Method and device for attenuating vibrations in marine seismic acquisition equipment
Systems and methods for attenuating vibrations in marine seismic equipment involve a vessel towing a seismic streamer having a plurality of seismic receivers. The seismic streamer is connected to the vessel by a front-end and a damper is coupled to the front-end. A vibration on the front-end is detected and a damper response to the detected vibration on the front-end is then determined. The damper is actively adjusted based on the damper response. The active adjustment dampens vibrations in an axial direction along a lead-in of the front-end and/or vibrations in a direction transverse to an axial direction of the lead-in.
1. A method for reducing vibrations on a front-end of seismic survey equipment, the method comprising:
towing, by a vessel, a seismic streamer comprising a plurality of seismic receivers, wherein the seismic streamer is connected to the vessel by the front-end and a damper is coupled to the front-end;
detecting a vibration on the front-end;
determining a damper response to the detected vibration on the front-end; and
actively adjusting the damper based on the damper response,
wherein the damper comprises a first and second damper, the front-end includes a lead-in coupling the seismic streamer to the vessel, the first damper is coupled between the seismic streamer and the lead-in and dampens vibrations in an axial direction along the lead-in, the lead-in is coupled to a float via the second damper that dampens vibrations in a direction transverse to an axial direction of the lead-in.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the front-end includes a lead-in coupling the seismic streamer to the vessel, the damper is coupled between the seismic streamer and the lead-in, and the damper dampens vibrations in an axial direction along the lead-in.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the front-end includes a lead-in coupling the seismic streamer to the vessel, the damper is coupled between the lead-in and the seismic streamer, the lead-in is coupled to a float via the damper, and the damper dampens vibrations in a direction transverse to an axial direction of the lead-in.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the damper is a magneto-rheological damper and the active adjustment involves applying a current to the damper.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the damper is an electromagnetic actuator or transducer and the active adjustment involves applying a current to the electromagnetic actuator or transducer.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detected vibration has a frequency and amplitude, and the actively adjusting of the damper involves lengthening and/or contracting the damper with the amplitude and with the frequency, in an opposite phase of the detected vibration.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the seismic streamer is towed for a duration of a seismic survey and the vibration detection, damper response determination, and active adjustment are performed continuously during the duration of the seismic survey.
8. A system, comprising:
a seismic streamer comprising a plurality of seismic receivers;
a front-end connected to the streamer on a first side and having a vessel coupling on a second side;
a vibration sensor coupled to the front-end;
a processor coupled to the vibration sensor; and
an active damper coupled to the front-end and the processor and arranged to dampen vibrations of the front-end,
wherein the processor controls the active damper to dampen the vibrations of the front-end using information from the vibration sensor, and
wherein the front-end includes a lead-in having the vessel coupling, the active damper comprises a first and second damper, the first damper is coupled between the seismic streamer and the lead-in and the damper dampens vibrations in an axial direction along the lead-in, the second damper is coupled between the lead-in and a float, and the second damper dampens vibrations in a direction transverse to an axial direction of the lead-in.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the front-end includes a lead-in having the vessel coupling, the damper is coupled between the seismic streamer and the lead-in, and the damper dampens vibrations in an axial direction along the lead-in.
10. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a float coupled to the damper, wherein the front-end includes a lead-in having the vessel coupling, the damper is coupled between the lead-in and the seismic streamer, the lead-in is coupled to a float via the damper, and the damper dampens vibrations in a direction transverse to an axial direction of the lead-in.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the vibration sensor is arranged on the front-end between the active damper and the vessel coupling.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the damper is a magneto-rheological damper.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the damper is an electromagnetic actuator or transducer.
14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable code that when read by a computer causes the computer to perform a method for reducing vibrations on a front-end of seismic survey equipment, the method comprising:
detecting a vibration on the front-end while a vessel tows a seismic streamer comprising a plurality of seismic receivers, wherein the seismic streamer is connected to the vessel by the front-end and a damper is coupled to the front-end;
determining a damper response to the detected vibration on the front-end; and
actively adjusting the damper based on the damper response,
wherein the damper comprises a first and second damper, the front-end includes a lead-in coupling the seismic streamer to the vessel, the first damper is coupled between the seismic streamer and the lead-in and dampens vibrations in an axial direction along the lead-in, the lead-in is coupled to a float via the second damper that dampens vibrations in a direction transverse to an axial direction of the lead-in.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the front-end includes a lead-in coupling the seismic streamer to the vessel, the damper is coupled between the seismic streamer and the lead-in, and the damper dampens vibrations in an axial direction along the lead-in.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the front-end includes a lead-in coupling the seismic streamer to the vessel, the damper is coupled between the lead-in and the seismic streamer, the lead-in is coupled to a float via the damper, and the damper dampens vibrations in a direction transverse to an axial direction of the lead-in.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the detected vibration has a frequency and amplitude, and the actively adjusting of the damper involves lengthening and/or contracting the damper with the amplitude and with the frequency, in an opposite phase of the detected vibration.