Increased Resolution of Seismic Data from a Dual-sensor Streamer Cable

Traditionally, towed marine cables measure the seismic wave-field using only hydrophones. A new solid core dual sensor cable has been introduced that measures simultaneously the pressure using hydrophones and the vertical component of the particle velocity using motion sensors. The first of many advantages of measuring the dual wave-field is that the two measures can be combined to separate the wave-field into up-going and down-going components. This method may be used to derive the up-going pressure field, thereby eliminating the receiver ghost. This gives increased bandwidth for both low and high frequencies, which consequently enhances resolution and signal penetration. Another advantage, and the reason for the added low frequencies, is that, since the receiver ghost can be suppressed, the streamer can be towed at greater depth where it encounters reduced acquisition noise thus improving the ability to acquire data during rough weather. This paper illustrates these applications using 2-D field test data that was acquired concurrently with a survey that used a conventional (hydrophone only) cable.