MONITORING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF AN UNDERWATER INSTALLATION

• US 20130332079A1
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Vetco Gray Controls Limited (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: GUDIVADA, Gopalakrishna, KUNCHAKOORI, Naresh, SIMPSON, Steven Lewis
• Application Number:
  US13/916,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332079A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/6
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/0355 Control systems, e.g. hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, acoustic, for submerged well heads
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0021 Safety devices, e.g. for preventing small objects from falling into the borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/001 for underwater installation
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/01 Measuring or predicting earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/30 Analysis G01V1/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/38 specially adapted for water-covered areas G01V1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/40 specially adapted for well-logging

Abstract

An underwater installation comprising at least one underwater control equipment located in a body of water, a plurality of seismic sensors located on a bed of the body of water, wherein the plurality of seismic sensors are configured to monitor conditions to which the at least one underwater control equipment is subjected to, and a processor configured to receive and process data from the plurality of seismic sensors.

Claims

1. An underwater installation comprising:

at least one underwater control equipment located in a body of water;

a plurality of seismic sensors located on a bed of the body of water wherein the plurality of seismic sensors are configured to monitor conditions to which the at least one underwater control equipment is subjected to; and

a processor configured to receive and process data from the plurality of seismic sensors.

2. The underwater installation according to claim 1, wherein the at least one underwater control equipment is located on the bed of the body of water.

3. The underwater installation according to claim 1, wherein the underwater installation is a well facility, and the at least one underwater control equipment comprises a control equipment for the well facility.

4. The underwater installation according to claim 3, wherein the at least one underwater control equipment comprises a tree of the well facility.

5. The underwater installation according to claim 4, wherein the processor comprises an electronics module of a control module of the tree.

6. The underwater installation according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to shut down the well facility in response to at least one predetermined condition of the conditions to which the at least one underwater control equipment is subjected to.

7. The underwater installation according to claim 3, wherein the well facility is a hydrocarbon production well facility.

8. An underwater installation comprising:

at least one underwater control equipment located in a body of water;

a plurality of seismic sensors located on a bed of the body of water wherein the plurality of seismic sensors are configured to monitor conditions to which the at least one underwater control equipment is subjected to; and

a processor configured to receive and process data from the plurality of seismic sensors, wherein;

the at least one underwater control equipment is located on the bed of the body of water,

the underwater installation is a well facility, wherein the at least one underwater control equipment comprises a control equipment for the well facility,

the at least one underwater control equipment comprises a tree of the well facility,

the processor comprises an electronic module of a control module of the tree, and

the processor is further configured to shut down the well facility in response to at least one predetermined condition of the conditions to which the at least one underwater control equipment is subjected to.

9. A method of monitoring environmental conditions of an underwater installation comprising at least one underwater control equipment located in a body of water, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of seismic sensors located on a bed of the body of water, wherein the plurality of seismic sensors is configured to monitor conditions to which the at least one underwater control equipment is subjected to; and

receiving and processing data from the plurality of seismic sensors.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one underwater control equipment is located on the bed of the body of water.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the installation is a well facility and the at least one underwater control equipment comprises a control equipment for the well facility.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one underwater control equipment comprises a tree of the well facility.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein receiving and processing data comprises receiving and processing data by an electronic module of a control module of the tree.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the received and processed data is indicative of at least one predetermined condition of the conditions to which the at least one underwater control equipment is subjected to, the method further comprising shutting down the well facility in response to the at least one received and processed data.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the well facility is a hydrocarbon production well facility.