• Exploration Matrix

Areas of Expertise 

Precision subsea positioning using both acoustics and inertial navigation systems in shallow to ultra deep water

Long range through water acoustic communications (100 to 10,000 bits/sec) for command / control and QC data.

Seabed strain measurement (acoustic extensometers)

Precision seabed settlement monitoring

Environmental monitoring – sound velocity, vertical sound velocity profiles, tide (pressure), temperature, conductivity, current speed. All data is logged and wirelessly transmitted to the surface

High bandwidth short range communications (1 to 10Mbits/sec) of seismic data

Precision time synchronisation of subsea clocks

Sonardyne's Capabilities in Exploration 

Sonardyne's expertise in marine seismic exploration and reservoir monitoring provides custom R&D and manufacturing services to develop bespoke product and technology.

With more than 20 years experience in towed streamer, transition zone, ocean bottom cable, EM and 4C nodal acquisitions systems, our engineers understand the applications and customers requirements. With our high technology, vertically integrated manufacturing capability, Sonardyne can produce high quality products in low or high volume.

We have developed custom products for many key seismic exploration companies including through-life in-service support. We have provided key R&D and technology development for major oil companies that included initial research, project management, technology development, complete system provision (hardware and software) and offshore installation planning and support.

The Exploration Matrix

The Exploration Matrix encompasses the geophysical survey techniques used to search for new hydrocarbon reserves. Deep marine surveys involve dedicated vessels towing long, wide geophone arrays. Transition Zone (TZ) and Ocean Bottom Cable (OBC) surveys are often conducted in just a few feet of water and Electro Magnetic and Nodal utilise a towed source and multiple seabed receivers deployed on the seabed to acquire seismic data.

Sonardyne’s products integrate acoustic positioning, inertial navigation, high speed data telemetry and autonomous operation to meet any requirement.

Full Streamer Acoustics

Sonardyne's Seismic Integrated Positioning technique is a seismic source and receiver tracking system capable of providing full streamer acoustic positioning on the largest of spreads.

The system is capable of handling large, complicated arrays with a high immunity to noise and bottom bounce. The multimode acoustic signal architecture offers a greater range resolution, allows many more ranges to be collected and processed in a single shot point and ensures reliable operation in the harshest of acoustic environments, as created by ships' wakes and gun arrays.

To improve the efficiency of streamer deployment and recovery operations, the in-water hardware can be integrated with Sonardyne's radio frequency asset tracking techniques.

For TZ and OBC operations, Sonardyne's multi-node network of transponders enable more accurate hydrophone positions (1-2 metres absolute) to be derived than with traditional first break techniques. The transponders developed for the system are small and lightweight and have been proven to be able to withstand the demanding and varied operational environments. Sonardyne's vessel based USBL technique allow a recording vessel to position ocean bottom cables in one overhead pass, saving valuable time and money.

 

6G USBL

In deeper water, 6G® USBL techniques provide operators with an independent vessel-based acoustic positioning system for applications requiring integrated acoustic reference for DP and simultaneous target tracking. By integrating a Sonardyne Lodestar AHRS capable of 0.01° compensation, the user can achieve a tightly compensated positioning solution that is not available through the use of other commercially available attitude reference devices.

6G® Inverted USBL techniques provide users with the ability to track towed bodies over very long laybacks. Rather than mounting the USBL transceiver on the vessel in the traditional manner, with iUSBL, the acoustic transceiver is installed on the towed body itself. The method offers many practical benefits and allows for a variety of novel positioning techniques including positioning the antennas on an EM source relative to the source itself.

 

Seabed Monitoring

Measuring movement of the seabed caused by reservoir depletion is an application that can now be cost effectively addressed by deploying an autonomous 6G® LBL solution. The network can be deployed for several years to log acoustic range and sensor data and uploaded for analysis at any time by a vessel of opportunity.