Vertical Water Column Survey in the Gulf of Mexico Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicle SOTAB-I

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 88-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Choyekh ◽  
Naomi Kato ◽  
Timothy Short ◽  
Masahiro Ukita ◽  
Yasuaki Yamaguchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Monitoring Systems ◽  
Chemical Substances ◽  
Oceanographic Data

Abstract Oil spills caused by accidents from oil tankers and blowouts of oil and gas from offshore platforms cause tremendous damage to the environment as well as to marine and human life. To prevent oil and gas accidentally released from deep water from spreading and causing further damage over time to the environment, early detection and monitoring systems can be deployed to the area where underwater releases of oil and gas first occurred. Monitoring systems can provide a rapid inspection of the area by detecting chemical substances and collecting oceanography data necessary for enhancing the accuracy of simulation of behavior of oil and gas. An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) called the Spilled Oil and Gas Tracking Autonomous Buoy system (SOTAB-I) is being developed to perform onsite measurements of oceanographic data as well as dissolved chemical substances using underwater mass spectrometry. The scope of this paper is limited to the surveying abilities of SOTAB-I in shallow water, although it also has functions for surveying in deep water. The experiment results obtained during the early deployments of SOTAB-I in the shallow water of the Gulf of Mexico in the United States are provided. Oceanographic data, such as the water column distribution of temperature, salinity, and density, as well as the dissolution of chemical substances were measured. In addition, a high-resolution water current profile was obtainable near the seabed. <def-list> Nomenclature <def-item> <term>ADCP</term> <def> acoustic Doppler current profiler </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>AUV</term> <def> autonomous underwater vehicle </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>BTX</term> <def> benzene-toluene-xylenes </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>CTD</term> <def> conductivity-temperature-depth </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>DVL</term> <def> Doppler velocity logger </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>GPS</term> <def> global positioning system </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>MIMS</term> <def> membrane introduction mass spectrometry </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>PID</term> <def> proportional-integral-derivative </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>PSU</term> <def> practical salinity units </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>RMSE</term> <def> root mean square error </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>UMS</term> <def> underwater mass spectrometer </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>USBL</term> <def> ultra-short base line </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>VOC</term> <def> volatile organic compound </def> </def-item> <def-item> <term>VRU</term> <def> vertical reference unit </def> </def-item> </def-list>

Feasibility of the Potential for Wave and Wind Energy Hybrid Farm to Supply Offshore Oil Platform in Gulf of Mexico

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengcheng Gu ◽  
Hua Li ◽  
Francisco Haces-Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Hybrid Wave ◽  
Hybrid Energy ◽  
Daily Energy ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Abstract Offshore oil and gas platforms use gas turbine with natural gas or fuel diesel for their high demand of power. Due to the declining amount of gas available, high carbon footprint, increasing cost of fuel and inefficient operating, alternative energy options are necessary and imminent. Most offshore oil and gas platforms locate in deep water surrounded by huge amount of energetic wave resources, hence, the feasibility of supplying offshore oil facilities electricity by hybrid wave and wind energy farms based on daily energy power production instead of annual average was conducted in this project. The hybrid energy farm was modeled and validated by applying meteorological data in Gulf of Mexico area from WaveWatch III system. With the hindcast wave and wind condition data from 1979 to 2019, daily energy generation of the hybrid energy farm was estimated. Meantime, the feasibility of suppling offshore oil and gas facilities by the proposed combined hybrid farm was assessed. The project optimized the configuration of the hybrid wave and wind energy farm to satisfy offshore oil and gas platform demands and reduce the variation of power generation, so that it may be feasibility to gradually substitute the gas turbines. Through matching the local wave and wind conditions, the project was able to maximize the power output while minimize the variation within limited ocean surface area. The project addressed the advantages of hybrid wave and wind devices, as well as theoretical prospection of wave harvesting device and wind turbine combination. To validate the proposed optimization model, a case study was explored by using Vesta V90 3MW wind turbines and Pelamis 750kW wave energy converters to supply five offshore platforms in more than 45 m deep water areas. The results indicated the possibility of bringing wave energy into large commercial operation and utilization with minor investment and environmental impact.

Elastomeric Risers in the Offshore Wind Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 77-83
Author(s):  
David G. Aubrey ◽  
Jennifer Wehof ◽  
Stephen O'Malley ◽  
Rajai Aghabi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Power Transmission ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Data Transfer ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Monitoring Systems ◽  
Fishing Activity

AbstractFloating LiDAR systems (FLS) and other moored environmental monitoring systems are used extensively for wind and environmental assessments in offshore wind projects. In addition, wave energy converters (WECs) are being evaluated for more extensive use in coastal and deeper waters, most of which also require anchoring to the seabed. Since these systems must be moored, heavy anchors and typically heavy chain are used to secure the mooring and measurement/WEC buoy to the seabed. Disadvantages of present mooring technology include 1) damage to the seabed and benthic communities in vicinity of the mooring, as chain sweeps over the sea bottom; 2) an unnecessarily large watch circle at the water's surface; 3) slightly increased likelihood of marine mammal entanglement; 4) mooring damage from nearby fishing activity; and 5) likelihood of mooring failure due to self-entanglement within the mooring itself. This study presents an alternative mooring using mechanically compliant, elastomeric hoses to connect the buoyed system to the bottom anchor. Modeling the two mooring types with a typical buoy used in wind resource assessments shows a significant decrease in anchor drag area and surface watch circle with the use of the elastomeric hose versus the traditional chain and polyethylene line mooring. The hose also is equipped with copper conductors and/or fiber-optic conductors, providing power and data transmission between the bottom and the surface. For WEC solutions, the elastomeric hose provides similar benefits as for FLS and environmental monitoring systems, with the added advantage of being able to transmit power to the seafloor for distribution. For one WEC application, we have developed an elastomeric solution containing not only larger copper conductors to enable power transmission but also fiber-optic conductors to permit data transfer from a garage mounted on the bottom (servicing an autonomous underwater vehicle [AUV] or unmanned underwater vehicle [UUV], for instance) to the surface buoy for onward transmission to shore.

scholarly journals The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Integrated with the Unmanned Surface Vessel Mapping the Southern Ionian Sea. The Winning Technology Solution of the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Zwolak ◽  
Rochelle Wigley ◽  
Aileen Bohan ◽  
Yulia Zarayskaya ◽  
Evgenia Bazhenova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Unmanned Vehicles ◽  
Ionian Sea ◽  
Automatic Data ◽  
Multibeam Echosounder ◽  
Synthetic Aperture Sonar ◽  
Unmanned Surface Vessel ◽  
Surface Vessel

The methods of data collection, processing, and assessment of the quality of the results of a survey conducted at the Southern Ionian Sea off the Messinian Peninsula, Greece are presented. Data were collected by the GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Alumni Team, competing in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, during the Final Round of the competition. Data acquisition was conducted by the means of unmanned vehicles only. The mapping system was composed of a single deep water AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle), equipped with a high-resolution synthetic aperture sonar HISAS 1032 and multibeam echosounder EM 2040, partnered with a USV (Unmanned Surface Vessel). The USV provided positioning data as well as mapping the seafloor from the surface, using a hull-mounted multibeam echosounder EM 304. Bathymetry and imagery data were collected for 24 h and then processed for 48 h, with the extensive use of cloud technology and automatic data processing. Finally, all datasets were combined to generate a 5-m resolution bathymetric surface, as an example of the deep-water mapping capabilities of the unmanned vehicles’ cooperation and their sensors’ integration.

Design, Fabrication, and Installation of a Prototype Multiline Marine Production Riser System

1977 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-169
Author(s):  
W. E. Gammage ◽  
J. E. Ortloff ◽  
M. L. Teers ◽  
J. B. Caldwell
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Production System ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Model Testing ◽  
Commercial Application ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Riser Design

A multiline marine production riser and floating production, storage, and terminal facility may be required for economic development of oil and gas reserves in remote, deep water locations. A deep water production riser design has evolved through study, analyses, and model testing. In order to gain experience, development confidence, and improve the riser design prior to commercial application, a prototype has been built for testing as part of Exxon’s Submerged Production System offshore test in the Gulf of Mexico. This paper treats the design, manufacture, and installation of the prototype multiline marine production riser system.

MODELING DEEPWATER OIL SPILLS WITH NEAR FIELD AND FAR FIELD MODELS

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 725-730
Author(s):  
Zhen-Gang Ji ◽  
Walter R. Johnson ◽  
Charles F. Marshall ◽  
James M. Price
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Field Model ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Far Field ◽  
Oil Gas ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT As a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the Minerals Management Service (MMS) maintains a leasing program for commercial oil and gas development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Oil and gas activities in deep water (areas deeper than 340 meters) have proceeded at an unprecedented rate, and have led to concerns regarding the accidental release of oil near the seafloor. As production increases, the potential for an oil/gas spill increases. In addition to the environmental impacts of the oil spilled, major concerns from a deepwater oil/gas spill include fire, toxic hazard to the people working on the surface installations, and loss of buoyancy by ships and any floating installations. Oil and natural gas releases in deep water behave much differently than in shallow water, primarily due to density stratification, high pressures, and low temperatures. It is important to know whether oil will surface and if so, where, when, and how thick the oil slick will be. To meet these new challenges, spill response plans need to be upgraded. An important component of such a plan would be a model to simulate the behavior of oil and gasses accidentally released in deep water. This has significant implications for environmental impact assessment, oil-spill cleanup, contingency planning, and source tracing. The MMS uses the Clarkson Deepwater Oil and Gas Blowout (CDOG) plume model to simulate the behavior of oil and gas accidentally released in deepwater areas. The CDOG model is a near field model. In addition, MMS uses an adaptation of the Princeton Ocean Model called the Princeton Regional Ocean Forecast and Hindcast System for the Gulf of Mexico (PROFS-GOM). This model is a far field model and is employed to provide three dimensional current, temperature, and salinity data to the CDOG model. The PROFS-GOM model and the CDOG model are used to simulate deepwater oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. Modeling results indicate that the two models can provide important information on the behavior of oil spills in deepwater and assist MMS in estimating the associated environmental risks. Ultimately, this information will be used in the pertinent environmental impact assessments MMS performs and in the development of deepwater oil-spill response plans.

scholarly journals Autonomous Underwater Vehicle „ABYSS“

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Linke ◽  
Klas Lackschewitz
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Geological Structure ◽  
Overlying Water ◽  
Ocean Ridges ◽  
Tectonically Active

The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) „ABYSS“ is a modular AUV designed to survey the ocean combining geophysical studies of the seafloor with oceanographic investigations of the overlying water column. The basic mission of ABYSS is deep-sea exploration, specifically in volcanically and tectonically active parts, such as mid-ocean ridges. With a maximum mission depth of 6000 meters, the AUV uses several technologies to map the seafloor accurately and determine its geological structure with applications from geology to biology to mineral exploration.

Path Following of Underactuated Marine Underwater Vehicles in the Presence of Unknown Ocean Currents

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Signe Moe ◽  
Walter Caharija ◽  
Kristin Y. Pettersen ◽  
Ingrid Schjølberg
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Path Following ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Underwater Vehicle ◽  
Underwater Vehicles ◽  
Ocean Currents ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Ocean Current

The use of autonomous marine vehicles, and especially autonomous underwater vehicles, is rapidly increasing within several fields of study. In particular, such vehicles can be applied for sea floor mapping, oceanography, environmental monitoring, inspection and maintenance of underwater structures (for instance within the oil and gas industry) and military purposes. They are also highly suitable for operations below ice-covered areas in the Arctic. However, there are still many challenges related to making such underwater vehicles autonomous. A fundamental task of an autonomous underwater vehicle vessel is to follow a general path in the presence of unknown ocean currents. There exist several results for underwater vehicles to follow a general path when no ocean currents are present [1] and to follow a geometrically simple path such as a straight line when ocean currents affect the vehicle [2, 3], but the problem of general path following in the presence of unknown ocean currents has not been solved yet. This paper presents a method to achieve this. The results are an extension of the results in [1], and introduce a virtual Serret-Frenet reference frame that is anchored in and propagates along the desired path. The closed-loop system consists of an ocean current observer, a guidance law, a controller and an update law to drive the Serret-Frenet frame along the path, and is shown to be asymptotically stable given that certain assumptions are fulfilled. This guarantees that the autonomous underwater vehicle will converge to the desired path and move along it with the desired velocity. Simulation results are presented to verify and illustrate the theoretical results.

Methane emissions from abandoned offshore wells– First data from a 2019 research cruise to the Dogger Bank, German North Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Blumenberg ◽  
Stefan Schlömer ◽  
Miriam Römer ◽  
Katja Heeschen ◽  
Hendrik Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Shallow Gas ◽  
Dogger Bank ◽  
Central North Sea

&lt;p&gt;Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas and, considering a period of 100 years, has a more than 30 times higher &amp;#8220;global warming potential&amp;#8221; than carbon dioxide. Emissions from the production, storage, distribution and use of fossil energy resources in recent years sum up to about 15 % of global methane emissions with numbers still being under discussion and topic of numerous research programs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Abandoned oil and gas wells are one of the sources of methane from the oil and gas sector. Recent studies found escaping methane at selected abandoned drill holes in the central North Sea. Assuming this would hold for one third of the ~11.000 wells in the region, the process would introduce significant amounts of methane at shallow water depth. Interestingly, the collected methane was of biogenic rather than thermogenic origin, potentially escaping from shallow gas pockets. Likely, this methane was mobilized by mechanical disturbance of the sediments through the drilling operation and the well section has served as a pathway thereafter. However, little is known about the number of wells affected and the relevance for the amounts of methane realeased.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a research cruise with the German research vessel Heincke in July, 2019, we studied seafloor characteristics, water column anomalies and sediment methane geochemistry and further inspected visually nine abandoned well sites at ~40 m water depth in the German sector of the central North Sea (Dogger Bank). The cruise targeted different situations, including known seeps in the Dutch part of the Dogger Bank, well sites of different ages and an area where abandoned wells penetrate shallow gas pockets. First data demonstrate that at none of the studied sites concentrations of dissolved methane were enriched in the upper water column. For most sites, sediment and deep water methane data demonstrate concentrations in the range known as background for that area (i.e., deep water methane close to ~ 10 nM). At one site with high indications for the presence of shallow gas pockets, we observed methane abundances several times enriched compared to background. However, the enrichments also occurred 500 m away from the drill site and did not increase towards the center. Based on our data we argue for an active natural seep situation rather than a leaking well and underline that natural seeps may challenge the identification of potentially leaking wells.&lt;/p&gt;

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