Techniques for determining a wellbore drilling path includes identifying input seismic data associated with a subterranean zone that includes a wellbore drilling target. The input seismic data includes primary seismic events and multiple seismic events. The input seismic data is processed to remove the multiple seismic events and at least one of the primary seismic events from the input seismic data. An orthogonalization of the processed input seismic data is performed to recover the at least one primary seismic event into a seismic image of the subterranean zone that excludes at least a portion of the multiple seismic events. A wellbore path is determined from a terranean surface toward the wellbore drilling target for a drilling geo-steering system based on the seismic image of the subterranean zone.

Raw 3D seismic streamer wavefield data is received as a receiver-ghosted shot gather. The received receiver-ghosted shot gather shot gather is processed into a normalized form as normalized data. The normalized data is partitioned into a plurality of user-defined sub-gathers and processed to generate a complete receiver-deghosted shot gather. Output of the complete receiver-deghosted shot gather is initiated.

A method for seismic imaging includes receiving a multi-shot seismic data set that was collected using one or more streamers having recorders configured to detect seismic waves that propagate through a subterranean domain. The method also includes partitioning the multi-shot seismic data set into windows including a source dimension. The method also includes defining one or more first basis functions that describe the windows of the multi-shot seismic data set. The method also includes generating a model that describes a decomposition of the multi-shot seismic data set using the one or more first basis functions. The method also includes defining one or more second basis functions that describe a selected output data. The method also includes combining the one or more second basis functions with the model to produce a result for a source side wavefield and a receiver side wavefield.

A system and method are provided for substantially eliminating an influence of true-azimuth three dimensional (3D) internal multiple reflections in determining undersea geography in a geographical area of interest without a priori knowledge of subsurface information. The system and method define a set of upper windows that include a geographical area of interest, and a pair of lower windows that are below the set of upper windows, define a first set of apertures and a second set of apertures, segment seismic data to each of the windows using the first and second sets of apertures, and determine a total internal 3D multiple model based on an iteratively generated internal 3D multiple model using the segmented seismic data.

Deblending and deghosting seismic data may include processing blended seismic data acquired after actuation of a first seismic source located at a first depth and a second seismic source located at a second depth. The processing may comprise deblending and deghosting the blended seismic data based on a difference in ghost responses of the first seismic source and the second seismic source.

A multi-stage FWI workflow uses multiple-contaminated FWI models to predict surface-related multiples. A method embodying the present technological advancement, can include: using data with free surface multiples as input into FWI; generating a subsurface model by performing FWI with the free-surface boundary condition imposed on top of the subsurface model; using inverted model from FWI to predict multiples; removing predicted multiples from the measured data; using the multiple-free data as input into FWI with absorbing boundary conditions imposed on top of the subsurface model; and preparing a multiple free data set for use in conventional seismic data processing.

Various implementations directed to quality control and preconditioning of seismic data are provided. In one implementation, a method may include receiving particle motion data from particle motion sensors disposed on seismic streamers. The method may also include performing quality control (QC) processing on the particle motion data. The method may further include performing preconditioning processing on the QC-processed particle motion data. The method may additionally include attenuating noise in the preconditioning-processed particle motion data.

Processes and systems are described for generating an image of a subterranean formation from seismic data recorded during a marine survey that employed a moving vibrational source. Processes and systems compute an up-going pressure wavefield from pressure data and vertical velocity data recorded in the marine survey. A direct incident downgoing vertical velocity wavefield that includes Doppler effects created by the moving vibrational source and characterizes a source wavefield and source ghost of the moving vibrational source is computed and deconvolved from the upgoing pressure wavefield to generate a subsurface reflectivity wavefield. The subsurface reflectivity wavefield is effectively free of contamination from the source wavefield, the source ghost, and the Doppler related effects. Processes and systems generate an image of the subterranean formation based on the subsurface reflectivity wavefield, thereby enhancing resolution of the image by attenuating the source-motion effects, source signature, and source ghost of the moving vibration source.

A method for rotating recorded seismic data. The method includes receiving raw seismic data recorded with a particle motion sensor located along a streamer; receiving vibrational data recorded by a gravity sensing sensor also located along the streamer; calculating an angle (t), defined by a Z axis of the particle motion sensor and a Z.sub.0 axis of a global orthogonal system of coordinates, based on (1) an angle (t), defined by a Z.sub.t axis of the gravity sensing sensor and the Z.sub.0 axis, and (2) an angle (t) defined by the Z.sub.t axis and the Z axis, wherein the Z axis is part of a first local orthogonal system of coordinates attached to the particle motion sensor, the Z.sub.0 axis is part of a global orthogonal system of coordinates attached to the earth, and the Z.sub.t axis is part of a second local orthogonal system of coordinates attached to the gravity sensing sensor; and correcting the raw seismic data by rotating the raw seismic data, recorded in the first local orthogonal system of coordinates, with the angle (t), to obtain corrected seismic data in the global orthogonal system of coordinates. The first and second local system of coordinates share a same X axis but the other two axes of each of the first and second local systems are offset from each other by angle (t) while the streamer moves in water and records the raw seismic data and the vibrational data. The global orthogonal system of coordinates share the same X axis with the first and second local systems, and the global orthogonal system is fixed to the earth while the first and second local systems rotate with the streamer.

A method for estimating a time variant signal representing a seismic source obtains seismic data recorded by at least one receiver and generated by the seismic source, the recorded seismic data comprising direct arrivals and derives the time variant signal using an operator that relates the time variant signal to the acquired seismic data, the operator constrained such that the time variant signal is sparse in time.