Abstract:
Systems and methods for carrying out seismic surveys and/or conducting permanent reservoir monitoring with autonomous or remote-controlled water vehicles, including surface and submersible vehicles, are described. Additional methods carried out by autonomous or remote-controlled water vehicles and associated with seismic surveys further described.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/440,136, filed on Feb. 7, 2011; 61/413,217, filed on Nov. 12, 2010; and 61/383,940, filed on Sep. 17, 2010, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates in general to marine seismic data acquisition, and more particularly to systems and methods for conducting seismic surveys and performing activities related to seismic surveys using autonomously operated vehicles (AOVs) and/or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). 
     BACKGROUND 
     Seismic exploration involves surveying subterranean geological formations for hydrocarbon deposits. A seismic survey typically involves deploying seismic source(s) and seismic sensors at predetermined locations. The sources generate seismic waves, which propagate into the geological formations creating pressure changes and vibrations along their way. Changes in elastic properties of the geological formation scatter the seismic waves, changing their direction of propagation and other properties. Part of the energy emitted by the sources reaches the seismic sensors. Some seismic sensors are sensitive to pressure changes (hydrophones), others to particle motion (e.g., geophones), and industrial surveys may deploy only one type of sensors or both. In response to the detected seismic events, the sensors generate electrical signals to produce seismic data. Analysis of the seismic data can then indicate the presence or absence of probable locations of hydrocarbon deposits. 
     Marine seismic surveys may be carried out in a variety of manners. For example, towed array surveys are quite popular and involve the use of one or more large vessels towing multiple seismic streamers and sources. Streamers can be over 10 km long and contain a large number of closely spaced hydrophones and possibly also particle motion sensors, such as accelerometers. 
     Another method for acquiring seismic data involves the deployment of seismic nodes at the seafloor. Such nodes may contain a pressure sensor, a vertical geophone and two orthogonal horizontal geophones as well as a data recorder and battery pack. Nodes may be deployed by an ROV or simply deployed off the back of a ship. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is directed to the use of AOVs and/or ROVs for conducting seismic surveys and/or performing other activities related to seismic data acquisition. Exemplary AOVs and/or ROVs that may be used in carrying out the principles of the present disclosure are already available in the marketplace and may include one or more of the following: the wave Glider® provided by Liquid Robotics, Inc. and further described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,136, which is hereby incorporated by reference, the Slocum™ diver provided by Teledyne Webb Research and further described at http://www.webbresearch.com/slocumglider.aspx, and the uRaptor™ Twin TVC UAV provided by Goscience and further described at http://www.goscience.co.uk/index.html. 
     The AOVs and/or ROVs contemplated within the present disclosure may be outfitted with a seismic streamer carrying one or more seismic sensors. Such sensors may include pressure sensors, e.g., hydrophones, and particle motion sensors, such as accelerometers. The streamer may be deployed in a conventional manner and thus towed horizontally through the water column, or in some embodiments, the streamer may depend vertically through the water column. The AOVs and/or ROVs and associated streamers may be used for permanent reservoir monitoring. 
     In addition to conducting seismic surveys, the AOVs and/or ROVs may be used to carry out other activities related to the acquisition of seismic data. For example, the AOVs and/or ROVs may be utilized to take current measurements, to position seismic survey equipment, to perform sound verification studies and/or monitor the presence of marine mammals. 
     The foregoing has outlined some of the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other features and aspects of the present disclosure will be best understood with reference to the following detailed description of a specific embodiment of the invention, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a marine seismic data acquisition system according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart depicting a method for performing a seismic survey according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIGS. 3A-3D  are schematic diagrams of seismic survey arrangements according to embodiments of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of yet another seismic survey arrangement according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of yet another seismic survey arrangement according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of a permanent reservoir monitoring arrangement according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by the same reference numeral through the several views. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a water vehicle  10  may take the form of an AOV or ROV. In some embodiments, the water vehicle  10  may be adapted to descend through the water column, while in other embodiments, the water vehicle may be adapted only for use on the sea surface. In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1 , the vehicle  10  takes the form of a wave glider, which harnesses wave energy to impart motion to the glider. Additional details regarding operation of the wave glider are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,136, which is incorporated herein by reference. According to principles of the present disclosure, the wave glider platform may be used for seismic surveying and thus is instrumented with at least one seismic sensor  12 . The sensor  12  may be located on the wave glider, or towed behind it with a tether, or inside a hydrodynamic body coupled to the wave glider, such as a streamer  14 . In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1 , the streamer  14  may depend in a substantially vertical manner from the wave glider into the water column. In other embodiments, the streamer  14  may be substantially horizontal within the water column, while in still other embodiments, the streamer may take on a slanted or undulating configuration. The streamer  14  is preferably shorter than conventional streamers. 
     In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, the seismic sensors  12  may be pressure sensors only, particle motion sensors only, or may be multi-component seismic sensors. For the case of multi-component seismic sensors, the sensors are capable of detecting a pressure wavefield and at least one component of a particle motion that is associated with acoustic signals that are proximate to the multi-component seismic sensor. Examples of particle motions include one or more components of a particle displacement, one or more components (inline (x), crossline (y) and vertical (z) components) of a particle velocity and one or more components of a particle acceleration. 
     Depending on the particular embodiment of the disclosure, the multi-component seismic sensors may include one or more geophones, hydrophones, particle displacement sensors, optical sensors, particle velocity sensors, accelerometers, pressure gradient sensors, or combinations thereof. For example, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure, a particular multi-component seismic sensor may include three orthogonally-aligned accelerometers (e.g., a three-component micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer) to measure three corresponding orthogonal components of particle velocity and/or acceleration near the seismic sensor. In such embodiments, the MEMS-based sensor may be a capacitive MEMS-based sensor of the type described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/268,064, which is incorporated herein by reference. Of course, other MEMS-based sensors may be used according to the present disclosure. In some embodiments, a hydrophone for measuring pressure may also be used with the three-component MEMS described herein. 
     It is noted that the multi-component seismic sensor may be implemented as a single device or may be implemented as a plurality of devices, depending on the particular embodiment of the disclosure. A particular multi-component seismic sensor may also include pressure gradient sensors, which constitute another type of particle motion sensors. Each pressure gradient sensor measures the change in the pressure wavefield at a particular point with respect to a particular direction. For example, one of the pressure gradient sensors may acquire seismic data indicative of, at a particular point, the partial derivative of the pressure wavefield with respect to the crossline direction, and another one of the pressure gradient sensors may acquire, at a particular point, seismic data indicative of the pressure data with respect to the inline direction. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the streamer  14  takes the form of a vertical cable, i.e., a streamer that extends substantially vertically through the water column. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,435, which is incorporated herein by reference. In this embodiment, the water vehicle  10  may maintain a stationary position while recording seismic data via the seismic sensors  12 . The position of the water vehicle  10  may be geographically stationary or, alternatively, the water vehicle and the cable  14  may drift with the currents. The length of the vertical cable  14  may vary between less than a meter to over a kilometer. Vertical cables may be much thinner than conventional towed streamers, thus facilitating ease of handling. The vertical cables  14  of the present disclosure may be modified in various manners to improve performance. For example, fairings  16  may be employed to reduce cross-flow noise due to currents and drag. Also, the vertical cables  14  may be formed of fiber optic cables and/or cables with fiber optic sensors may be employed, thus resulting in a lighter and thinner cable relative to conventional streamer cables. Still further, accelerometers capable of measuring the gravity vector may be used to measure the tilt of the streamer  14  relative to the vertical. 
     In practice, the water vehicle  10  may be deployed to a desired position for seismic surveying. Upon positioning, a seismic source  18  may be detonated to generate acoustic waves  20  that propagate through an ocean bottom surface  22  and into strata  24 ,  26  beneath the ocean bottom surface. The seismic source  18  may depend from another water vehicle  10  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), or more conventional source deployments may be used, such as the use of dedicated source vessels. The acoustic signals  20  are reflected from various subterranean geological formations, such as an exemplary formation  28  depicted in  FIG. 1 . The incident acoustic signals  20  produce corresponding reflected acoustic signals, or pressure waves  30 , which are sensed by the seismic sensors  12 . The seismic sensors  12  generate signals (digital signals, for example), called “traces,” which indicate the acquired measurements of the pressure wavefield and particle motion (if the sensors include particle motion sensors). The traces are recorded and may be passed to a signal processing unit  32  disposed on the water vehicle  10 . Of course, the signal processing unit  32  may be disposed on another vessel participating in the survey. The signal processing unit  32  may include a digitizer and memory for storing seismic data acquired during the survey. The water vehicle  10  may further include an onboard communication unit  34 , which may communicate with a base station located onshore or at sea, such as on a rig or vessel. The communication unit  34  may be used to transmit water vehicle position, quality control parameters, time information and seismic data. The communication unit  34  may also send or receive commands particular to the seismic survey. Such commands may include redirecting the water vehicles  10  for purposes of infill. 
     Once sufficient data has been collected for a particular position, the water vehicle  10  may be instructed to then move to a new survey position. The rapid deployment and re-deployment enabled through use of the water vehicle provides efficiency gains in acquiring seismic data. In some embodiments, the water vehicles  10  may be launched from a seismic source vessel, which tows one or more gun arrays for generating seismic signals. Referring to  FIG. 2 , a workflow  40  for conducting a seismic survey includes the steps of: launching and positioning of water vehicles in a survey region  42 ; positioning the source vessel  44 ; starting a seismic survey  46 ; recording seismic data  48 ; ending the seismic survey  50 ; and retrieving the water vehicles  52 . 
     Several seismic survey geometries may be employed via the workflow using the water vehicles  10  as seismic data acquisition platforms. For example,  FIG. 3A  depicts a survey geometry in which the water vehicles  10  advance along a substantially linear path, while a source vessel  60  shoots along a sail pattern that is substantially perpendicular to the paths of the water vehicles. It is to be appreciated that in practice, the water vehicles  10  do not travel along a substantially linear path, but rather there is likely some deviation from the linear path. The water vehicles  10  preferably have spacing similar to towed streamers, such as 100 meter intervals in the crossline direction. The water vehicles  10  may move at a speed (e.g., 1 knot or less) considerably different from the source vessel (e.g., 5 knots or more). This not only facilitates the survey geometry, but also allows the smaller water vehicles  10  to conserve more fuel relative to the faster and larger source vessel  60 . When the source vessel  60  has reached a boundary of the area under survey, it may turn around and continue shooting along a line perpendicular to the water vehicles&#39;  10  sail direction. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates another possible geometry in which the water vehicles  10  advance along a substantially linear path, while the source vessel  60  shoots along a path either perpendicular or generally transverse to the water vehicles&#39; path.  FIG. 3C  illustrates yet another possible geometry in which the source vessel  40  shoots along a path substantially parallel to the path of the water vehicles  10 .  FIG. 3D  illustrates another geometry in which the source vessel  60  shoots in a substantially circular configuration in and around a survey area of the water vehicles  10 . Elliptical configurations are also contemplated. At the conclusion of the seismic survey, the source vessel  40  may collect the water vehicles  10  to permit data retrieval and recharging of the water vehicles, if necessary. 
     To facilitate seismic surveying, the water vehicles  10  may have an onboard positioning system. This may include conventional GPS systems for surface units and/or short base line acoustic positioning systems for positioning the streamer  14  ( FIG. 1 ) relative to the water vehicle  10 . Other positioning systems may utilize one or more compasses with or without accelerometers to determine streamer shape and location relative to the water vehicle  10 . 
     Multiple AUV&#39;s may employ relative positioning methods such as RTK or acoustic distance measuring systems. Radar positioning methods might also be used, with a master vessel or platform using micro-radar systems for locating one or more gliders relative to its known positing. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, the water vehicles  10  may be deployed together with a conventional towed array seismic survey system  70  in which conventional seismic streamers  72  are towed through the water column to collect seismic data. In such embodiments, the water vehicles  10  may provide support by collecting and providing data useful for facilitating operation of the seismic survey. For example, the water vehicles  10  may be used for measuring current in real time using an ADCP or other current measurement device, or alternatively comparing its speed over ground to a water speed measurement. Such current data may be transmitted to a conventional survey vessel  74  (e.g., via communication unit  32  ( FIG. 1 )) operating in the area to allow the vessel to anticipate the current velocity it might encounter while traversing down a survey line. Knowledge of the current ahead can be used to control the vessel speed and rudder, and streamer and source steering devices, allowing a smooth transition from one current regime to the next. 
     The water vehicles  10  according to the present disclosure may also be used with conventional towed arrays to aid in positioning of the streamers  72 . In such embodiments, the water vehicles  10  may provide one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Earth Centered Earth Fixed (ECEF) reference points. For example, the water vehicles  10  may be equipped with GPS devices. The deployed streamers  72  may be equipped with acoustic positioning systems, such as the IRMA system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,775, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Sensors in or on the streamers may be positioned with respect to a short baseline (sbl) or ultra short baseline (usbl) transducer head mounted on the wave glider platform with reference to the GNSS antenna. To further improve the position accuracy of the streamers  72 , the water vehicles  10  in the survey area may become part of the acoustic positioning system. In this regard, the water vehicles  10  may record the acoustic signals emitted by the acoustic sources in the streamers  72  and transmit those recordings to the vessel  74 . The water vehicles  10  may also carry additional acoustic sources whose signals are recorded by the streamers  72 . The recorded acoustic signals from the streamers  72  and the water vehicles  10  may then be combined and used to determine an even more accurate position of the streamers and the water vehicles. In some embodiments, the water vehicles  10  may be deployed within the spread of streamers  72  if risk of entanglement is low. Otherwise the water vehicles may sail outside the streamer spread as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in some embodiments, the water vehicles  10  may be deployed in conjunction with a 2D seismic survey in which only one streamer  72  is towed behind the vessel  74 . In such surveys, obtaining accurate position information is more challenging. Prior art solutions involve measuring the streamer orientation at regular intervals using compasses inside the streamer. According to the principles of the present disclosure, the water vehicles  10  may be deployed with acoustic positioning equipment as previously described and at a position offset from the sail line of the streamer  72 . The acoustic positioning equipment on the water vehicles  10  is able to both receive and transmit acoustic signals. Accordingly, methods of triangulation may be used to accurately determine streamer position and shape. This more accurate streamer position information may be used to determine the further course of the vessel and streamer and for correcting to such position. The streamer  72  may also be fitted with steerable birds that when combined with new position information would allow for more accurate positioning of the streamer in response to currents and feathering. 
     In still other embodiments, and with reference to  FIG. 6 , one or more water vehicles  10  may be deployed in the vicinity of a known oil and/or gas reservoir  100  and associated drilling rig  102  for the purposes of monitoring the reservoir. Reservoir monitoring is a common practice in the oilfield industry to assess the continued viability of the reservoir. However, conventional towed array systems are ill-equipped to provide reservoir monitoring as the length and size of such spreads can interfere with the drilling rig and associated supply vessels operating in the area. According to the principles of the present disclosure, several water vehicles  10  may be deployed with associated mini-streamers  14 . Such vehicles  10  allow for closer deployment to the survey region of interest (e.g., reservoir  100 ) and also reduce risks associated with streamer entanglement. Indeed, in embodiments where the water vehicles  10  are designed to ascend and descend within the water column, risk of entanglement or collision with the rig  102  and/or supply vessels may be further mitigated. 
     Also, a combination of surface vehicles  10  and underwater vehicles  10  may be simultaneously deployed for the purposes of permanent reservoir monitoring. For example, the surface vehicles  10  may be deployed in a vertical cable arrangement as shown in  FIG. 1 , while the underwater vehicles  10  may provide infill coverage complementary to the surface vehicles. In such embodiments, the underwater vehicles  10  may tow streamers in a substantially horizontal direction, or the seismic sensors may be coupled to the underwater vehicle itself, thus eliminating the need for streamers. Of course, other complementary geometries are contemplated, such as using the surface vehicles  10  to tow substantially horizontal streamers, while the underwater vehicles  10  record seismic data (with or without streamers) in a substantially vertical direction in the water column. 
     The vehicles  10  may be deployed in conjunction with an energy source that provides useful data for seismic purposes. For example, such an energy source may include a seismic source (e.g., seismic source  18  in  FIG. 1 ), drilling induced acoustic pressure waves, or production induced acoustic pressure waves such as might result from water or gas injection. In embodiments where seismic sources are deployed with the water vehicles  10 , the seismic source may be a conventional air gun, marine vibrator, or non-traditional environmentally friendly source. Marine vibrators and non-conventional environmentally friendly sources are characterized in that they have a lower amplitude than conventional airguns. The seismic sensors towed by, or otherwise coupled to, the water vehicles  10  are better suited for recording lower amplitudes due to the low water relative speeds of the water vehicles that avoid the water flow induced pressure waves that impact the hydrophones of conventional towed array systems. Further, the water vehicles  10  are better suited for recording the lower amplitude drilling and production induced noise produced in the vicinity of the reservoir  100 . The combination of the relatively quiet towing platform of the water vehicles  10  and seismic signal emission without the need for a source towing vessel is a significant efficiency gain for reservoir monitoring. Such seismic monitoring could be performed continuously during the life of the reservoir to calibrate reservoir models and generally give information that will increase production. 
     In some embodiments, the water vehicle  10  may be used to monitor the presence of marine mammals in an area where seismic source signals are being generated. The hydrophones  12  towed by the water vehicles  10  may be used to record data in two separate sampling frequencies—one being a survey sampling frequency associated with acoustic signals emitted by the seismic source, and the other being a detection sampling frequency associated with marine mammal vocalizations. Additional details regarding such a marine mammal detection system are further described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0067326, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In other embodiments, the water vehicles  10  and associated mini-streamers  14  may be dedicated to marine mammal monitoring and thus the sensors  12  are designed for and used exclusively to detect marine mammal vocalizations. In still other embodiments, the streamers contain sensors designed for seismic signal recording and additional specially designed marine mammal sensing devices together. 
     In still other embodiments, the water vehicles  10  may be deployed to engage in sound verification studies to assess the zone of impact associated with firing of seismic sources during the survey. Such studies are typically performed prior to the start of a seismic survey and are aimed at calculating a zone of impact based on numerical models for the survey area, including water depth, ocean bottom properties and water properties. By assessing the zone of impact, the area may be cleared prior to beginning the seismic survey. The assessed zone of impact may be verified by shooting a line into an array of hydrophones disposed substantially perpendicular to the shooting line. Thus, measurements at different offsets may provide the desired verification. The array of hydrophones may be deployed via the water vehicles  10 , thus obviating the need for deploying more costly chase and/or supply vessels to perform the sound verification studies. Moreover, given the relatively small surface area of the water vehicles  10 , such verification studies may be performed in real time, thus avoiding delays of the start of the seismic survey. 
     Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed herein in some detail, this has been done solely for the purposes of describing various features and aspects of the invention, and is not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that various substitutions, alterations, and/or modifications, including but not limited to those implementation variations which may have been suggested herein, may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims which follow.