Flexible, robust land seismic system launched 

WesternGeco has launched the UniQ integrated point-receiver land acquisition and processing system. The company states that the new system provides greater speed and flexibility to various land seismic applications in the harshest of operating environments.

The UniQ (pronounced “unique”) system is a true continuous acquisition system capable of supporting up to 150,000 live channels at a two millisecond sample interval. It reportedly eliminates dead time between acquisition records and enables the use of simultaneous source techniques. As such, the system can be applied for dense reservoir characterization projects as well as fast-moving, low-density exploration surveys. The system can also operate efficiently in challenging noise environments and in areas with complex geologies, according to the company.

UniQ has the robustness to operate in environments ranging from desert to arctic, and can use global-positioning-satellite (GPS) time for recording and source synchronization. This allows the UniQ to separate time-stamped shot records either in the recording truck or at the base camp. The ability for on-the-fly script loading translates to no lost time during swath changes.

The system has several built-in redundancies that prevent the loss of data, including multiple fiber-optic data pathways, automated data rerouting, and double-ended sensor strings that will continue to stream data and provide power pathways even in the event of a cable cut. The operator is immediately alerted to a damaged section, which enables prompt repair while data acquisition continues. The UniQ system can sustain multiple, simultaneous line breaks and cable cuts without losing a single channel of data.

UniQ's Geophone Accelerometer (GAC)

The system incorporates WesternGeco’s Q-Land geophone accelerometer(GAC) sensor technology, which has been upgraded for this application. The sensor units, which are “plug and play”, automatically power up and self-test upon connection, and transmit raw sensor measurements (RSM) to a central system in a self-describing data format. Coordinates, test results, and environmental data are sent back to the recording truck with the RSM, where they are combined with similar information from the sources and written directly into the trace headers. This affords fast, error-free data processing, according to the company.

The system is able to fully integrate with other WesternGeco source technologies and software packages. For example, UniQ uses iManage field-planning software to intelligently plan equipment layouts and provide source and recording system parameterization. The system also incorporates the Integrated Source Controller to provide support for explosive and vibroseis acquisition. The end result is an integrated process that enables efficient equipment layout and optimized data handling, while also reducing the time from shot.

“UniQ means, for the first time, no-compromise reservoir quality seismic at exploration scale,” said Dalton Boutte, President of WesternGeco. “UniQ is a system designed to deliver full azimuth surveys with point receiver fidelity, that records continuously so it is compatible with all the high productivity vibrator techniques that are becoming standard.”