The U.S. East Coast Rig Instrumentation Program
Authors: Rose F.W. , Burch T.I. , Bowers G.W. , Scarlet R.I. 
Published: October 2008

The U.S. East Coast Rig Instrumentation Program originated to meet the needs of offshore operators commencing exploration in the Baltimore Canyon OCS area for comprehensive oceanograpnic and Meteorological data. Utilizing both rig-based and independently moored instrument systems to measure the air/sea environment, several novel features were incorporated into the program. The central feature consists of a transportable rig-based data acquisition system for processing, display, analysis, transmission, and recording of data from meteorological sensors on the rig and a wave-following buoy moored nearby. Summaries of computed data products and statistics are printed out onboard the rig in real-time, and selected data products are telemetered via satellite to a shore-based data dissemination center. The program presented in this paper describes a unique and effective approach for the acquisition of oceanographic and meteorological data required by operators moving into new offshore areas such as the Baltimore Canyon OCS.

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. East Coast Rig Instrumentation Program (ECRIP) originated in response to the requirement for high-quality oceanographic and meteorological data by offshore operators commencing exploration in the Baltimore Canyon OCS area. The program, jointly sponsored by a consortium of seven U.S. oil companies, was implemented to achieve three primary objectives:to collect data for use by program participants in the determination of design and operational criteria for offshore facilities and pipelines;to provide real-time data products for input to offshore wind and wave forecasts; andto acquire data to satisfy the requirements of regulatory authorities.

BACKGROUD AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CONCEPT

The collection of oceanographic and meteorological data in offshore areas with harsh environments has often proved to be a costly experience with data return significantly less than expected. In frontier lease areas where there are no fixed platforms and prospective explorations sites are many miles from shore, the problems are even more severe, particularly those associated with instrument deployment and retrieval logistics and monitoring of instrument status. In an effort to minimize the impact of these problems in the Baltimore Canyon OCS, comments and advice were solicited from the offshore oil and gas industry so that previous experiences could be considered in the development of a program which would satisfy the needs of the industry as a whole. Subsequently, a technical working committee composed of members from four oil companies was established and charged with the responsibility of defining an optimum data collection program for the Baltimore Canyon. The resulting program, ECRIP, was based on the concept of a systematic and coordinated methodology for data collection from drilling vessels which could provide long-term, nearly continuous sampled oceanographic and meteorological data of high quality.

Though offshore drilling vessels offer an excellent potential for environmental measurements, much of the information routinely collected in the past has been of poor quality and has often consisted of wind and wave observations taken by untrained observers. From an economic standpoint, it is not generally cost-effective to secure sufficient instrumentation and install it aboard a vessel which may only work two to three months for a single operator.