Seismic Inversion and Deconvolution: Part B: Dual-Sensor Technology (Handbook of Geophysical Exploration: Seismic Exploration)

The objective of seismic exploration is to delineate the subsurface structure of the earth. A large variety of computer-processing methods are available to transform the observed seismic data into a form that is more useful to the seismic interpreter. An important subdivision of these methods comes under the heading "Seismic Inversion and Deconvolution". Most seismic data are recorded either by geophone that measures particle velocity, or else by hydrophone that measures pressure. A dual sensor incorporates both a geophone and a hydrophone so simultaneous measurements of both particle velocity and pressure are obtained. Unprecedented improvements in inversion and deconvolution are made possible through the use of "Dual-Sensor Technology".

The purpose of Seismic Inversion and Deconvolution, Part B: Dual-Sensor Technology is to provide the fundaments of dual-sensor technology. Previous work together with new results are brought together into a self contained whole. By using dual sensors in the acquisition of seismic data, new avenues are opened up that revolutionize all aspects of seismic inversion and deconvolution. Dual-sensor technology can lead to images of the subsurface of the earth that were previously thought unattainable. The implications for the oil industry are far reaching. Great new reserves of petroleum are waiting to be discovered through the use of dual sensor technology. Today, the main application of this work is with ocean bottom cable (OBC) methods. However, it is anticipated that dual sensor technology will soon be applied not only to all aspects of seismic oil exploration, but also to other disciplines involved with remote sensing.

Robinson.jpg

Professor Enders A. Robinson is currently the Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor of Geophysics at Columbia University. Prof. Robinson gained international prominence in the 1950's when he was the founder and first director of the Geophysical Analysis Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. GAG did much of the basic research which led to the digital revolution in geophysics a decade later. A series of papers by Prof. Robinson and Sven Treitel, ultimately collected in The Robinson-Treitel Reader , served as a basic reference for digital. He has also published more than 20 textbooks on digital seismic processing and wavelet analysis.

Prof. Robinson played an active role in industry during the early years of the conversion to digital systems. He helped found Digicon in 1965 and, as its vice-president for research, he developed some of the first commercial programs for predictive deconvolution and for the digital migration of seismic data. He has also held several academic positions, including the McMan Distinguished Professorship of Geophysics at the University of Tulsa.

Prof. Robinson has received many professional honors including SEG's Best Paper Award ('64), SEG Distinguished Lecturer ('67), SEG's Reginald Fessenden Award ('69), the EAEG's Conrad Schlumberger Award ('69), SEG Honorary Membership ('83), the IEEE's Donald G. Fink Prize Award ('84), and election to the National Academy of Engineering (1988).