Subsea communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9444555-B2
Application number	US-201214234077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2012
Priority date	Jul 22, 2011
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A subsea communication system and its method of operating are provided. A subsea power distribution module of the subsea communication system may be adapted to be connected to a topside power supply of a topside installation and to distribute electric power received from topside power supply to subsea modules. A first communication connection to the subsea power distribution module may be adapted to provide a data communication with the topside installation. A second communication connection between the subsea power distribution module and a subsea module may be provided. The subsea power distribution module may forward data communications received on the first communication connection to the subsea module via the second communication connection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A subsea communication system comprising:
a subsea power distributor configured to be connected to a topside power supply of a topside installation and to distribute electric power received from the topside power supply to a plurality of subsea modules comprising a first subsea module having a subsea modem of a first type and a second subsea module having a subsea modem of a second type;
a subsea signal distributor, separate from the subsea power distributor, the subsea signal distributor providing a topside communication connection to the topside installation, wherein the subsea signal distributor is connected with the second subsea module, wherein the subsea signal distributor is configured to forward data communications received from a topside modem of a first type to the subsea modem of the first type via the subsea power distributor and to distribute data communications received from a topside modem of a second type to the subsea modem of the second type;
a first communication connection between the subsea signal distributor and the subsea power distributor, the first communication connection configured to provide a data communication between the subsea power distributor and the topside installation via the subsea signal distributor; and
a second communication connection between the subsea power distributor and the first subsea module, wherein the subsea power distributor is configured to forward data communications received on the first communication connection to the first subsea module via the second communication connection.

2. The subsea communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the subsea power distributor and the first subsea module are connected by a cable, the cable providing the second communication connection and further providing a power supply connection between the subsea power distributor and the first subsea module.

3. The subsea communication system according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional communication connection and at least one additional subsea module, wherein the at least one additional communication connection connects the subsea power distributor to the at least one additional subsea module, wherein the subsea power distributor is configured to distribute data communications received on the first communication connection to the at least one additional subsea module via the respective additional communication connection.

4. The subsea communication system according to claim 3 , wherein the subsea power distributor comprises a switch, an access multiplier, or a hub for distributing the data communications received on the first communication connection.

5. The subsea communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the subsea communication system is configured to enable the subsea modem of the first type to perform a data communication with the topside modem of the first type at the topside installation via the subsea power distributor and the first and second communication connections.

6. The subsea communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the topside modem of the first type and the subsea modem of the first type are configured to perform a data communication at a higher data transfer rate than the topside modem of the second type and the subsea modem of the second type.

7. The subsea communication system according to claim 5 , wherein the subsea modem of the first type is configured to perform the data communication with the topside modem of the first type using an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme.

8. The subsea communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the subsea modem of the first type and topside modem of the first type are communicating in a first frequency band that is higher than a second frequency band in which the topside modem of the second type and subsea modem of the second type are communicating,
wherein the subsea signal distributor comprises a frequency multiplexer that is configured to combine and/or split the first and second frequency bands so as to enable a data communication of the topside modem of the first type with the subsea modem of the first type in the first frequency band and of the topside modem of the second type with the subsea modem of the second type in the second frequency band on a single communication line connecting the subsea signal distributor to the topside installation.

9. The subsea communication system according to claim 2 , further comprising at least one additional communication connection and at least one additional subsea module, wherein the at least one additional communication connection connects the subsea power distributor to the at least one additional subsea module, wherein the subsea power distributor is configured to distribute data communications received on the first communication connection to the at least one additional subsea module via the respective additional communication connection.

10. The subsea communication system according to claim 9 , wherein the subsea power distributor comprises a switch, an access multiplier, or a hub for distributing the data communications received on the first communication connection.

11. The subsea communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the subsea modem of the first type is configured to perform the data communication with the topside modem of the first type using an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme.

12. The subsea communication system according to claim 6 , wherein the subsea modem of the first type is configured to perform the data communication with the topside modem of the first type using an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme.

13. A method of operating a subsea communication system, the subsea communication system comprising: (1) a subsea power distributor configured to be connected to a topside power supply of a topside installation and to distribute electric power received from the topside power supply to a subsea module, and (2) a subsea signal distributor connected via a first communication connection to the subsea power distributor, the method comprising:
receiving a data communication from the topside installation on the first communication connection at the subsea power distributor;
forwarding the received data communication on a second communication connection from the subsea power distributor to the subsea module using a cable that also connects the subsea power distributor to the subsea module;
supplying electric power from the subsea power distributor to the subsea module for operating the subsea module using the cable that also connects the subsea power distributor to the subsea module; and
forwarding a data communication received by the subsea signal distributor from the topside installation to the subsea power distributor on the first communication connection.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the data communication that is forwarded on the first communication connection is received from a topside modem of a first type and forwarded to a subsea modem of a first type, the method further comprising:
at the subsea signal distributor, receiving from a topside modem of a second type a data communication and forwarding the data communication to a subsea modem of a second type arranged in an additional subsea module and connected to the subsea signal distributor,
wherein the forwarding of a data communication to the subsea modem of the first type or the subsea modem of the second type is performed in dependence on a frequency band in which the data communication is received by the subsea signal distributor.

Assignees

• Kristiansen Karstein
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Kristiansen Karstein

Classifications

• H04B13/02 Primary

  Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the earth or a large mass of water thereon, e.g. earth telegraphy · CPC title

• E21B23/04 Primary

  operated by fluid means, e.g. actuated by explosion (E21B23/08 takes precedence) · CPC title