Advances In OBN Technology: New Designs For Reservoir Monitoring And Large Scale Surveys

Two new designs are introduced that demonstrate the flexibility and scalability of node technology from reservoir monitoring to large-scale OBN surveys. ZLoF is a nodal alternative for reservoir monitoring. The system features a 5 year deployment life and an optical communication system for high-speed data download. In deep water, ZLoF will provide frequently repeated, high quality 4D seismic data at a lower cost than cable based permanent reservoir monitoring systems. ZXPLR is a new node capable of dual mode deployment with either a passive rope, in shallow water, or by ROV, in deep water. In the first deepwater deployment, overall survey duration was reduced by 50% from similar deployments using older systems. The entire deployment /retrieval system has been redesigned and made safer and more efficient by powered and piloted thrusters on the all subsea systems.