Subsea equipment acoustic monitoring system
First Claim
1. A method for monitoring subsea drilling, comprising:
- detecting acoustic signals generated by a drill using a plurality of acoustic sensor arrays that each include at least two acoustic sensors, wherein at least a first acoustic sensor array is mounted on an outer surface of a subsea blow out preventer (BOP) surrounding the drill and at least a second acoustic sensor array is positioned remote from the BOP;
determining an operating characteristic of the drill within the BOP based on the detected acoustic signals using a digital data processor that communicates with the plurality of acoustic sensor arrays;
detecting the operating characteristic of the drill at a location above a surface of the sea; and
alerting a user via a user interface coupled to the digital data processor if a difference between the characteristic value of the drill within the BOP and the characteristic value of the drill above the surface of the sea is greater than a predetermined amount.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for monitoring subsea equipment are described herein. In one embodiment, such a system can include a plurality of acoustic sensor arrays that each include at least two acoustic sensors, wherein at least a first acoustic sensor array is mounted on an outer surface of subsea equipment being monitored and at least a second acoustic sensor array is positioned remote from the subsea equipment. The system can also include a digital data processor in communication with the plurality of acoustic sensor arrays, the digital data processor can be configured to process data from selected sensors of the plurality of acoustic sensor arrays to both selectively focus on a portion of the subsea equipment and to determine a point of origin of an acoustic signal. The system can be particularly useful in detecting leaks and other events in subsea drilling equipment.
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring subsea drilling, comprising:
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detecting acoustic signals generated by a drill using a plurality of acoustic sensor arrays that each include at least two acoustic sensors, wherein at least a first acoustic sensor array is mounted on an outer surface of a subsea blow out preventer (BOP) surrounding the drill and at least a second acoustic sensor array is positioned remote from the BOP; determining an operating characteristic of the drill within the BOP based on the detected acoustic signals using a digital data processor that communicates with the plurality of acoustic sensor arrays; detecting the operating characteristic of the drill at a location above a surface of the sea; and alerting a user via a user interface coupled to the digital data processor if a difference between the characteristic value of the drill within the BOP and the characteristic value of the drill above the surface of the sea is greater than a predetermined amount. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification