Autonomous Seismic Node Housing Design for Seabed Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marine seismic node deployment systems face challenges with tangling and handling issues, poor seabed coupling, and inflexible deployment configurations, leading to inefficiencies in storage, deployment, and retrieval processes.
Innovation Solution
The design of an autonomous seismic node featuring a pressurized titanium housing and a modular non-pressurized housing with node locks, allowing for square or rectangular configurations that enhance seabed coupling, storage, and handling, while enabling flexible deployment options and mass production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional prior art nodes are made of tubes joined with cables, then the nodes can be assembled, but they are vulnerable to handling and assembly errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the node components into an integrated unit with a single housing that contains both the sensor package and the deployment line attachment mechanism, eliminating the need for separate cable connections and reducing assembly steps while improving handling reliability
2Reliability
If spherical glass pressure housings are used, then the nodes can protect internal components, but they need additional protection and are less than ideal for storage, handling, and stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an asymmetric housing design with a flat bottom surface that provides stable placement on the seabed and facilitates easy storage and handling, while the pressurized portion maintains spherical geometry for optimal pressure distribution and component protection
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is segmented into a pressurized portion for protecting sensors and a non-pressurized portion for providing stable placement and attachment features, allowing each segment to optimize its specific function
3Productivity
If deployment rope/cable with integral node casings is used, then nodes can be deployed, but the deployment line becomes difficult to manage and store
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the node casing from the deployment line, allowing the deployment line to be a simple, manageable rope or cable while the node housing is a separate, self-contained unit that attaches to the line only during deployment operations
4Productivity
If nodes are deployed from marine vessels, then seismic data can be collected, but the processes suffer from handling disadvantages and inefficiencies
Solution Approach 1:
The node design incorporates self-aligning and self-stabilizing features including a flat bottom for stable placement and integrated attachment mechanisms that automatically engage with the deployment line, reducing the need for complex handling operations from the vessel
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of an autonomous seismic node that can be positioned on the seabed are disclosed. The autonomous seismic node comprises a pressurized node housing substantially surrounded and/or enclosed by a non-pressurized node housing. The seismic node may be substantially rectangular or square shaped for node storage, handling, and deployment. One or more node locks may be coupled to either (or both) of the pressurized node housing or the non-pressurized node housing. The pressurized node housing may be formed as a cast monolithic titanium structure and may be a complex shape with irregularly shaped sides and be asymmetrical. In other embodiments, a non-pressurized housing may substantially enclose other devices or payloads besides a node, such as weights or transponders, and be coupled to a plurality of protrusions.