Schlumberger develops lateral streamer steering technology

Equipment & Technology - June 5, 2000

Schlumberger Oilfield Services has announced the introduction of a new system that provides lateral steering of towed seismic hydrophone streamers. The new system makes it possible to steer several degrees laterally from the natural streamer feather angle. This ability is integrated with a new accurate positioning system that uses a fully braced acoustic network from the front to the tail of the streamers. The company claims that the new system will enable streamers to be towed closer together than hasbeen operationally achievable to date.Closer streamers will provide finer spatial sampling of the seismic wavefield, and controlled positioning will ensure consistent coverage and offset distribution, says Schlumberger.Constant streamer separation and more accurate receiver positioning will reduce errors in processing and advanced binning techniques, leading to a more accurate and reliable reservoir model."Using the new system, streamers can be steered to match the positioning of previous survey vintages for time-lapse (4D) studies," said Terje Nikolaysen, Vice President Marine Seismic, Schlumberger."Improved high-resolution seismic and 4D repeatability will enhance our ability to monitor reservoir changes and detect flow barriers and areas of untapped hydrocarbons."The system will also improve the safety and efficiency of streamer deployment and retrieval and provide the control to tow streamers closer to surface obstacles such as platforms while keeping the vessel at a safe distance, thereby reducing gaps in coverage.