Abstract:
The deployment accuracy of ocean bottom nodes (OBNs) critically determines the quality of marine seismic data. Although the tensioned cable deployment method offers economic benefits, its heavy reliance on operator experience and susceptibility to environmental factors lead to compromised positioning accuracy and operational efficiency. To overcome these limitations, this study presents an integrated approach based on the coupled effects of node gravity, seawater buoyancy, ocean current drag, cable tension, water depth, and ship speed. A kinematic model of the node is established, and a numerical algorithm is developed that discretizes the continuous node descent motion into sequential time steps, analyzes force and velocity variations at each step, and iteratively solves the descent trajectory to accurately invert the sea-surface deployment coordinates. Experimental results for the 3D WX OBN survey demonstrate that the proposed method can batch-output sea-surface deployment coordinates, enhancing operational efficiency while maintaining exploration accuracy. This provides a cost-effective technical solution for large-scale OBN exploration and fills the technical gap in precise OBN deployment.