40726-AC8
A Turbine Seep-Tent Network to Study Hydrocarbon Migration
Deployment of the turbine tents was delayed over the last year due to a shift in emphasis based on parallel projects using sonar to study seep emissions. Specifically, these studies demonstrated that multibeam sonar has the potential to monitor emissions over a wide area with high time resolution. These studies included field efforts and also a first effort, intercalibration study at the MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) test tank, which is 9-m deep, 15-m wide, and 30-m long). Based on these studies and work with the turbine tents, funding was secured from DOE to develop a seabed multibeam lander for use in the Gulf of Mexico at a hydrate site with preliminary deployment and conceptual test in the Coal Oil Point seep field. The approach is a contemporaneous deployment of the turbine tent network and a seabed multibeam lander. Here, the turbine tents will provide in-situ, calibrated, flow values at multiple locations in the multibeam sonar study area. Field deployment is scheduled for early spring 2009.
Towards this goal, a new pressure manifold was constructed, which inlcudes the ability to sinusoidally modulate the bubble gas emissions in order to study the time response of the tents and sonar during intercalibration studies. This mirrors field observations where swell modulaes seep emissions. A new intercalibration study is planned for Nov 17-19, 2008 at MBARI to test all components prior to the field deployment.
