Description of a secure reliable acoustic system for use in offshore oil Blowout Preventer (BOP) or wellhead control

The search for oil in deeper water depths has generated the need for secure, reliable, low error acoustic control systems in the presence of a highly complex man-made noise-like environment. This paper discusses an acoustical command, control, and telemetering system developed for emergency subsea Blowout Preventer (BOP) operation that has been structured around a unique coding design. The system described has been successfully demonstrated in this acoustic environment at a deployed water depth in excess of 6400 feet ( m).