Geophysical Survey Coverage Parameter Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Geophysical marine surveys face challenges in balancing signal source and sensor spacing to avoid unnecessary overlap or coverage holes, leading to increased survey costs due to infill requirements and redundant data from overlapping sail lines.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a geophysical survey system that utilizes a computing system to determine and adjust the 'added unique fold' parameter, allowing for efficient and automatic steering of survey elements to optimize coverage, reduce infill needs, and minimize redundant data by calculating unique hits in bins and comparing them to theoretically obtainable unique fold, thereby improving survey efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If signal sources and geophysical sensors are spaced closer together to improve coverage, then coverage completeness is improved, but survey cost increases due to redundant data and infill requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of sail line spacing during the survey process. The system continuously monitors coverage parameters and adjusts the distance between successive sail lines in real-time, transitioning from fixed spacing to adaptive spacing. This allows the system to maintain adequate coverage while avoiding redundant overlap, directly resolving the contradiction between coverage completeness and survey cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms by calculating coverage parameters (such as fold coverage and unique fold) based on actual survey data and using this information to guide subsequent sail line planning. The system feeds back coverage quality metrics to adjust the spacing and positioning of future sail lines, ensuring optimal coverage without unnecessary redundancy, thereby reducing survey costs while maintaining reliability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If sail lines are positioned closer to previous sail lines to avoid coverage holes, then coverage uniformity is improved, but redundant data increases leading to higher processing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary calculation of optimal sail line positions before actual data acquisition. By pre-calculating the intended sail line trajectories and spacing based on desired coverage parameters, the system can plan the survey path to achieve uniform coverage while minimizing redundant overlap. This preliminary planning prevents both coverage holes and excessive redundancy, resolving the contradiction between coverage uniformity and redundant data generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of sail line spacing from a fixed value to a variable parameter that is optimized for each specific survey segment. By adjusting the spacing parameter dynamically based on local geological conditions, coverage requirements, and previous sail line positions, the system achieves uniform coverage without generating unnecessary redundant data, thereby resolving the contradiction.
3Reliability
If infill sail lines are added to fill coverage holes, then coverage completeness is improved, but survey productivity decreases due to additional acquisition time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary identification and marking of potential coverage holes during the planning phase, before the actual survey begins. By pre-calculating the optimal positions and trajectories of infill sail lines needed to fill these holes, the system can integrate them into the main survey plan without requiring separate, time-consuming infill passes. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by ensuring coverage completeness is achieved efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the identification and execution of infill sail lines with the main survey operations. Instead of treating infill as a separate post-processing step that reduces productivity, the system combines infill sail line planning and execution with the primary survey workflow. This integration allows coverage holes to be filled during the normal survey process, maintaining both coverage completeness and survey efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed relating to geophysical surveying. In some embodiments, an added unique fold parameter is determined for one or more bins during a survey of a geophysical formation. In some embodiments, the position of one or more elements of a survey system is adjusted based on the added unique fold. In some embodiments, a ratio of the determined added unique fold to a theoretically obtainable added unique fold is determined, and the adjustment may be based on this ratio. In some embodiments, an acceptability parameter is also considered. In some embodiments, survey elements may be steered to increase added unique fold without leaving coverage holes that violate an acceptability criterion. In some embodiments, the steering is performed automatically. In some embodiments, coverage parameters are graphically displayed to an operator.