ON THE DETERMINATION OF THE DOWNGOING P-WAVES RADIATED BY THE VERTICAL SEISMIC VIBRATOR*

It is well recognized that in order to realize the full potential of the Vibroseis technique, one needs to ensure accurate phase locking and a meaningful cross-correlation. To achieve these two important objectives we require an accurate estimate of the compressional stress wave radiated by the vibrator into the ground. In this paper a simple method (subject of a patent application) is developed for predicting the compressional stress waves radiated by a vertical vibrator. The main feature of the proposed method is that it involves the field measurement of the acceleration of the reaction mass and the baseplate, respectively. The method is illustrated by computing the compressional stress waves generated by a typical vertical vibrator radiating into ice, chalk, sand, and mud. It is shown that for a seismic vibrator radiating into hard ground the pressure of the downgoing P-wave is 180° out of phase with the baseplate velocity. It is also shown that when the driving force of the seismic vibrator has a flat amplitude spectrum, the amplitude spectrum of the downgoing P-wave falls off by 6 dB/octave towards low frequencies.     

Developments in vibrator control

Hydraulic limitations, non-rigidity of the baseplate as well as variable characteristics of the ground constantly distort the downgoing energy output by vibrators. Therefore, a real time feedback control must be performed to continuously adjust the emitted force to the reference pilot signal. This ground force is represented by the weighted sum of the reaction mass and the baseplate accelerations. It was first controlled with an amplitude and phase locked loop system, poorly reactive and sensitive to noise. Later on, new vibrator electronics based on a digital model of the vibrator were introduced. This model is based on the physical equations of the vibrator and of the ground. During an 'identification' process, the model is adjusted to each particular vibrator. Completed by a Kalman adaptive filter to remove the noise, it computes ten estimated states via a linear quadratic estimator. These states are used by a linear quadratic control to compute the torque motor input and to compare the ground force estimated from the states with the pilot signal. Test results using downhole geophones demonstrate the benefit of filtered mode operation.     

Review of vibroseis data acquisition and processing for better amplitudes: adjusting the sweep and deconvolving for the time-derivative of the true groundforce

The goal of vibroseis data acquisition and processing is to produce seismic reflection data with a known spatially-invariant wavelet, preferably zero phase, such that any variations in the data can be attributed to variations in geology. In current practice the vibrator control system is designed to make the estimated groundforce equal to the sweep and the resulting particle velocity data are cross-correlated with the sweep. Since the downgoing far-field particle velocity signal is proportional to the time-derivative of the groundforce, it makes more sense to cross-correlate with the time-derivative of the sweep. It also follows that the ideal amplitude spectrum of the groundforce should be inversely proportional to frequency. Because of non-linearities in the vibrator, bending of the baseplate and variable coupling of the baseplate to the ground, the true groundforce is not equal to the pre-determined sweep and varies not only from vibrator point to vibrator point but also from sweep to sweep at each vibrator point. To achieve the goal of a spatially-invariant wavelet, these variations should be removed by signature deconvolution, converting the wavelet to a much shorter zero-phase wavelet but with the same bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio as the original data. This can be done only if the true groundforce is known. The principle may be applied to an array of vibrators by employing pulse coding techniques and separating responses to individual vibrators in the frequency domain. Various approaches to improve the estimate of the true groundforce have been proposed or are under development; current methods are at best approximate.     

Modelling and modal analysis of seismic vibrator baseplate

The vibroseis method must be extended to its limits as the search for oil and gas continues on land. To successfully improve vibroseis data quality, it is crucial to evaluate each element in the vibroseis data acquisition system and ensure that the contribution from each element is successful. Vibroseis systems depend greatly upon the ability of vibrators to generate synchronous, repeatable ground-force sweeps over a broad frequency range. This requires that the reaction mass and the baseplate of the vibrator move as rigid bodies. However, rigid-body motion is not completely true for high- frequency vibrations, especially for the vibrator baseplate. In order to accurately understand the motion of the vibrator baseplate, a finite element analysis model of the vibrator baseplate and the coupled ground has been developed. This model is useful for simulating the vibrator baseplate dynamics, evaluating the impact of the baseplate on the coupled ground and vibrator baseplate design. Model data demonstrate that the vibrator baseplate and its stilt structure are subject to six significant resonant frequencies in the range of 10–80 Hz. Due to the low rigidity of the baseplate, the baseplate stilt structure experiences severe rocking motions at lower frequencies and the baseplate pad experiences severe flexing motions at higher frequencies. Flexing motions cause partial decoupling, which gives rise to increased levels of harmonic distortion and less useable signal energy. In general, the baseplate pad suffers more bending and flexing motions at high frequencies than low frequencies, leading less efficiency in transmitting the useable energy into the ground.     

TWO METHODS FOR CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF HARMONIC DISTORTION IN VIBROSEIS SIGNALS1

The quality of Vibroseis survey data can be improved by continuously monitoring the vibrator's baseplate and reaction mass accelerations. Equipment failures can be detected as they occur, rather than relying on similarity trials at the beginning and end of the day's production. Equipment faults can then be corrected as they happen and thus would not have a detrimental effect on the quality of the survey data. Source efficiency can be optimized by monitoring the amount of harmonic distortion generated by the vibrator at different drive levels on the different surfaces which may be encountered during a survey. Phase problems introduced by poor coupling of the baseplate to the ground can also be identified and addressed in the field. Rapid analysis of vibrator signals is required if continuous monitoring is to be useful. Frequency-time (f-t) analyses of vibrator signals are often used in processing centres, but are slow and require a large storage capacity which makes the technique unsuitable for a field analysis system. The two methods proposed to analyse vibrator signals entail the use of hodograms and time-varying notch filters. Hodograms provide a qualitative analysis of harmonic distortion and vibrator performance. A fast, time-varying notch filter gives quantitative and qualitative information about the harmonic distortion present in the signal and can be used to identify problems with vibrator behaviour. Both the hodogram and fast, time-varying notch filter methods can analyse the vibrator's reaction mass and baseplate accelerations as it progresses through its sweep and can present automatically interpreted results to the operator before moving to the next vibrator point.     

Break through the limits of vibroseis data quality

The vibroseis method has become the principal data acquisition method in land seismic exploration. It seems that this method has been extended to its limits as the search for energy resources continues. Many practical issues arising from field operations have remained theoretically unexplained, for example, variations in wavelet arrival time, inaccurate wavelet estimation and harmonics in the wavelet itself. The focus of this paper is the proposal of a new model, which is referred to as the vibrator‐coupled ground model, to simulate the filtering effects of a complex coupling system consisting of the coupling between the baseplate and the ground as well as the coupling between the captured ground mass near the vibrator baseplate and the surrounding earth. With this vibrator‐coupled ground model many of the practical issues mentioned above were reasonably addressed. Furthermore, it was demonstrated from experimental tests that both the pilot sweep and the weighted‐sum groundforce, when filtered by the vibrator‐coupled ground model, are proportional to the far‐field particle velocity whereas the unfiltered signals are not. The harmonics on the filtered weighted‐sum groundforce successfully maintain a proportional relationship with the harmonics seen in the far‐field signal.     

SEISMIC VIBRATOR MODELLING1

The wavefield in, and at the surface of, a homogeneous, isotropic, perfectly elastic half-space, excited by a traction distribution at the surface of the medium is investigated. The emitted wavefield is a spatial convolution of the surface tractions and the spatial impulse response. The properties of the wavefield in the far-field of the medium are derived and it is shown that the far-field particle velocity is essentially equal to a weighted sum of the time derivative of the integrated surface tractions, that is, of the components of the ‘ground force’. The theory is valid for an arbitrary geometry and orientation of the surface tractions, and is independent of the boundary conditions at the surface of the medium. The surface tractions are related to a source that consists of a mass distribution with an arbitrary force distribution imposed upon it. A boundary condition is introduced that accounts for the mass load and the forces applied to it but neglects vibrations within the mass. The boundary condition follows from the equation of motion of the surface mass load. The theory is applied to the Vibroseis configuration, using a P-wave vibrator model with a uniformly distributed force imposed on top of the baseplate, and assuming that horizontal surface traction components are absent. The distribution of displacement and stress directly underneath the baseplate of a single vibrator and an array of vibrators is investigated. Three different boundary conditions are used: (1) assuming uniform pressure, (2) assuming uniform displacement, (3) using the equation of motion of the baseplate as a boundary condition. The calculations of the distribution of stress and displacement over the plate for different elastic media and several frequencies of operation show that only the results obtained with the mixed boundary condition agree with measurements made in the field. The accuracy of three different phase-feedback signals is compared using synthetic data. Baseplate velocity phase-feedback leads to huge deviations in the determination of the far-field wavelet; reaction mass acceleration phase-feedback looks stable but neglects the differentiating earth filter; and phase-feedback to a weighted sum of baseplate and reaction mass accelerations becomes unstable with increasing frequency. The instability can be overcome using measurements over the whole baseplate. The model can be extended to a lossy layered earth.     

Nonlinear analysis on the coupling process of electromagnetic vibrator and earth

Vibrator is an excitation equipment of the vibratory source in the seismic exploration[1―3]. In order to ap-proach the δ function, dynamite can be used to release high energy in an instantaneous explosion and form the seismic wavelet. On the other hand, a portable vi-brator sweeps a low energy signal for a long time to simulate the function of an explosion source. The re-flection signal of the portable vibrator is estimated for time-delay by digital cross correlation technology, and the disp…     

THE DISPERSION RELATION, OF EARTH''S ELECTROMAGNETIC RESPONSE FUNCTIONS AND THE JOINT INVERSION OF DATA

On the basis of the dispersion relations of MT field, the necessity and applied prospects of the joint inversions using a pair of MT response functions which are correlative with the dispersion relations, are infered. A filter coefficient algorithm is made, with which the corresponding impedance phase data can be estimated using a set of apparent resistivities. The tests for the observed MT data show that when comparing the impedance phase estimated using the dispersion relation with the ob served phase, it can be checked whether the dispersion relation between observed apparent resistivity and phase data is satisfied or not, and that the use of the phase data corrected using the dispersion relation in the joint inversion is advantageous to obtain more confident results. It is shown that joint inversions are more advantageous than single parameter inversions, and that in the most case the joint inversion using the apparent resistivities of impedance real and imaginary parts is more advantageous than the jointinversion using the normal apparent resistivity and impedance phase. The existence of the dipersion relations between the ratio apparent resistivity and corresponding impedance phase of the orthogonal electric and magnetic field horizontal Components in the frequency EM sounding with horizontal electric dipole(FEMS) are discussed, the better effect of the joint inversion using the pair of EM response functions is obtained. The problems on the one-dimensional joint inversion for the MT and FEMS apparent resistivities, for which the observed frequency bands partly overlape each other, are studied. It is shown that this joint inversion is applicable and effective:the joint inversions of the practical data for two kinds of EM methods at two sites give the results well corresponding to the drilling data. The simulated MT inversions for the data of two kinds of EM methods are made, and more confident results also are obtained.     

The effects of inter‐vibrator interference on vibrator performance

The output from the hydraulic vibrators typically used for land seismic surveys is controlled by monitoring the acceleration measured by accelerometers mounted on the reaction mass and baseplate. The considerable energy output by such vibrators, which are coupled with the sensitivity of the accelerometers used, results in crosstalk if more than one vibrator is being used. In this paper, we present the results of a field experiment in which we measured the crosstalk between two adjacent vibrators. We found that the level of crosstalk was approximately ‐20 dB when the vibrators were adjacent but decreased with increasing frequency and separation. This result has implications for measurements of vibrator performance, source‐signature deconvolution, and in particular, estimates of the total energy output by a fleet of vibrators.     

Source measurement effect on high fidelity vibratory seismic separation

High Fidelity Vibratory Seismic (HFVS) acquisition and separation can play an important role in today's land acquisition schemes. The method – in which multiple vibrators are swept simultaneously using sweeps with known phase encoding and then the data are inverted and separated into individual records – can improve productivity in the field and at the same time improve signal characteristics in the data. It relies on the measured weighted sum of accelerations (base plate and reaction mass) to invert the acquired data and separate the individual vibrator responses. Separation can be sub-optimal if the measured motions vary from the 'true source' input into the ground. Differences in true source and measured source can arise due to poor coupling between vibrators and ground, soil compaction or other factors. Using both a synthetic model and real data, we show that if the true source changes between sweeps but is not measured, vibrator responses can leak into adjacent vibrator responses upon separation. In a recent survey with HFVS acquisition, we observed a 25–30 dB separation between adjacent vibrators, which could be improved with greater reliability of the source measurement. The vibrator leakage can reduce the data quality considerably. We discuss the results of this survey and show that separation is affected by source measurement error. Further, we conclude that it is necessary either 1) to use source measurements that can capture the variability of the true source between sweeps or 2) to compensate for the source measurement variations in processing or in acquisition.     

Weighted sum method for calculating ground force: an evaluation by using a portable vibrator system

Using a lightweight portable vibrator, we have evaluated the accuracy of the 'weighted sum' method for calculating ground force. Experiments in which the vibrator was suspended elastically have shown that, contrary to expectations based on standard theory, the amplitude of the weighted sum ground force was significantly above zero at high frequencies (> 500 Hz). Complementary investigations with load cells confirmed these results. If not accounted for, these deviations may introduce significant 'vibroseis-correlation noise' in processed records. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that ground force and base-plate velocity can be used to estimate the radiation impedance, which describes the interaction of (vibratory) sources with the ground. Using the mechanical characteristics of the system (i.e. maximum displacement, maximum velocity and maximum acceleration of the base-plate) and the radiation impedance, the behaviour of the portable vibrator on typical Dutch soil types was evaluated. We found that for the same sweep, more high-frequency energy could be generated on hard grounds (e.g. concrete) characterized by a higher radiation impedance than on softer grounds (e.g. clay or sand). Knowledge of this behaviour may provide important information for use in data interpretation.     

ENHANCED SERVOVALVE TECHNOLOGY FOR SEISMIC VIBRATORS1

The Pelton DR^TM Servovalve Enhancement causes the natural output of a vibrator to resemble the desired output more closely. This simplifies the control problem and reduces harmonic distortion. The traditional type of servovalve used on seismic vibrators is a flow-control servovalve. Flow is proportional to a vibrator's baseplate velocity, with respect to its reaction mass. The new servovalve control parameter is pressure rather than flow. The differential pressure applied to a vibrator's actuator piston, multiplied by the area of the piston, equals the force applied to the vibrator's baseplate structure. This may be defined as actuator force. There is a simpler and more linear relationship between actuator force and ground force than between actuator velocity and ground force. Thus, it is better for the servovalve to control pressure into the actuator rather than flow. A flow-control servovalve can be made to control pressure by sensing the differential pressure across a vibrator's actuator piston and applying it as a negative feedback around the servovalve main stage. This has been carried out and tested. The result is more accurate vibrator control and reduced harmonic distortion.     

地震勘探中相控阵震源的方向特性研究

电磁驱动式可控震源在城市浅层地震勘探中所面临的最突出的困难是微弱的反射信号常常淹没在很强的背景噪声之中.为了提高地震记录的信噪比,可以利用多台可控震源阵列实施相位控制形成定向地震波束以增强地震波的能量.本文讨论这种相控阵震源的波束形成机制.引入了地震波场的边际能量密度的概念,利用地震波场的时间切片技术,对模型空间各个方向上的能量强度进行了定量分析.用有限差分法对相控阵震源Chirp信号扫描的地震响应进行了数值模拟.当定向地震波束的汇聚带与观测排列的空间范围相一致时,相控阵震源合成地震记录的能量强度要显著高于单个可控震源情形的能量强度,波形振幅的均匀性要明显优于常规组合激发震源情形波形振幅的均匀性.     

On the accuracy of the ground force estimated in vibroseis acquisition

For a linear elastic Earth the time derivative of the ground force is considered proportional to the far-field wavelet. Under the assumption that the baseplate is stiff and the bending forces of the baseplate are negligible, the ground force is also approximated by the sum of the accelerations of the baseplate and the reaction mass weighted by the respective masses. Combining these two assumptions, the time derivative of the weighted sum is considered proportional to the far-field wavelet. This result, often referred to as the far-field wavelet assumption, although convenient and most often employed is not always valid. We explore its validity using the spectral harmonic ratios of recorded data, which are used extensively in data filtering and analysis of vibratory data. We show that the far-field wavelet assumption fails particularly for harmonic components of even order. More compact soil after repeated shots further invalidates this assumption. Non-linear modelling of the ground under the vibrator point may provide a direction towards solving this discrepancy. Finally, we describe a method for the estimation of the harmonic spectral ratios.     

基于三维正演的音频大地电磁阻抗相位不变量校正技术

复杂地形、地质条件的大地电磁数据解释容易出现假象,采用三维正演技术模拟地形和地表不均匀体的背景响应,对实测数据阻抗相位不变量进行校正,实现更准确的定性分析;对三维异常体模型的合成数据进行一维、二维多参数反演试算,以确定地形剧变区选择反演技术的最佳方案.合成数据的试反演结果显示一维反演水平切片假异常较多,二维反演能压制测向假异常,但不能压制走向的假异常,水平切片多出现测向条带.使用本文提出的阻抗相位不变量校正法扣除地形、地表背景响应,结合一维、二维反演,能使实际资料解释成果更加可靠.     

Radiation from flexural vibrations of the baseplate and their effect on the accuracy of traveltime measurements

We analyse the problem of radiation of seismic waves by a vibroseis source when the baseplate is subject to flexure. A theoretical model is proposed to account for baseplate flexure, generalizing the well‐known model of the vibroseis source of Sallas and Weber, which was developed for a rigid plate. Using the model proposed, we analyse the effect of flexure on the properties of seismic waves. We show that the flexure does not contribute to the far‐field and mainly affects the readings of the reference accelerometer that is used to measure the force applied to the ground; these readings generally become dependent on the location of the sensor on the plate. For muddy and sandy soils, the effect of flexure on baseplate‐acceleration measurements is nonetheless pronounced at the high end of the vibroseis frequency band only (～100 Hz), and is negligible at all frequencies for stiffer soils. The corresponding phase lags introduced by the flexural vibrations at high frequencies lead to errors in the traveltime measurements (through the cross‐correlation function) of up to 0.6 ms for muddy soils and less for denser soils. We show the existence of an optimal position of the reference sensor on the baseplate and also propose a general method of eliminating the phase lag due to the baseplate flexure in acceleration measurements.     

SIMULTANEOUS VIBROSEIS RECORDING1

An experiment was undertaken at BP's Fulbeck Geophysical test site to compare the viability of various simultaneous vibroseis recording techniques, which are often recommended as a means of improving data acquisition production rates for 3D seismic surveys. Of particular interest were: (a) the ability to separate the signals from each source during processing, (b) the generation and suppression of harmonics and (c) the effects of any source interaction. Two vibrators were deployed with a baseplate separation of 10 m, about a borehole containing a vertical array of geophones. Our analysis concentrated on the groundforce signals measured at each vibrator and the far-field signatures measured using a vertical geo-phone at a depth of 204 m. By comparing single vibrator records with similar but separated records from a simultaneous recording sequence, signal separability, harmonic suppression and vibrator interaction could be fully studied. Separated far-field signatures from simultaneous vibroseis methods using combinations of up and downsweeps exhibited unsuppressed harmonics and substantial energy from the undesired source which leaked through the correlation process. The ‘up/down’ method was capable of separating the signal from each source by only 12.7 dB, and is therefore unsuitable as a field technique. The variphase simultaneous vibroseis methods studied afforded some harmonic suppression and gave signal separations of about 30.0 dB. Use of variphase simultaneous vibroseis methods will compromise the quality of the data recorded, when compared with single-source acquisition methods. None of the simultaneous vibroseis methods tested provided adequate signal separation and, therefore, cannot be recommended as data acquisition techniques. The ‘alternate sweeping’ method coupled with multispread recording will give the desired improvement in data acquisition rates, while preserving the necessary quality of our seismic data.     

成层粘弹性土中桩土耦合纵向振动时域响应研究

从三维轴对称角度出发,采用粘性阻尼粘弹性连续土介质模型,考虑桩土相互作用效应,对成层土中桩土纵向耦合振动时的桩顶时域响应进行了解析研究。求解时,首先建立定解问题,然后利用拉氏变换先对底部土层进行求解得到其振动位移形式解,然后利用桩土接触界面连续条件来考虑桩土耦合作用,分析底层土中桩段的动力反应,然后利用桩段阻抗函数的传递性,进行逐层递推求解,最终得到桩顶时域和频域响应的半解析解。通过参数影响分析和与工程实测曲线的对比,讨论分析了成层土中桩土耦合振动的响应特性,验证了本文解。基于本文研究可为桩基抗震、防震设计、桩基动力检测提供新的理论支持。     

Marine vibrators: the new phase of seismic exploration

Marine seismic vibrators are generally considered to be less intrusive than airguns from an environmental perspective. This is because they emit their energy spread out in time, rather than in a single, high-intensity pulse. There are also significant geophysical benefits associated with marine vibrators, and they stem from the ability to specify in detail the output acoustic waveform. The phase can be specified independently at each frequency. Such detailed control cannot be achieved with conventional airgun sources, where the phase can only be modified using simple overall time delays. The vibrator phase can be employed in several different ways: it can be applied to the overall source phase in a sequence so that it varies from one source point to the next; it can be applied to the individual vibrators within the source array so the source directivity is changed; it can be applied to the overall source phase of each source in a simultaneous source acquisition. Carefully designed phase sequences can attenuate the residual source noise, and this in turn allows extra source points to be interleaved between the conventional ones. For these extra source points, the relative phase of the vibrators within the array can be chosen to create a transverse gradient source, which illuminates the earth predominantly in directions out of the plane of the sail line without left/right ambiguity. If seismic vibrator data are acquired using interleaved conventional and transverse gradient sweeps, more information is collected per kilometre of vessel travel than is the case in conventional acquisition. This richer data acquisition leads to the possibility of acquiring all the necessary seismic data in a shorter time. Three-dimensional reconstruction techniques are used to recover the same image quality that would have been obtained using the conventional, more time-consuming acquisition. For a marine vibrator to be suitable for these techniques it must, in general terms, have ‘high fidelity’. The precise device specifications are defined through realistic end-to-end simulations of the physical systems and the processing. The specifications are somewhat more onerous than for a conventional vibrator, but they are achievable. A prototype vibrator that satisfies these requirements has been built. In a simulated case study of a three-dimensional deep-water ocean bottom node survey, the seismic data could have been acquired using marine vibrators in one third of the time that it would have taken using airguns.