Correlation Analysis of LiDAR, Wave Radar and Current Observations in the Gulf of Mexico

Shell Exploration & Production Co. has recently expanded their Metocean observation capacity on several oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, to include both LiDAR wind profilers and microwave wave radars, in addition to existing ocean current profilers. To date more than a year's worth of data has been collected with the combined system, observing a wide range of meteorological and oceanographic conditions, representative of the region, including the passage of Hurricanes Harvey and Nate. LiDAR wind measurement system and the wave radar system technologies are relatively new to operational use, and continued verification of their robustness and accuracy is necessary. LiDAR wind speed and direction observations were correlated with microwave radar wave and current observations, and those in turn compared to the observations from a subsurface mounted acoustic wave and current system. The LiDAR, microwave radar, and acoustic system are located on three different tension leg platforms with a few kilometers of each other. The data correlated well, captured the extreme conditions experienced during the period analyzed, and it was found that the acoustic system was likely influenced by the TLP superstructure against which it was mounted.