2D seismic acquisition and onboard pre-processing method

Abstract

In the exploration of the Earth’s resources in general or in the particular petroleum exploration, seismic exploration is the most effective method to provide a picture of the regional geology, followed by other techniques such as Resistivity, Gravity and Magnetic methods. By using sources to produce seismic wave propagation into the surface of the Earth and arranging receivers to receive the reflection signals from the reflectors of bedding surfaces underneath, the seismic exploration technique could help to define the structural geology of the region and identify major objectives such as petroleum reservoirs or faults, etc. The seismic exploration technique has developed significantly, from the early days with 2D seismic analysis on papers to the high-end methods like 3D broadseis, 4D and 4C (multi-component seismic exploration including P-wave and S-wave).

This paper gives a brief introduction of the 2D marine seismic exploration technique. The process starts from designing a 2D seismic acquisition survey to arranging necessary equipment for the acquisition process such as air guns and cables, and fundamental seismic processing methods such as frequency filtering, common midpoint, and velocity analysis which are performed on the seismic vessel before transferring to the processing centre, which helps the geo-engineers to evaluate the seismic data quality in seismic processing and seismic data analysis.