Comparative Ice Drift and Tow Model Analysis for Target Marine Structure

• US 20160001856A1
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concrete Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ION Geophysical Corporation
• Inventors: Gentle, Dave, Cameron, Scott, Kennedy, Terry
• Granted Patent: US 10,071,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2211/06 Operation in ice-infested waters
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 43/18 preventing collision or grounding; reducing collision damage reducing pollution by collision B63B25/082
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/38 specially adapted for water-covered areas G01V1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/02 Anti-collision systems

Abstract

A marine threat monitoring and defense system and method protects a target vessel in icy or other marine regions. The system uses communications, user interfaces, and data sources to identify marine obstacles (e.g., icebergs, ice floes, pack ice, etc.) near a target vessel performing set operations (e.g., a stationed structure performing drilling or production operations or a seismic survey vessel performing exploration operations with a planned route). The system monitors positions of these identified marine obstacles over time relative to the target vessel and predicts any potential threats. When a threat is predicted, the system plans deployment of support vessels, beacons, and the like to respond to the threat. For example, the system can direct a support vessel to divert the path or break up ice threatening the target vessel.

Claims

1. A marine threat modelling method for a target marine structure conducting a set operation in a body of water, the method comprising:

monitoring with a computer system at least one given position of at least one obstacle drifting in a vicinity of the target marine structure as the target marine structure conducts the set operation in the body of water;

modeling with the computer system at least two subsequent positions of the at least one obstacle over time from the at least one given position relative to the target marine structure by using at least two models for calculating movement of the at least one obstacle; and

presenting with the computer system the at least two subsequent positions for comparison to one another.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the marine obstacles includes an iceberg, ice floe, pack ice, debris, plants, flotsam, jetsam, floating obstacles, submerged obstacles, marine animals, fish schools, whale pods, or a combination thereof;

and wherein the target marine structure is selected from the group consisting of a drilling structure, a drilling ship, a production structure, a production vessel, a production platform, a wellhead, a riser, an exploration structure, a seismic survey vessel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring with the computer system the at least one given position of the at least one obstacle comprises one or more of:

receiving the at least one given position from at least one beacon deployed on the at least one marine obstacle;

determining the at least one given position from imaging data of the vicinity of the target marine structure; and

obtaining manually-entered data of the at least one given position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modeling with the computer system the at least two subsequent positions by using the at least two models comprises modelling one or more subsequent tow positions of the at least two subsequent positions by using one or more tow models of the at least two models for calculating active diversion of the at least one obstacle over time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein modeling with the computer system the at least two subsequent positions by using the at least two models comprises modelling one or more subsequent drift positions of the at least two subsequent positions by using one or more drift models of the at least two models for calculating passive drift of the at least one obstacle over time.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising one or more of:

planning with the computer system a response to the one or more subsequent drift positions;

planning deployment of at least one resource in response to the one or more subsequent drift positions;

planning to divert the at least one obstacle by directing at least one vessel relative to the at least one obstacle; and

planning to break the at least one obstacles with the at least one vessel.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein modeling with the computer system the at least two subsequent positions by using the at least two models comprises modelling one or more subsequent tow positions of the at least two subsequent positions by using one or more tow models of the at least two models for calculating active diversion of the at least one obstacle over time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more tow models are applied to the at least one given position and/or to at least one of the one or more subsequent drift positions of the at least one obstacle.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein modeling comprises modeling a plurality of the subsequent tow positions of the at least one obstacle by using a plurality of the tow models.

10. The method claim 9, further comprising presenting the subsequent tow positions for comparison to one another.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising modeling with the computer system one or more altered drift positions of the at least one obstacle drifting from at least one of the one or more subsequent tow positions by using one or more of the drift models applied to the at least one subsequent tow position.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein using the one or more drift models for calculating the passive drift of the at least one obstacle comprises selecting the one or more drift models from a plurality of available drift models.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting the one or more drift models comprises receiving a user selection of the one or more drift models from the available drift models.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein modeling with the computer system the at least two subsequent positions comprises:

obtaining input data from one or more sources; and

producing output data representative of the at least two subsequent positions by processing the obtained input data with an algorithm of each of the at least two models.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting with the computer system the at least two subsequent positions for comparison to one another comprises displaying the at least two subsequent positions for visual comparison.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring with the computer system the at least one given position of the at least one obstacle comprises monitoring a plurality of the given positions of the at least one obstacle over time.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising comparing, for each of the at least two models, the at least two subsequent positions of the at least one obstacle over time with the given positions of the at least one obstacle over time.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

quantifying accuracy of each of the at least two models based on the comparison; and

presenting the quantified accuracy.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein modeling with the computer system the at least two subsequent positions of the at least one obstacle over time relative to the target marine structure comprises predicting with the computer system at least one threat to the target marine structure from the at least one obstacle.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising planning with the computer system a response to the at least one predicted threat.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein predicting with the computer system the at least one threat to the target marine structure from the at least one obstacle comprises:

determining an attribute of the at least one obstacle of the threat; and

comparing the determined attribute to a limitation of the target marine structure.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the attribute is selected from the group consisting of a size, a distance, a speed, a shape, a depth, a track, a threat level, a time interval to move, and a time interval to break up.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the limitation of the target marine structure comprises one or more of:

a threshold of an impact sustainable by the target marine structure from the at least one obstacle, a time interval required to cease the set operation conducted by the target marine structure; and

a time interval required to move the target marine structure from the threat of the at least one obstacle.

24. A programmable storage device having program instructions stored thereon for causing a programmable control device to perform a marine threat monitoring method for a target marine structure according to claim 1.

25. A marine threat modelling system for a target marine structure conducting a set operation in a body of water, the system comprising:

memory storing information about one or more obstacles in a vicinity of the target marine structure and storing at least two models for calculating movement; and

processing equipment operatively coupled to the memory and being configured to;

monitor at least one given position of at least one of the one or more obstacles drifting in the vicinity of the target marine structure as the target marine structure conducts the set operation in the body of water;

model at least two subsequent positions of the at least one obstacle over time relative to the target marine structure by using the at least two models applied to the at least one given position; and

present the at least two subsequent positions for comparison to one another.