Methods for measuring seismic velocities and for monitoring local changes in inter-well seismic velocities in real time are described. Two or more spaced-apart observation wells are provided. Seismic receiver arrays are placed in the observation wells, and a seismic source array is provided at surface locations away from the well bores and producing areas. Compression (P), vertical shear (Sv) and/or horizontal shear (Sh) seismic wave signals are generated from each element of the seismic source array, and the seismic signals arriving at the receivers in the observation wells are recorded. The virtual source method is then applied to the recorded data to compute emulated cross-well seismic signals of the virtual sources at receiver locations in one observation well propagating toward the receivers at other observation wells. Analysis of direct arrivals of emulated cross-well seismic signals can be completed to extract travel times, inter-well seismic velocities, and rock properties.

A method includes receiving seismic data including signals collected using a receiver, separating a downgoing wavefield from an upgoing wavefield in the signals, generating a modified downgoing wavefield by removing direct arrivals from the downgoing wavefield, estimating a first-order multiple reflection signal at least partially by deconvolving the modified downgoing wavefield and the downgoing wavefield, and generating a seismic image based at least in part on the estimated first-order multiple reflection signals.

A method and a system for implementing the method are disclosed wherein the seismic input data and land acquisition input data may be obtained from a non-flat surface, sometimes mild or foothill topography as well as the shot and receiver lines might not necessarily be straight, and often curve to avoid obstacles on the land surface. In particular, the method and system disclosed, decomposes the cross-spread data into sparse common spread beams, then maps those sparse beams into common-spread depth domain, in order to finally stack them to construct the subsurface depth images. The common spread beam migration and processing have higher signal to noise ratio, as well as faster turn-around processing time, for the cross-spread land acquisition over the common-shot or common offset beam migration/processing. The common spread beam migration method and system disclosed, will eventually help illuminate and interpret the hydro-carbonate targets for the seismic processing.

A data seismic sensing system and method for obtaining seismic refraction data and tomography data. The system may comprise a subsurface sensor array, wherein the subsurface sensor array is a fiber optic cable disposed near a wellbore, a seismic source, wherein the seismic source is a truck-mounted seismic vibrator comprising a base plate, and a surface sensor array, wherein the surface sensor array is coupled to the seismic source. The method may comprise disposing a surface sensor array on a surface, disposing a subsurface sensor array into a wellbore, activating a seismic source, wherein the seismic source is configured to create a seismic wave, recording a reflected seismic wave with the surface sensor array and the subsurface sensor array, and creating a seismic refraction data and a seismic tomography data from the reflected seismic wave.

An acoustic logging tool may comprise a center load carrying pipe, a receiver module connected to the center load carrying pipe, one or more transmitter modules connected to the center load carrying pipe, and one or more mass modules connected to the center load carrying pipe.

A method of determining a shear-wave attenuated vertical component vertical seismic profile (VSP) dataset is disclosed. The method includes, obtaining a multi-component VSP dataset, including a vertical and a horizontal component, transforming the vertical component into a vertical spectrum and the horizontal component into a horizontal spectrum, and designing a band-pass filter based, at least in part, on an energetic signal of the horizontal spectrum. The method further includes determining a muted vertical amplitude spectrum by applying the pass-band filter to an amplitude spectrum of the vertical spectrum, determining an estimated noise model based on the muted vertical amplitude spectrum and the vertical spectrum; and determining the shear-wave attenuated vertical component VSP dataset by adaptively subtracting the estimated noise model from the vertical component of the multi-component VSP dataset. A system including a seismic source, a plurality of seismic receivers, and a seismic processor for executing the method is disclosed.

A method for performing a formation-related operation based on corrected vertical seismic profile (VSP) data of an earth formation includes performing a VSP survey and applying a normal moveout (NMO) correction equation to the survey data that is a function of source offset to wellhead. The method also includes solving the NMO correction equation using a simulated annealing algorithm having an object function that is a coherence coefficient of semblance analysis of an NMO corrected reflection event within a time window to provide NMO corrected data. The method further includes performing the formation-related operation at at least one of a location, a depth and a depth interval based on the VSP NMO corrected data.

Methods of designing seismic survey and acquisition of seismic data with reduced noise using equally or optimally irregularly spaced sources or receivers are described. Specifically, prime number ratios for the station to line spacing is used to prevent harmonic leakage and other noise contaminations in the acquired seismic data.

A method for seismic surveying comprises deploying a plurality of seismic receivers proximate an area of subsurface to be surveyed. At least one seismic energy source moves in a path that circumscribes a center, wherein positions of the plurality of seismic receivers remain fixed. At least one of a distance between the path and the center changes monotonically as seismic energy source traverses the path, or the center moves in a selected direction as the seismic energy source traverses the path. The source is actuated at selected times as the at least one seismic energy source traverses the path, such that a spacing between positions of the source along the source path and transverse to the source path varies between successive actuations of the source. Seismic energy is detected at the plurality of seismic receivers resulting from actuating the at least one seismic energy source.

Hybrid seismic inversion methods and apparatuses perform wave equation inversion and stochastic inversion to generate one or more final models for the reservoir characterization of the survey region. A method may include retrieving seismic data using seismic data recording sensors; storing the seismic data in the database; retrieving well data using the well born sensor in the wellbore; storing the seismic data in the database; storing geology integration information and one or more background models in the database; retrieving the seismic data and processing the seismic data to mitigate the seismic data for a seismic hybrid inversion; and performing the seismic hybrid inversion including performing wave equation inversion and stochastic inversion to generate the one or more final models for the reservoir characterization of the survey region.