Next Generation Seismic Technology

Saudi Aramco has began work on the technology, which it calls RoboNodes, in 2012 with French seismic surveying firm CGGVeritas and Seabed Geosolutions, to increase the amount of seismic data, while reducing costs and time. The company’s vision involves the creation of an entire fleet— 3,000 units—of autonomous seismic nodes that will largely eliminate the need to contract for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and their support vessels for future seafloor seismic acquisition projects.
So far, the technology has been tested in pools, lakes, and at sea. A launch and recovery system for retrieving the nodes in a timely manner, and in rough sea conditions, is also under development. Some of the challenges the project team is working to overcome involve designing a low-cost, highly accurate clock for simultaneous seismic shoots, and a power-saving data recorder.
The RoboNodes are rated for 300m depths and can be programed to swim to the seafloor in novel arrangements to illuminate subsurface structures that may hold hydrocarbon deposits. The nodes are controlled by an acoustic communication system, and with the push of a button, the robotic units can move to another prearranged location to begin another seismic shoot from a different angle.

Image courtesy of Saudi Aramco