Z3000® Marine Nodal System
Deep-water Z3000 system node technology is not intended to replace streamer acquisition for large-scale exploration surveys, focusing instead on specific areas that essentially demand this type technology for exceptional quality imaging. In fact, field development is the niche market where Z3000 technology can make all the difference. This holds true both in deep water and the usually congested shallow water shelf areas, where the cable-free nodes can be deployed with relative ease.
Overall, simplicity best defines the Z3000 system application, which is relatively straightforward. Each autonomous Z3000 node is a self-contained sensor with a state-of-the-art lithium ion battery and an exceptionally accurate clock. A remotely-operated-vehicle (ROV) – a long-familiar apparatus in the petroleum industry – lays the units directly on the seabed where they continuously record sound waves emanating from a source vessel at the water’s surface. The ROV later retrieves the nodes to download the data while recharging the batteries, which have a continuous working life of 60 days.
Streamlined Z3000 system operations require about 25 percent of the crew members of a conventional OBC operation and only two vessels – the node management vessel and a dual source shooting vessel.
The innovative deck handling system designed specifically for Z3000 is managed by a single crew member who oversees up to 1,200 nodes each weighing 200 pounds. The nodes are handled via an automated system, which eliminates the need for risky overhead swinging cranes. Z3000® specifications (PDF download)