The present invention discloses a system and method for phased array sound wave advanced geological exploration for a shield tunneling machine. The system includes a phased array sound wave emitting and receiving apparatus, a probe automatic telescopic apparatus, an automatic protection and cleaning apparatus, and a signal processing and imaging system. Sonic probes are installed on a side wall of a main spoke, opposite to a rotation direction, of a cutterhead of the shield tunneling machine, on the basis of automatic detection of a telescopic state and a contact state, sonic array probes are enabled to make contact with a tunnel face by a hydraulic push rod, a focus sound wave is emitted by using a phased array emitting technology, and a reflected wave signal with front geological information reflected from the front of the tunnel face is received. A scanning direction of a sound wave beam is controlled and changed continuously through a host system, on the premise of obtaining a suspected abnormal body position, the suspected position is imaged in detail by using a focusing image till scanning of a whole two-dimensional section is completed, then the cutterhead is rotated to change an arrangement direction of an array to continue scanning of a next two-dimensional section, and finally three-dimensional geological exploration in front of the tunnel face is realized.

The present invention discloses a system and method for phased array sound wave advanced geological exploration for a shield tunneling machine. The system includes a phased array sound wave emitting and receiving apparatus, a probe automatic telescopic apparatus, an automatic protection and cleaning apparatus, and a signal processing and imaging system. Sonic probes are installed on a side wall of a main spoke, opposite to a rotation direction, of a cutterhead of the shield tunneling machine, on the basis of automatic detection of a telescopic state and a contact state, sonic array probes are enabled to make contact with a tunnel face by a hydraulic push rod, a focus sound wave is emitted by using a phased array emitting technology, and a reflected wave signal with front geological information reflected from the front of the tunnel face is received. A scanning direction of a sound wave beam is controlled and changed continuously through a host system, on the premise of obtaining a suspected abnormal body position, the suspected position is imaged in detail by using a focusing image till scanning of a whole two-dimensional section is completed, then the cutterhead is rotated to change an arrangement direction of an array to continue scanning of a next two-dimensional section, and finally three-dimensional geological exploration in front of the tunnel face is realized.

A method including selecting a forward model based on a modeled well structure and including a single modeled acoustic source located in a modeled wellbore and a plurality of modeled acoustic sensors located in a modeled source area, simulating an acoustic signal generated by the single modeled acoustic source and received by each modeled acoustic sensor, calculating phases of the simulated acoustic signals received at each modeled acoustic sensor, obtaining with a principle of reciprocity a plurality of modeled acoustic sources in the modeled source area and a single modeled acoustic sensor in the modeled wellbore, calculating phase delays of the simulated acoustic signals between each modeled acoustic source and the single modeled acoustic sensor, detecting acoustic signals generated by a flow of fluid using acoustic sensors in a wellbore, and processing the acoustic signals using the phase delays to generate a flow likelihood map.

A method for imaging non-specular seismic events as well as correlating non-specular events with physically measurable quantites in a volume of Earth's subsurface. Includes entering as input to a computer signals detected by a plurality of seismic sensors disposed above and/or within the volume in response to actuation of at least one seismic energy source above and/or within the volume. Parameter analysis is performed to populate the initial model with point-wise, best-fit wavefront travel-time approximations. Imaging is performed to obtain undifferentiated specular and non-specular representations of the volume. Specular boundaries are mapped using the imaged volume and using the boundaries to form a model of specular components of the volume. Beamforming is used to characterize seismic attributes associated with specular and non-specular reflections as separate and differentiated data sets.

A method for reducing inline directivity of an air-gun source signature by optimizing spatial distribution of air-guns is provided according to the present application, which relates to a field of design and optimization of an air-gun source. An evaluation standard in the air-gun distribution in an air-gun array direction is proposed. By a combination optimization along both the inline and depth directions, a design scheme having evidently broader effective bandwidth and effective take-off angle width than a design scheme of a conventional source is obtained, with which the directivity of the air-gun source signature can be reduced.

Various embodiments include methods and apparatus structured to investigate a structure of multiple strings of pipe in a wellbore and material around the pipes in the wellbore. An array of acoustic receivers can be used to monitor sound energy from the structure and material within and around the structure. The received sound energy can be segregated and coherent signal processing of the received sound energy can be conducted with respect to location. A bond map of the structure and regions around the multiple strings of pipe can be derived from the coherent signal processing. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods can be implemented in a variety of applications.

A method for imaging non-specular seismic events as well as correlating non-specular events with physically measurable quantites in a volume of Earth's subsurface. Includes entering as input to a computer signals detected by a plurality of seismic sensors disposed above and/or within the volume in response to actuation of at least one seismic energy source above and/or within the volume. Parameter analysis is performed to populate the initial model with point-wise, best-fit wavefront travel-time approximations. Imaging is performed to obtain undifferentiated specular and non-specular representations of the volume. Specular boundaries are mapped using the imaged volume and using the boundaries to form a model of specular components of the volume. Beamforming is used to characterize seismic attributes associated with specular and non-specular reflections as separate and differentiated data sets.

A method including selecting a forward model based on a modeled well structure and including a single modeled acoustic source located in a modeled wellbore and a plurality of modeled acoustic sensors located in a modeled source area, simulating an acoustic signal generated by the single modeled acoustic source and received by each modeled acoustic sensor, calculating phases of the simulated acoustic signals received at each modeled acoustic sensor, obtaining with a principle of reciprocity a plurality of modeled acoustic sources in the modeled source area and a single modeled acoustic sensor in the modeled wellbore, calculating phase delays of the simulated acoustic signals between each modeled acoustic source and the single modeled acoustic sensor, detecting acoustic signals generated by a flow of fluid using acoustic sensors in a wellbore, and processing the acoustic signals using the phase delays to generate a flow likelihood map.

Embodiments of non-uniformly spaced seismic receiver arrays and associated noise removal techniques are disclosed. In one embodiment of a method of seismic data acquisition, a plurality of seismic receivers may be positioned in an array having a plurality of regions, each region in the array having a respective average spacing between seismic receivers, with the average spacing in a second region of the plurality of regions being greater than the average spacing in a first region of the plurality of regions that is adjacent to the second region. Seismic data may be acquired utilizing the plurality of seismic receivers, and noise may be removed therefrom.

Embodiments of a system are provided for forming enhanced seismic array traces using virtual seismic sensors in addition to the real seismic sensors to form a virtual seismic array. The system receives the signal responses from the real sensors, processes the signal responses from the sensors to define virtual signals using a narrowband decomposition of the complex envelope of the sensor signal responses, calculates second- and fourth-order statistics to derive steering vectors for the array of real sensors, and forms a virtual seismic array in response thereto. Machines, computer program product, and computer-implemented methods are provided for forming enhanced seismic array traces by receiving the array responses from sensors, processing the signals to define virtual sensor signals and a virtual seismic array, and forming an array response for the virtual seismic array to form a seismic trace of enhanced resolution.