Wireless Geophone Networks for Land Seismic Data Acquisition: A Survey, Tutorial and Performance Evaluation.

Area of Science:

• Geophysics
• Wireless Communication
• Oil and Gas Exploration

Background:

• Seismic data acquisition relies on extensive geophone networks.
• Cable-based systems present logistical challenges and downtime.
• A need exists for efficient cable-free seismic exploration technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and past wireless seismic data acquisition systems.
• To evaluate the performance of a wireless geophone subnetwork.
• To determine the optimal number of seismic samples for transmission.

Main Methods:

• Overview of land seismic data acquisition.
• Retrospective and current review of wireless seismic technologies.
• Simulation of a real-time wireless geophone subnetwork using IEEE 802.11g.
• Performance evaluation during geophone recording periods.

Main Results:

• Identified state-of-the-art wireless seismic acquisition systems.
• Evaluated the performance of a small-scale wireless geophone subnetwork.
• Investigated the impact of sample transmission rates on seismic data acquisition.

Conclusions:

• Wireless seismic acquisition systems are a viable alternative to cabled systems.
• IEEE 802.11g technology can support real-time seismic data transmission.
• Optimizing sample transmission is crucial for efficient wireless seismic surveys.