Patent GB-1233027-A (GB)
IPC: G01V1/38
Filed: 1968-09-13
Abstract: 1,233,027. Seismic prospecting. N. A. ANSTEY. 13 Sept., 1968, No. 43640/68. Heading H4D. In a seismic prospecting system a continuously operating seismic source is moved continuously along a traverse, a signal which is a counterpart of the seismic output of the source is derived, and this signal is cross-correlated with the output of at least one detecting array and the correlation result recorded. Field procedures.-For land surveys a truck lays detector arrays 10, 11, 12 &c. (Fig. 3) with a spread length 8. The rolling source 8 comprising loose weights in a drum, follows the truck. While source 8 is between arrays 10 and 11 their outputs are accepted for recording or processing; while it is between arrays 11 and 12 the outputs of arrays 11 and 12 are accepted; and so on. A recovery truck following the source 8 may be used to transfer detector arrays from the rear to the front of the spread as surveying proceeds. For three-fold subsurface coverage (Fig. 4) using a spread length of s/3, the outputs of arrays 10, 13, 14, 11, 15, 16 are used while the source is between arrays 14 and 11, and so on. Alternatively, three-fold coverage is provided with the Fig. 3 spread by (a) making a first pass of the source from right to left along the traverse, (b) re-laying the spread 2/3s to the right and making a second pass, from left to right, and (c) re-laying the spread 1/3S to the left of the position for step (b) and making a third pass, from right to left. Fig. 5 shows array positions for extending these techniques to give 12-fold coverage. For marine surveys the continuous seismic source is towed by a ship. In one technique, similar to the Fig. 3 system, three detector arrays are streamed from the ship on wires which are repeatedly paid out and recovered such that while any one array is being recovered the other two are drifting, i.e. stationary in the water, and separated horizontally by a desired spread length. The outputs of the two stationary arrays are utilized. The technique may be extended to give multiple coverage as for the Figs. 4 and 5 systems. In a second technique a towed hydrophone streamer containing, e.g. 24 detector arrays is stationary with respect to the source and gives 12-fold coverage. A third technique uses both a drifting array and a towed array which is stationary with respect to the source. Signal processing.-Each detector array is coupled to a respective signal-conditioning unit in which the array output is amplified, amplitude-controlled, optionally filtered, coded (e.g. by a digitizer) and modulates a radio transmitter for transmission to the vehicle towing the seismic source. The counterpart of the seismic source output is also radioed to this vehicle, optionally filtered, and multiplexed with clock. signals and with the array output signals for transmission by radio to a base office for recording and processing. The processing comprises cross-correlation of the source signal 44 (Fig. 7) with the detector signal 45, in which correlation a digital sample (such as 46) of the source signal is multiplied by the corresponding sample (47) of the detector signal and by each of the following samples up to a sample (48) representing the maximum seismic travel-time of interest. The multiplication results provide a correlogram for source sample 46; similar correlograms are derived for other source samples. Since the source is moving, each correlogram relates to a different source position. For example intervals of 4 ms. and a source speed of 8 feet/s., these source positions are 0.032 foot apart, giving a theoretical subsurface resolution of 0.016 foot. Such a fine resolution is not normally practical and is uneconomic in data storage, so may be sacrificed by compositing correlograms of adjacent source positions. The number of correlograms thus composited may be selected according to seismic travel-time, so that optimum resolution and effective source dimensions can be obtained for different depths. Normal moveout corrections may be made to the correlograms. Instead of the multiplication type correlation, signal polarity-coincidence correlation may be used.