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Division of Energy and Innovation

Subsea Systems Institute (SSI)

Marine Drilling Hazard Mitigation and Production Facility Monitoring Using Seismic and Sonar Imaging

Status: AWARD END DATE: 12/31/2016

Background:

This project is the first phase in a project to address the areas of early kick detection, wellbore monitoring, blow-out preventer (BOP) validation and monitoring, and remotely operated vehicle and subsea processing via subsea monitoring. The project will adapt existing seismic technology for surveying geological formations to the specific purpose of monitoring the health of subsea drilling or production systems. The project will also develop a proof-of-concept monitoring system for the early detection and assessment of drilling or production problems.

The proposed monitoring system consists of three components:

  1. Fiber-optic motion sensors (distributed acoustic systems - DAS) on the riser to monitor hydrocarbon flow and pressure transients. The riser is a flow line from the sea floor to the surface platform and forms part of an existing production facility. There is no additional funding to the project for this component.
  2. Ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) arrayed around the well-head to detect gas and over-pressure zones, microseismic events, and sediment deformation.
  3. Active sonar scanners near the BOP to create 3D images of the wellhead vicinity and possible hydrocarbon leaks.

These instruments would continuously monitor and provide information to assess drilling progress, facility integrity, production state, and anomalies. The project will develop a proof-of-concept monitoring system for the early detection and assessment of drilling or production problems. It will thus inform about the design and capability of a full field system which will contribute substantially toward the safety and efficacy of deep-water operations.

The specific goals of the first phase of the project are as follows:

  1. Host an industry workshop
  2. Investigate and confirm the application of seismic instrumentation for the monitoring of the integrity of drilling and production systems through the use of:
    • Distributed Acoustic Systems (DAS)
    • Sonar
    • Ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS)