A method of performing a seismic survey including: deploying nodal seismic sensors at positions in a survey region; activating a plurality of seismic sources; and using the nodal seismic sensors to record seismic signals generated in response to the activation of the plurality of signals.

A marine seismic exploration method and system comprised of continuous recording, self-contained ocean bottom pods characterized by low profile casings. An external bumper is provided to promote ocean bottom coupling and prevent fishing net entrapment. Pods are tethered together with flexible, non-rigid, non-conducting cable used to control pod deployment. Pods are deployed and retrieved from a boat deck configured to have a storage system and a handling system to attach pods to cable on-the-fly. The storage system is a juke box configuration of slots wherein individual pods are randomly stored in the slots to permit data extraction, charging, testing and synchronizing without opening the pods. A pod may include an inertial navigation system to determine ocean floor location and a rubidium clock for timing. The system includes mathematical gimballing. The cable may include shear couplings designed to automatically shear apart if a certain level of cable tension is reached.

In one aspect, a seismic data acquisition unit is disclosed including a closed housing containing: a seismic sensor; a processor operatively coupled to the seismic sensor; a memory operatively coupled to the processor to record seismic data from the sensor; and a power source configured to power the sensor, processor and memory. The sensor, processor, memory and power source are configured to be assemble as an operable unit in the absence of the closed housing.

Method for acquiring, at reduced acquisition cost, seismic data using simultaneous, field-encoded sources in the field (702), and then constructing pseudo source-records (703) that better meet the requirements for using additional simultaneous computer-encoded sourcing for computer simulations or forward modeling (706) as part of (707) iterative FWI (Full Wavefield Inversion) or RTM (Reverse Time Migration), with additional reduction in computational costs. By better meeting the requirements of simultaneous sourcing for FWI or RTM (701), artifacts and crosstalk are reduced in the output. The method can be used for marine streamer acquisition and other non-fixed spread geometries to acquire both positive and negative offsets and to mitigate the “missing data” problem for simultaneous-source FWI. It can also be used for land data to overcome issues with moving spreads and long continuous records.

A sensor system for use in a wellbore is provided that can include a piezoelectric transducer for transmitting an acoustic wave into a fluid medium positioned in the wellbore by repeatedly bending between two positions in response to an actuation signal. The piezoelectric transducer can include at least four piezoelectric layers stacked on top of one another. Each of the four piezoelectric layers can be coupled to an adjacent layer via a bonding material. Each of the four piezoelectric layers can include a piezoelectric material, a top electrode coupled to a top surface of the piezoelectric material, and a bottom electrode coupled to a bottom surface of the piezoelectric material. The sensor system can also include a hydrophone for detecting a reflection or a refraction of the acoustic wave off an object in the wellbore and transmitting an associated signal to a processing device.

A sensor system for use in a wellbore is provided that can include a piezoelectric transducer for transmitting an acoustic wave into a fluid medium positioned in the wellbore by repeatedly bending between two positions in response to an actuation signal. The piezoelectric transducer can include at least four piezoelectric layers stacked on top of one another. Each of the four piezoelectric layers can be coupled to an adjacent layer via a bonding material. Each of the four piezoelectric layers can include a piezoelectric material, a top electrode coupled to a top surface of the piezoelectric material, and a bottom electrode coupled to a bottom surface of the piezoelectric material. The sensor system can also include a hydrophone for detecting a reflection or a refraction of the acoustic wave off an object in the wellbore and transmitting an associated signal to a processing device.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses related to automatically and simultaneously charging a plurality of autonomous seismic nodes on a marine vessel before and/or after deployment to the seabed are disclosed. A plurality of autonomous seismic nodes are simultaneously charged in a CSC approved ISO container. Each autonomous seismic node may comprise a plurality of power connectors, a plurality of rechargeable batteries, and a battery management system. Each of the nodes may be configured to couple with a charging system on the marine vessel, which may include a power source, one or more power/charging stations, one or more power connectors, and a network. The node may have a plurality of power connectors disposed within a plurality of grooves that are configured to couple with a plurality of charging rails for simultaneous charging.

A method for hydrocarbon exploration based on imaging tunnel valleys is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a 3D seismic volume data corresponding to a target formation having at least one tunnel valley, interpreting a key horizon at or above the target formation as preparation for paleo-depositional environment restoration, flattening and decimating the 3D seismic volume data using the key horizon for paleo-depositional environment restoration to obtain a conditioned 3D seismic volume data, analyzing the conditioned 3D seismic volume data for frequency content and decomposing the conditioned 3D seismic volume data into at least three attributes, blending the at least three attributes to form a single seismic volume data to illuminate key features, and displaying, on a map, a distribution of the tunnel valleys in the 3D seismic volume data of the target formation.

Techniques are described for utilizing far offset impulsive source activations in various contexts, including when performing marine seismic surveys, when manufacturing a geophysical data product in conjunction with such surveys, or when generating an image of geological features of a subsurface. According to some embodiments, near offset impulsive source activations are caused in a body of water at each of a plurality of near offset shot points, and composite far offset impulsive source activations are caused in the body of water at each of a plurality of far offset shot points. Each of the composite far offset impulsive source activations comprises a succession of component impulsive source activations occurring over a far offset shot length. The far offset shot length is short enough to satisfy a stationary source assumption for frequencies at or below a maximum frequency of interest for the far offset shot points.

Techniques are described for utilizing far offset impulsive source activations in various contexts, including when performing marine seismic surveys, when manufacturing a geophysical data product in conjunction with such surveys, or when generating an image of geological features of a subsurface. According to some embodiments, near offset impulsive source activations are caused in a body of water at each of a plurality of near offset shot points, and composite far offset impulsive source activations are caused in the body of water at each of a plurality of far offset shot points. Each of the composite far offset impulsive source activations comprises a succession of component impulsive source activations occurring over a far offset shot length. The far offset shot length is short enough to satisfy a stationary source assumption for frequencies at or below a maximum frequency of interest for the far offset shot points.