the one or more vessels.   
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the source control elements comprises a winch system relative to one or more outer streamer tow ropes. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising estimating one or more positions of the spread control elements based on data received from one or more acoustic positioning receivers and one or more reference points on the seismic survey spread with respect to the earth, wherein the positioning of the vessel control elements, the source control elements and the streamer control elements are coordinated based on the estimated positions. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the seismic survey spread is controlled for reoccupying coordinates from a prior survey to achieve a 4D time-lapsed seismic survey. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising estimating one or more positions of the spread control elements based on data received from one or more acoustic positioning receivers and one or more reference points on the seismic survey spread with respect to the earth, wherein the positioning of the streamer control elements and the source control elements are coordinated based on the estimated positions. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors measure tension, vertical inclination, body orientation, acceleration or combinations thereof associated with the spread control elements. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two of the spread control elements further comprise a vessel control element. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the source control element is coupled between a seismic source and the vessel. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the plurality of seismic survey spread elements comprise one or more streamers.