Methods and underwater bases for using autonomous underwater vehicle for marine seismic surveys

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845137-B2
Application number	US-201414777395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2014
Priority date	Mar 20, 2013
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A method for cycling autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that record seismic signals during a marine seismic survey. The method includes deploying plural current AUVs on the ocean bottom; recording the seismic signals during the marine seismic survey with plural current AUVs; releasing from an underwater base a new AUV to replace a corresponding current AUV from the plural current AUVs; recovering the current AUV; and continuing to record the seismic signals with the new AUV.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for cycling autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that record seismic signals during a marine seismic survey, the method comprising:
deploying plural current AUVs on the ocean bottom;
recording the seismic signals during the marine seismic survey with plural current AUVs;
releasing from an underwater base a new AUV to replace a corresponding current AUV from the plural current AUVs when a predetermined condition is met, wherein the new AUV is separate from the plural current AUVs;
recovering the current AUV; and
continuing to record the seismic signals with the new AUV.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition is related to an amount of power available in the current AUV and/or an amount of available memory in the current AUV and/or a predetermined amount of seismic signals are recorded for processing purposes, and/or a predetermined amount of seismic signals are recorded for quality checking seismic data, and/or a weather forecast.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
lowering the underwater base from a vessel.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
calculating a position of the underwater base.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
maintaining with a heave compensated crane the underwater base during deployment of the new AUV.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
distributing the plural AUVs around an ocean surface obstacle.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the obstacle is an oil rig.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
surveying a subsurface below the ocean bottom with plural streamers.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
towing the streamers around the obstacle; and
locating the plural AUVs at locations around the obstacle which are not surveyed by the streamers.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the current AUV is replaced while actively recording seismic data with the new AUV.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the new AUV is deployed prior to retrieving the current AUV.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the new AUV is deployed after the current AUV was retrieved.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the new AUV is deployed simultaneously with retrieving the current AUV.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the underwater base acts both as a launching base and a recovery base.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
instructing an AUV from the plural current AUVs, after recording the seismic signals, to move to a new location to be surveyed; and
continuing to record the seismic signals with the AUV at the new location during the same marine seismic survey.

16. A method for cycling autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that record seismic signals during a marine seismic survey, the method comprising:
recording the seismic signals during the marine seismic survey with plural current AUVs deployed on the ocean bottom;
replacing during the seismic survey a current AUV from the plural current AUVs with a new AUV when a predetermined condition is met, wherein the new AUV is separate from the plural current AUVs; and
continuing to record the seismic signals with the new AUV.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
releasing from an underwater base the new AUV; and
recovering the current AUV.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
lowering the underwater base from a vessel.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined condition is related to an amount of power available in the current AUV and/or an amount of available memory in the current AUV and/or a predetermined amount of seismic signals are recorded for processing purposes, and/or a predetermined amount of seismic signals are recorded for quality checking seismic data, and/or a weather forecast.

20. A method of rolling autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that record seismic signals during a marine seismic survey, the method comprising:
recording the seismic signals during the marine seismic survey with plural AUVs deployed on the ocean bottom, wherein the marine seismic survey comprises an area to be surveyed, wherein the area to be surveyed comprises an active recording area, an already recorded area, and a future recording area;
instructing an AUV from the plural AUVs, after recording the seismic signals, to move to a new location in the future recording area to be surveyed;
continuing to record the seismic signals with the AUV at the new location during the same marine seismic survey;
releasing from an underwater base a new AUV to replace a corresponding AUV from the plural AUVs, wherein the new AUV is separate from the plural current AUVs;
recovering the replaced AUV; and
continuing to record the seismic signals with the new AUV.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising lowering the underwater base from a surface vessel.

Assignees

• Seabed Geosolutions Bv

Inventors

• Lelaurin Antoine
• Grimsdale Jonathan
• Brizard Thierry

Classifications

• B63G8/001 Primary

  Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations (self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42) · CPC title

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63B27/16

  of lifts or hoists {(pilot lifts B63B27/146)} · CPC title

• B63G2008/008

  Docking stations for unmanned underwater vessels, or the like · CPC title

• B63B2027/165

  Deployment or recovery of underwater vehicles using lifts or hoists · CPC title