Defining Safe Streamer Configuration in Adverse MetOcean Conditions

New frontiers in Oil & Gas exploration imply going further into remote and challenging offshore areas where Met-Ocean conditions can be really adverse.

Whenever seismic surveys are planned in such areas, it is paramount to assess what could be the most suitable streamer configuration able to operate safely within the local environmental conditions.

Thanks to recent developments in hydrodynamic modelling of seismic spreads, it is now possible to simulate the dynamic loads induced by environmental conditions in different operational modes (acquisition, line change, standby, mechanical failures, etc.).

By assessing different streamer configurations, hydrodynamic simulation results provide an evaluation of mechanical risks. This helps setting mitigation measures to control those risks and support decisions for defining what could be the most suitable and safest streamer spread.

This methodology developed by Kappa Offshore Solutions has been successfully implemented by Total E&P for the preparation and feasibility assessment of a 3D survey in a very challenging area.