Development of a novel seismic acquisition system based on fully autonomous ocean bottom nodes
Fabio Mancini A * , Ben Hollings A , Ted Manning B and Henry Debens
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Fabio Mancini is the Chief Geophysicist at Blue Ocean Seismic Services since 2022. Previously he worked for several major Oil and Gas operators (Total Energies, Hess and Woodside) covering different roles from R&D to operations, after graduating with a PhD in Geophysics from Edinburgh University. Fabio’s expertise is in seismic data processing and acquisition, and in development and deployment of new technologies. |
Ben Hollings is Blue Ocean Seismic Services Chief Technology Officer. He is passionate about maritime robotics and autonomy, and has worked in this space for the past 18 years. Having co-invented the Blue Ocean Seismic Services foundational technology concept, Ben joined the company in 2018. Ben co-founded Blue Ocean Monitoring Ltd in 2014, prior to that he worked in various government, technology start-up and academic roles. He holds degrees in Engineering and Applied Ocean Sciences and Finance from the University of Western Australia. |
Ted (Edward) Manning is a Senior Principal for Innovation & Technology at bp. He graduated with an MSc from Durham University and started his career at WesternGeco before joining bp in 2004. In bp Ted has covered a large variety of roles including seismic acquisition, processing, modelling and research, technology development and leadership, and digital transformation. Ted’s current work is focussed on innovation across a range of subsurface areas, including geophysics, marine autonomy and robotics, and advanced analytics (ML). |
Henry Debens has been working as a Geophysicist in the Technology & Innovation group at Woodside Energy since 2016, joining Woodside after completing an MSci in geophysics and PhD in petroleum geophysics at Imperial College London. Henry’s work involves all aspects of the seismic data life cycle but chiefly concerns the development and application of novel approaches to seismic imaging and inversion. |
Abstract
It is now established that ocean bottom node (OBN) surveys provide superior seismic data compared to traditional towed streamers, but deployment of the nodes is time-consuming and expensive. As an alternative, we are developing a novel seismic acquisition system that utilises a fleet of fully autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) as OBNs. The objective is to eliminate the reliance on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or ropes for deployment, making ocean bottom seismic acquisition significantly more efficient and cost-effective. To succeed, several criteria need to be met, including recording of good geophysical data, system affordability, low power consumption, units’ ability to act autonomously (e.g. steer, land, listen, re-position, surface) and to respond to remote commands (e.g. cease activity, return), a failure recovery protocol, automated deployment and retrieval, and system-wide communications. The ability to record good seismic data was assessed in October 2022, when we performed active-source seismic field trials in the UK. Five AUVs were deployed adjacent to commercial nodes (all units carried identical geophysical payloads) and a series of 2D lines were acquired at varying orientations. Analysis of the data confirmed that our units achieved satisfactory coupling with the seabed. The unit’s in-water capabilities were assessed during multiple field trials in 2022 and 2023, offshore UK and Australia. Tests consisted of simulating seismic acquisition cycle (flights, landings, take-offs and repositioning) where it was verified that missions were reliably executed, including landing within 10 m from pre-planned locations and recording good quality passive seismic data.
Keywords: autonomy, geophysics, gliders, nodes, OBN, ocean bottom nodes, ocean bottom seismic, seismic acquisition.
Fabio Mancini is the Chief Geophysicist at Blue Ocean Seismic Services since 2022. Previously he worked for several major Oil and Gas operators (Total Energies, Hess and Woodside) covering different roles from R&D to operations, after graduating with a PhD in Geophysics from Edinburgh University. Fabio’s expertise is in seismic data processing and acquisition, and in development and deployment of new technologies. |
Ben Hollings is Blue Ocean Seismic Services Chief Technology Officer. He is passionate about maritime robotics and autonomy, and has worked in this space for the past 18 years. Having co-invented the Blue Ocean Seismic Services foundational technology concept, Ben joined the company in 2018. Ben co-founded Blue Ocean Monitoring Ltd in 2014, prior to that he worked in various government, technology start-up and academic roles. He holds degrees in Engineering and Applied Ocean Sciences and Finance from the University of Western Australia. |
Ted (Edward) Manning is a Senior Principal for Innovation & Technology at bp. He graduated with an MSc from Durham University and started his career at WesternGeco before joining bp in 2004. In bp Ted has covered a large variety of roles including seismic acquisition, processing, modelling and research, technology development and leadership, and digital transformation. Ted’s current work is focussed on innovation across a range of subsurface areas, including geophysics, marine autonomy and robotics, and advanced analytics (ML). |
Henry Debens has been working as a Geophysicist in the Technology & Innovation group at Woodside Energy since 2016, joining Woodside after completing an MSci in geophysics and PhD in petroleum geophysics at Imperial College London. Henry’s work involves all aspects of the seismic data life cycle but chiefly concerns the development and application of novel approaches to seismic imaging and inversion. |
References
Mancini F, Debens H, Hollings B (2019) Low-powered autonomous underwater vehicles for large-scale ocean-bottom acquisition. First Break 37(11), 49-55.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Mancini F, Hollings B, Mangano G, Gjini D, Dieulangard D, Manning T, Debens H (2023) Development of a novel seismic acquisition system based on fully autonomous gliding ocean-bottom nodes. SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 192-196.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
McBarnet A (2022) No node left behind. First Break, Crosstalk 40, 22-23.
| Google Scholar |
