Expedition 401: Mediterranean-Atlantic Gateway Exchange

Summary

Expedition 401 occupied four sites around the Strait of Gibraltar: three on the Atlantic Ocean (U1609, U1610 and U1385) and one in the Mediterranean (U1611). This expedition focuses on the cyclostratigraphy of the time around the Messinian Salinity Crisis, and will be followed by other offshore and onshore coring operations as part of the Land-2-sea IMMAGE Program.

Wireline logging was conducted in U1609A, but only through the upper part of U1610A and U1611A (22 and 38 percent coverage). The DSI source frequency was varied in some runs in order to improve the signal coherency and labeling and were also re-processed for U1609A and U1611A.  The APCT3 and SET2 were deployed by the ETs for profiling or spot-checking of formation temperature. Water column properties on both sides of the gateway were measured using the CTD and showed the very contrasting profiles of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Bottom water samples were also collected using the Niskin bottles on the VIT, especially for cased sites U1610 and U1611 where no mudline samples were collected.

And, that is it.

Figure 1: Relief map showing the location of occupied, alternate and adjacent coring sites, and seismic lines uploaded into Petrel for Expedition 401.

Activities

Wireline Logging

For Expedition 401, the continuous coverage of in situ data afforded by downhole wireline logging is a primary dataset for cyclostratigraphic analysis and extract orbital signals. Unfortunately, only U1609A was logged to full depth and U1610A and U1611A were barely logged. In addition, partial surveys indicate significant hole deviation of less than 15 degrees. The lack of complete borehole survey presents a challenge for core-log-seismic integration of sites U1610 and U1611.

At the beginning of the logging operation, it was discovered that the PC running the wireline heave compensator was damaged, possibly during the 2023 Dec 10 power surge in the ship. No heave compensator was used during the U1609A logging operation. As a result, the FMS was not run and the HNGS was not attached to the VSI in order to lighten the toolstring, minimizing the risk of breaking the VSI arm when anchored. Nonetheless, the VSI arm assembly was broken and replaced with a spare. Furthermore, during the VSI experiments in U1609A, a default source (S1) was selected in MAXIS instead of the nearfield hydrophone (S2). No GPIT and FMS were run.

Before logging hole U1610A, the MCSs rebuilt the AHC computer. However, the Quadcombo never went past 1292 mbrf, thereby logging only ~208 m of open hole. No other tools were run. A similar scenario happened in U1611A where only the upper 237 m of open hole was logged.

Note: In conducting VSI operations through an APC-XCB bit with the LFV, first pump a pig to open the LFV (e.g. 356-U1463B), or attach the aluminum "Go-Devil" at the bottom of the VSI tool (e.g. 410-U1609A).

Table 1: Summary of Schlumberger wireline logging runs.

Figure 2: Hole deviation readings for U1611A using the EDTC (GDEV for runs 1 and 2) and GPIT (SDEV for run 2, pass 1 and 2). Near the seafloor, note the difference of about 3 degrees between the EDTC readings for runs 1 (GDEV_EDTCr and m) and 2 (GDEV_EDTC_p1 and 2); and also with GPIT which is less than 1 degree. Nonetheless, both instruments gave similar readings in the openhole section.

APCT3

Complete formation temeprature measurement was made in U1609A. The drill-ahead and casing operations for U1610 and U1611 only afforded one SET2 measurement for each. Seafloor or mudline temperature was extrapolated or verified using the CTD data.

Table 2: APCT3 and SET2 runs.

CTD

CTD measurements were afforded by the casing operations in U1610 and U1611 that required the deployment of the VIT. Aside from defining the contrasting water column properties of the two sites on either side of the Gibraltar Strait, the data was also used to extrapolate the seafloor temperature for use in estimating the geothermal gradient and heat flow.

Figure 3: Contrasting temperature and salinity profiles of the water column on either side the Gibraltar Strait.

Table 3: List of CTD deployments and data files.

Niskin Bottle

Bottom water samples for geochemical analysis were collected in sites U1610 and U1611where no mudline samples were available. Parts of it were also used for a cursory survey for microplastics even if specific requirements were not available.

Table 4: List of Niskin water samples collected during Expedition 401.

Expedition 400: NW Greenland Glaciated Margin

Summary

Expedition 400 occupied six sites along the trough mouth fan of Melville Bay shelf and continental slope in NW Greenland. The aim is to reconstruct the history of ice sheet advance and retreat. Wireline logging was conducted in four of the six sites occupied, including VSI experiments in three holes, U1603D, U1607A and U1608A. A short exercise  was conducted at the end of the last VSP experiment to determine the effect of different hanging depth for the 500 cu. inch G-gun cluster pressurized at 2000 psi. In slow or soft formation with wide borehole, the low-frequency mode of the DSI was used, which greatly improved tracking and Vp profiling.  The APCT3 was also used in sites U1603 and U1604 and a prototype electronic cartridge was tested in two repeat deployments (U1603F-4H and 10H). The CTD was deployed and the Niskin bottles were able to sample at two depths in a single VIT run.

Figure 1: (Left) DTM of Melville and Baffin bays with the location of six coring sites. DTM from GEBCO. View looking east. (Right) Plan view map with location of coring sites and 2D seismic lines.

Activities

Wireline Logging

A Petrel project file was created with 72 multi and single channel 2D and 3D seismic and Parasound profiles were imported. Techlog was also used to generate the FMS images on board, and to re-label the monopole P&S coherency plot and improve the SVEL curve, especially for U1603D Run#1.

In hole U1603D, during the VSI run, the initil plan was to occupy stations at 25-m interval starting from 2225 mbrf. Together with the 3-m gun depth that pushes the frequency notch to 200-230 Hz, it would produce a good Corridor stack to compare with the LAKO reflection seismic profiles that have a central frequency of about 122Hz. However, the soft formation only allowed some not-so-good checkshots from the lower third of the borehole. Also, a video footage of the bubble showed significant water surface disruption, which might have contributed to a noisy signal, despite the nearfield hydrophone recording a clean waveform. As a compromise, the parallel guns were hung 4.75mbsl during the VSI experiments in U1607A and U1608A, Comparison of the resulting signal is discussed in detail in the Documentation section below.

For the Quadcombo/modified Triplecombo and FMS runs, the previous software, OP, was used, whereas MaxWell was used for all the VSI runs.

Table 1: Summary of Schlumberger wireline logging runs.

The G-guns were serviced (cleaned and O-rings replaced) by L. Crowder and D. Lajas  on the first week of September 2023, after the VSI operation in U1603D.

APCT3

Formation temperature was measured in the first two, deep water sites, U1603 and U1604, where piston coring was conducted. The rest of the sites on the MB shelf were all cored with RCB. In two repeat deployments in U1603F, an experimental APCT3 electronic cartridge was tested. This cartridge has two thermistors: one in the standard location which inserts into a well in the APC cutting shoe, and the second thermistor is on the side of the cartridge in tangential contact with the inner and thicker part of the cutting shoe. The resulting temperature decay curves are shown in Figure 2.

Table 2: APCT runs.

Figure 2: Temperature decay curve from APCT3 #1858022C for the thermistor in the conventional position (left) and for the thermistor on the side of the electronic cartridge (right). For the latter, note the lack of a temperature spike that marks time-zero or the insertion of the probe into the formation. Also, the temperature profile is muted and the model curve extends back beyond the firing time.

CTD

The CTD was deployed in a couple of VIT runs over Hole U1607A. Prior to the VSI operation in U1608A, the CTD was also manually deployed from the starboard main deck using a rope in order to measure the sonic velocity down to about 10 meters. This is for calculating the seismic transit time from the hydrophone to sea level, which will then be added to the vertical component of the Transit Time, resulting to the TT_TVD from SRD.

Table 3: List of CTD deployments and data files.

Niskin Bottles

During this expedition, we successfully achieved the intended purpose of the two Niskin bottles, which is to collect two water samples at two different depths in one VIT run. The replacement beacon (from Exp. 395) is very useful as it is able to respond to the trigger command from the topside transducer by returning a higher frequency confirmation tone (2 Hz) when it completes one revolution of the beacon release system. Coupled with the visual release indicator through the camera, only one ping is needed to close the first bottle (5L), keeping the second bottle (1.7L) open for the next sampling depth.

The 50 mL water column samples were analyzed in the Chemistry Lab as a baseline data for inorganic geochemistry, as compared to previous expeditions where larger amounts of the bottom water sample was used for microbiological culture experiments, mostly after the expedition.

Table 4: Niskin bottom-water samples and relevant parameters.

Documentation

TDR

In Petrel, the TDR is currently imported as a checkshot for each site/hole. An alternative is to import it as a Well log (ASCII) and identify the time column as TWT (or OWT). From the Global Well logs, select TWT or OWT log, RMB menu > set as active TDR for all wells. Note that this will apply for ALL the wells in the project.

Transit Time Calculation

Checkshot or VSP Transit Time in TVD from SRD is the sum of the (1) transit time from hydrophone to sea surface and (2) the vertical component of the transit time measured between the hydrophone and the geophone. The second component is equal to the transit time multiplied by the cosine of the angle made by the well head, VSI station and the hydrophone, which in turn is the arctan of hydrophone offset from wellhead divided by the measured depth of the VSI station from sea level. Spreadsheet example.

Φ = arctan (source or hydrophone offset from wellhead /  VSI station depth from sea level)

TT' = TT cos(Φ)

TT_h=1000*[depth of hydrophone in meters/sonic velocity between hydrophone and sea surface in m/s)]

TT_TVD from SRD = TT' +TT_h

VSI Source Depth

Background

During zero-offset VSP/checkshot experiments by IODP, the two 250 cu. inch Sercel G-gun parallel cluster pressurised to 2000 psi, has regularly been hung at 7 mbsl, with a nearfield/timebreak hyrdophone (blastphone) 2 m below the guns. The origin of the hanging depth is unknown, but scientists have been allowed to change the depth to meet their research requirements During Exp. 398, Christian Huebscher requested a 3.5 mbsl hanging depth for the guns in order to push the ghost notch towards higher frequency and gain a broader bandwidth to work with. However, borehole conditions did not allow wireline logging, let alone VSI experiment to be conducted during that expedition. Now, for Exp. 400, we had the chance to investigate the effect of varying the position of the parallel G-gun seismic source when conducting a VSI experiment.

Observations

In U1603D, we decided to go with the shallow gun depth of 3 mbsl in order to push the frequency notch to 200-230 Hz and record a broad enough bandwidth to cover the high-resolution reflection seismic profiles with central frequency of 122 Hz. During the operation, visual observations, video recordings and still photographs documented the sea surface around the shallow air guns. Prior to the mound of the main bubble bursting through the water surface, the initial firing of the air guns created multiple discrete ripples around the buoy (Fig. 3) , similar to the "spray dome" illustrated by Young (1973) (Fig. 4). This is caused by the combined effect of the incident compressional wave and the reflected rarefaction wave which lead to ejection of droplets and surface cavitation (Young, 1973 in Mellor, 1986). Normally, when the guns are at 7 mbsl, the precursor spray dome is absent. On the next VSI experiment at hole U1607A, we set the guns deeper at 5 mbsl. The result is similar to when the gun is hang at 7 mbsl, creating only a mound from the bubble that normally expands until the water surface, without the precursor spray dome (Fig. 5).

Figure 5: Time-series photos of the surface water mound resulting from the bubble generated by the G-gun cluster hang at 5 mbsl. Weather conditions: sea temperature=2^oC; waves=0.6 m at 4 sec; swell=0.3m at 3 sec; barometric pressure=1010 Mb. For scale, the orange buoy is 0.9m diameter. Screen grabs from IMG_2515.MOV, a video taken by Lisa Crowder on 25 Sept. 2023 around 13:02:56 (UTC-3).

The signal from the nearfield hydrophone (blastphone) and farfield VSI geophone were also plotted and compared. Below is a summary of signal from the G-gun seismic source set at 3 and 5 mbsl, from two different sites (Table 5).

Table 5: Comparison of the hydrophone and geophone signals during the VSI exercise in holes U1603D and U1607A.

Myth-busting Ghostbuster Experiment

THE Marine TechnicianS of Expedition 400 conducted a test to determine the optimum hanging depth for the 2x250 cu. inch parallel G-gun cluster pressurized with 2,000 psi and used for zero-offset checkshot or VSP experiment. Encouraged by the result from the two VSI experiments in U1603D and U1607A, and following the paper by Amundsen et al. (2017), we also wanted to find out how to minimize or remove the ghost signal and increase the notch frequency, which are significant for a full VSP analysis. On September 30, 2023, at the end of the VSI logging in Hole U1608A, we brought the guns back on deck and replaced the nylon sling with a longer piece (16 ft / 4.88 m). With pre-measured markers, we successively lowered the guns back at 3, 5 and ~7 (6.7) mbsl (Fig. 6). At each station, five shots were fired at 30-second intervals. The main experiment lasted only 7.77 minutes, thereby minimizing any impact of different environmental conditions (e.g. sea-state and weather). To record the farfield signature during the experiment, the VSI geophone was anchored at a single station 741.05 mbrf / 122.65 mbsl. Water depth on site is 606.88 mbsl or 414 ms OWT. In the interest of rapid execution, no quality control was made on-the-fly for the geophone signal (i.e., all signals were recorded, none discarded). Average weather parameters during the operation include 1^oC air and sea temperature, 1015 Mb barometric pressure, 0.3 m waves and swells with 4 s period,

Figure 6: The 2x250 cu. in parallel G-gun cluster being lowered back to the water using a 16-ft nylon sling with markers for 3 and 5 m hanging depth. The 0.9 m-diameter flotation buoy would place the guns at about 7 m (6.7 m) below surface. (Credit: Lisa Crowder)

Table 6: List of air gun shots. The quality control (QC) flags are automatically generated by MaxWell.

Results

All 15 nearfield hydrophone traces were extracted from the U1608A_NASCENT_SOURCE_S1.segy file using SeiSee and individually plotted and overlain in Excel (Fig. 7 Left). An overall plot shows 2 traces (Shots 197 and 198) where the highest amplitude excursion appears around 300 ms. During the actual operation, this happened frequently, resulting in a miscalculated transit time because of the erroneously picked zero time. The cause is unknown as of the writing of this report.

Zooming in to the first 150 milliseconds, the initial bubble pulse expanding consistently manifest as a positive spike that is slightly skewed to the right (Fig. 7 Right). This is followed by a negative W-shaped ghost signal. All traces show these features at almost the same time and amplitude.  The ghost signal in this exercise is different from those in U1603 and U1607. In Site U1603, a single ghost trough was formed, but at about the same magnitude as the primary pulse whereas in U1607, the ghost signal is highly muted and skewed to the right.

Figure 7: (Left) Full plot of all 15 nearfield hydrophone signals. Note the two traces (197 and 198) with the primary peak around 300 ms. (Right) Zoomed in view of all traces showing the signature of the bubble expansion and collapse, together with the negative ghost signal.

The W-shaped ghost signal seems uncommon, but it was very consistent during the VSI exercise in U1608A that it warrants further investigation. A similar waveform was generated during the VSP operation in 359-U1467E (Maldives) in water depth of 498 m. Only one G-gun was used and pressurized only up to 1800 psi "to avoid excess power and possible synchronization noise". the same is true for Expedition 399, Hole 1399C in the Lesser Antilles, where the two G-guns were hang 7 mbsl at ~30 m from the ship or ~50 from wellhead, and in water depth of 914 mbsl. In peer-reviewed literature, the closest waveform is that from Wang et al. (2014) where they numerically modeled the characteristics and effects of shock waves and cavitation generated by underwater explosion. They modeled three scenarios with different boundary conditions: (1) water-air (free surface), (2) water-plate-air, and (3) water1-plate-water2, where the plate is a 5 cm steel. The resulting pressure history or waveform for the first two cases is shown in Figure 8, and are respectively similar to the hydrophone signals from U1607A and U1608A. For the air-backed plate scenario, there is a positive reflected peak from the initial shockwave at about 34 ms, followed by the W-shaped ghost signal created by the slower reflected rarefaction wave, similar to the U1608A hydrophone signal (Fig. 7 Left and Fig. 10).

Figure 8: Figures from Wang et al. (2014) who modeled the characteristics of shock waves and cavitation effects of underwater explosions near free and metal plated surfaces with air or water behind. The upper pressure history is similar to the hydrophone waveform from U1607A. For U1608A, either the lower case or a superposition of both orange lines.

The main bubble pulse and ghost signal is followed by second positive spike at about 50 ms, but of much lower magnitude than the preceding primary pulse (Fig. 7 Right; Fig. 9). These two positive spikes illustrate the air bubble oscillating as it collapses. A side-by-side plot of all 15 traces in Seisee shows that this secondary pulse has a relatively higher amplitude when the source is at 5 and 7 mbsl compared to when it is at 3 mbsl (Fig. 9). A few things may be able to explain this, including the availability of more confining space and constant hydrostatic pressure for the bubble to oscillate at deeper air gun depth. It could also be that just like the illustration in Figure 4, the primary bubble size at 3 mbsl is able to breach the surface and dissipate its energy into the air, instead of collapsing under hydrostatic pressure.

Figure 9: Plot of all 15 traces in using SeiSee. (Download Source file)

Except for Shots 197 and 198 which have an unexplained delay of what appears as the primary pulse, the traces for each hanging depth were average and the the spectral distribution were derived using Past freeware (Fig. 10). Surprisingly, all hydrophone signals show multiple notches, with the first just below 20 Hz. In the study by Amundsen et al. (2017), there should be an inverse relationship with source depth and notch frequency. What is notable though is that among the three source depths investigated, the one at 3 mbsl has the highest power for the low frequency bandwidth of 0 to 20 Hz and that of the 5 and 7 mbsl source have similar lower power levels.

Figure 10: Average hydrophone signal per source depth and the spectral signature. In the left graph of the pressure history or waveform, the time mark of the major peaks are given.

In a similar way, the farfield geophone signals were averaged for each source depth and the spectral signature was derived. Here, the frequency of the notch that approaches zero progressively increases with increasing source depth: 70 Hz for 7 mbsl source depth, 96 Hz for  5 mbsl, and 140 for 3 mbsl (Fig. 11). However, these notch frequencies are much lower than the calculated values using the equation: f = Vw/2d, where f is the notch frequency; Vw is the sonic velocity of the water column, which averages 1460 m/s (in U1607A); and, d is the source depth (Table 7).

Figure 11: Average geophone signal per source depth and the spectral signature.

Table 7: Calculated and actual notch frequency for the various source depths investigated. The last column is the equivalent source depth for the actual notch frequency of the data.

Validation and more questions

This exercise confirms that the notch frequency of the seismic source increases with shallower source depth. However, the resulting notch frequencies during Expedition 400 are lower than predicted by the generalized equation f=Vw/2d. Could the water temperature and density/salinity have an effect, as alluded to by Watson et al. (2019)?

The ghost reflection is NOT affected by the hanging depth of the source, contrary to what was previously hypothesized when the nearfield hydrophone signals from sites U1603 and U1607 were compared. Published articles actually indicate that the ghost reflection is often muted with rougher sea surface, which scatters or deflects the signal, instead of reflecting it back directly to the main bubble (Krail, 2010).

The waveform signal from the nearfield hydrophone at the first site (U1603D) was more regular, with a prominent primary pulse and a ghost reflection, the amplitudes of which diminish with time as the bubble oscillates as it collapses (Table 5). However, in the next two VSI operations, the nearfield hydrophone signal was not consistent in most shots, and the ghost reflection was muted in U1607, possibly because of rougher weather, and manifested as a double trough or "W" in U1608 (Fig. 7 and 10). The difference in water depth between the abyssal (U1603) and shelfal (U1607 and U1608) could be a reason (e.g. Ziolkowski et al., 1982), but a farfetched one considering that the the seafloor are, respectively, 506 to 414 milliseconds away and the nearfield hydrophone is only 2 m from the source. As of the writing of this report, the closest explanation is from the results of Wang et al. (2014), which invokes shock wave interaction with the hull. The reflected peak is at about 34 ms or 13 ms from time break, which is equivalent to a one-way distance of 19 m, given the sonic velocity of 1484 m/s for the upper 10 m of the water column. For reference, during the exercise, the crane boom angle of 30 degrees (E. Tan, pers. comm.) would have placed the guns at about 20 m from the hull. In addition, the servicing of the guns and the complete opening of the pressurized air line would have contributed to stronger charge or shock wave that got reflected. But then again, why was this reflected peak and W-shaped ghost not seen in U1607A, right after the servicing? Could the rougher sea surface there have muted this wave components? Or is this phenomenon enhanced in colder environments that have a different fluid property?

In hindsight, this kind of exercise could be implemented during each VSI operation. The extra 15 to 25 minutes of work would be well worth the amount of information that can be gathered and used as a reference for succeeding operations, even beyond IODP. After all, it's a bubbly experience!

Shipping

Items received

None

Items shipped

APCT3 #1858022C inside cutting shoe (see ET Report).

Expedition 395: North Atlantic Mantle Convection and Climate

Technician: Mark Higley

Scientists: Katharina Hochmuth and David McNamara

Summary

Expedition 395 recovered mostly sediment due to the lack of severing tools (explosives) for most of the expedition which, as a safety precaution, prevented drilling into hard rock. The severing tools were eventually delivered to the JR 2 weeks before the EOX via the icelandic coastguard while the JR was waiting on weather at the last hole (U1564F). Wireline logging was attempted at U1602E but only a downlog was collected due to stuck tools. No VSI was attempted due to presence of abundant protected species however the issue with one of the gun solenoids not firing was resolved. The niskin bottle and CTD were deployed at U1564F for both the casing drill in and the re-entry. The APCT3 was used at all sites with the exception of U1562 and the data was generally very good.

Wireling Logging

Table 1: Summary of Schlumberger wireline logging runs.

VSI

The previous expedition (X399) reported that one of the VSI guns could be triggered using the box at the fantail but not in the telemetry lab indicating some sort of break in the line between the telemetry lab and the fantail box.  This expedition encountered the same issue. As a work around, the cables were re-wired at both the fantail tail box and the box in the telemtry lab on the wall so that the cables that were being used for the time break switches are now used for the solenoids. This should not pose any problems since we have the hydrophone which performs the same function as the time breaks and is more reliable (per SLB engineer). Because the cables were swapped on both ends, the boxes are hooked up the exact same as before (i.e. connect the time break fly lead to the time break connector on the box, and the solenoid fly lead to the solenoid  connector). See write up below from the SLB engineer with more details:

• Tested existing configuration and found that Gun Solenoid #1 was NOT firing; swapped ports on the Schlumberger end to confirm that this was not due to settings or a fault with the WSI shooting box
• Connected a “shunt” (i.e. dummy plug with the two lines shorted together) to the Solenoid #1 port at the fantail end while checking the resistance reading on the telemetry office end to confirm if the problem was a short, an open, or not related to the cable.  This showed that the resistance on the Solenoid 1 lines (which were lines #1 and #2 in the cable that runs below the pipe racker, which I shall refer to as the “link cable”) was around 190k with the line open and around 90k with the shunt in place.  This was an ambiguous result, so it leads us to believe that the insulation between those two lines may be breaking down at higher current. 
• Conducted the shunt test on the Time Break #1 sensor lines and found that they behaved as expected:  the meter showed an open line with the shunt disconnected, and 5.4 ohms (short) with the shunt in place, thus proving that the lines (#3 and #4 in the link cable) would be suitable for use as gun solenoid lines.
• Tested resistance on Solenoid #2 port with nothing connected to the fantail end and only a multimeter on the telemetry end and found that resistance between the two wires associated with that solenoid was approximately 1 megaohm, which is less than nominal, but still operational.
• Decided to swap the lines used for the #1 gun solenoid with the ones used for the #1 time break sensor, as TB sensors are typically not used for anything anyway, provided there is a hydrophone available to use as the primary “surface sensor” during the seismic survey.  The nitty-gritty of this is that within the link cable, wires #1 & #2 were allocated to the solenoid while #3 & #4 served the TB1 sensor.  We opened the interface box on the fantail and physically swapped the wiring at the terminal block so that the solenoid header now connects to the good lines 3 & 4 rather than the faulty lines 1 & 2.  We then made the same swap inside the interface box in the telemetry lab so that the Gun #1 Solenoid input would be routed to lines 3 & 4 while 1 & 2 would carry the signal from TB1.
• Tested the system again using a test solenoid on the fantail and a manual firing pulse from the Schlumberger WSI interface module (shooting box) and found that, as expected, both guns were firing reliably.  There is no good way to test a time break sensor at surface, but since it was a redundant and thus unused measurement anyway, if it turns out to be faulty now that the lines have been swapped, we’ll simply ignore it like we always have anyway.
• In terms of how things are physically connected, there is no change to the front panel port layouts; all changes were made “behind the scenes” on both ends, so when it comes time to connect the guns, they will still be connected just as they always have been, in accordance with the labels on the front of the panel – the signal re-route occurs between the fantail interface box and the telemetry lab interface box, but all external connections remains just as they always have been.
• In terms of longevity, the take-away is that the insulation between the lines in the link cable running from the telemetry lab interface box to the fantail interface box (routed under the pipe racker) is very likely beginning to break down due to age.  The latest workaround puts the critical signals on lines that are still good, and it is likely that it will continue to function for the remainder of the IODP program (i.e. through Sept. 2024) and perhaps afterward, but if there is any need for those lines post-IODP, it may be prudent to replace the link cable at some point before it fails entirely.
• Bottom Line:  Both guns are now firing normally; just connect them as labelled (no changes made on the front end) and the system should work normally.  Time Break #1 may or may not work, as we essentially moved the fault from the solenoid to the TB sensor, but since it isn’t normally used for anything anyway, that should have no impact on operations at all.

VIT

• The VIT was used at hole U1564F to drill in 550 meters of 10 3/4" casing. The VIT was deployed for both the drill in and the re-entry. The niskin bottles and CTD were deployed both times.
• The beacon release was not changing tone when it was triggered. Typically, when the signal is sent to the beacon release to activate it, the tone changes confirming that the beacon release has recieved the signal. No change in tone was being noticed when the signal was sent despite the beason recieving the signal (as confirmed by the fact that the niskin bottles closed). Becasue of this, the beacon release was replaced which fixed the issue.
• A new niskin bottle trigger cord guide was 3D printed because the old one cracked where it is bolted to the beacon release. The bolt holes were made slightly larger to better accomodate the mounting bolts. The .stl and .sldprt files are on the confluence 3D printer page.
• New camera in the glass dome (closest to the CTD and Niskin bottles) is not set up to be displayed on any of the monitors. Currently, the only place it can be seen is in the DP office. This made it difficult to see the weighted indicator lines for the niskin bottles. Additionally, this camera has the capability to rotate, tilt, and zoom but none if this functionality is currently set up.

Niskin Bottles

The duel niskin bottle setup (4L +1L) was used to collect 5 liter samples of water for neodymium analysis at U1564E. The bottles were deployed for both the casing drill in as well as the re-entry. The scientist only need 5L of sea water but the bottles were deployed for both VIT runs in case the bottles malfunctioned during the re-entry there would be a backup. The intent was to use the sample collected during re-entry as the primary sample.

On the first VIT run, the weighted indicator line became caught in the bottom cap when it closed preventing a good seal. Because of this, the full volume was not collected as the water ran out of the bottle as it came to the moon pool door. On subsequent runs, the weighted indicator line was left off of the 5L bottle and only used on the 1L bottle. Additionally, the place where the weighted indicator line for the 1L bottle was moved

CTD

The CTD was deployed for both the casing drill in as well as the re-entry.

Formation Temperature: APCT-3

Computers:

• The port logging computer (tag#91213) was having a strange behavior were new directory folders could not be created. This happened on the local harddrive, the network drives, external drives, it didnt matter. None of the usual methods would work (right click, ctrl+shft+n, ribbon bar. Folders could be created through the command line but that was getting cumbersome.  The MCS's tried to fix the issue but the only way they could fix it was by re-creating the DAQ account. After the DAQ account was re-created, new folders could be created again. Python did not transfer to the new DAQ profile so python 3.10 was reinstalled.
• QGIS was installed on the port logging computer (tag#91213) to help facilitate creating surfaces for display in navipac. Bathymetry data was downloaded from GEBCO in an ESRI ascii grid format. This needed to be reprojected from lat/long into UTM x/y coordinates then exported using the GDAL2xyz tool into an xyz file. This could then be loaded into petrel or navipac.

Shipping:

Items received:

• CTD pressure sensor  306525 and Temp/Conductivity sensor 450466 arrived back on the ship after being calibrated on shore. Calibration documents are saved on the server at T:\IODP_Share\Logging\CTD\calibration docs, the tracking sheet on confluence (CTD Calibration Dates) has been updated, and the hard copies are in an envelope in the CTD case.

Items shipped:

• APCT3 Electronics support frame s/n 1858041C (temperature probe damaged)
• APCT3 cutting shoe s/n 1117 (has temperature probe stuck in it)
• ETBS, 2 MTT's (2 bottom sensors, 1 inline sensor), MTFM

Expedition 399: Building Blocks of Life, Atlantis Massif

Zenon Mateo, Jurie Kotze, Jr., Matt Allen, Doris Pinero-Lajas, Bridgette, Cervera, Alex Roth

Summary

Expedition 399 is a revisit of Site 1309D which is last occupied during the logging operations of Expedition 340T (2012 Feb 25 10:30H), undisturbed for 11.17 years (4,077.36 days). One aim was to profile and sample the undisturbed borehole fluid and deepen this legacy hole from 1415.5  to about 2060 mbsf. A new site, U1601, was also occupied about 4.8 km to the SSW along the meg4 seismic line and became the focus of this expedition.  In both sites, borehole temperature were measured using the ETBS and LEH-PT, and partly the CTD; borehole water were sampled using the Kuster FTS and MTFS; and wireline logging was conducted only in Hole U1601C. Using the Niskin bottles and CTD attached to the VIT, the water column was profiled and bottom water was also collected in both sites, for various microbiological and geochemical analysis, and to define water properties before and during coring.

A Quick Start User Guide was created for the ETBS and a deployment estimator spreadsheet was made for the KFTS.

A total of 15 VIT runs were conducted during this expedition, 14 of which had CTD profiles and Niskin bottle water samples. In addition, we made 1 MTFS run (9+ sampled temperature zones), 18 KFTS sampling stations from 9 runs, 9 successful ETBS runs out of 11 runs and 5 wireline logging runs that included the VSI. This report documents the logging activities and contains data and details that may not be captured in the database.

All logging activites conducted during Expedition 399 were made possible with the help and effort of many technicians, crew and scientists.

Figure 1: Expedition 399 sites U1601 and U1309D on the Atlantis Massif. Lost City Hydrothermal Field (LCHF) is about 1km south of U1601C. Multibeam data from https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.935687?format=html#download; converted to DEM using QGIS and Petrel.

Activities

WATER/FLUID SAMPLING

Several runs were made to sample bottom and borehole water. Bottom-water sampling using the Niskin bottles capitalized on the multiple hole re-entries, especially over Hole U1601C. The two Kuster Flow-Through Sampler (KFTS) and the Multi-Temperature Fluid Sampler tool (MTFS; Wheat et al., 2020) were used to sample the undisturbed borehole fluid in U1309D, prior to hole remediation and drilling and also at total depth. Additional sampling runs, particularly in U1601C, were also made in order to capture any short-term changes in borehole fluid properties, especially after the borehole was totaly flushed with freshwater.

Niskin Bottles

A pair of 1.7 and 5L Niskin bottles (General Oceanics) is attached in a series to the release mechanism of the deep-water Dynamic Positioning/Locator Beacon (Model BAP-547; Falmouth Scientific Inc. (FSI)) of the VIT frame.  As the VIT descends, a transducer is lowered into the moonpool and connected to an FSI Table Acoustic Command unit in the Subsea Control Room. When the sampling depth is reached, a series of 4 signals with 1 to 2 minute intervals is transmitted to a receiving transducer in the VIT. Each signal pulse causes the release mechanism gear to rotate once and spool in the chord attached to the Niskin bottles and eventually triggering the lanyard release mechanism. When a bottles closes, a weight also drops into the field of view of the survey and re-entry cameras of the VIT, visually confirming that a sample is successfully collected. The period that the acoustic signals were sent is noted, and the corresponding depth and in situ temperature and salinity is extracted from the CTD (Minos-X; AML Oceanogaphic), which is also attached to the VIT.

Water samples collected using the Niskin Bottles are curated as LIQ sample from the Hole and the tool name is "NB", with Names such as NB#1 (1.7L) or NB#1 (5L). The sampling depth is recorded as zero in the LIMS database, but the actual values (VIT and CTD depths) are entered in the Comment field. The CTD depth should be used in reporting as it is measured normal to sea level and is more accurate than the VIT depth which may also include possible cable wraps around the drillstring. From the 5L bottle, about 3.8L of water was divided into 38 aliquots; water from the 1.7L bottle was sampled for the DNA analysis. Each water sample was subdivided to measure H₂, CH₄, DIC, OAs, AAs, DOC/¹⁴C, lipids and for use in cell counting, DNA analysis, and ¹³C incubations.

Table 1: Niskin bottom-water samples and relevant parameters.

Notes:

1. Lab pH from LIMS Reports > Chemistry / Microbiology > Borehole Water (BW) > Expanded Alkalinity
2. Lab Salinity measured using handheld refractometer.

Figure 2: Scientists sub-sampling the first (pre-coring) bottom water from the Niskin bottles at U1601A. Photos from twitter.com/TheJR

Kuster Flow-Through Sampler (Kuster FTS)

Two Kuster FTS were used in a series with the ETBS at the bottom. The tools were protected inside core barrel casings or shroud and stabilized initially using 3D-printed ABS centralizers, but later replaced by machined Delrin centralizers. Tool-zero is at the bottom and the intake port and sensor offsets were accounted for during deployment.

Figure 3: Toolstring configuration, dimension and offsets of the ETBS, Kuster Flow-Through Sampler and CTD assembly. Illustrated are the shrouds that contain the actual tools. The topmost connector is a G-cup that connects with the sinker bar.

Prior to deployment, Jurie Kotze Jr. tested the 3 mechanical clocks to determine their accuracy, which would be accounted for in calculating the time to reach sampling depths (see ET Report for details). In addition:

1. Black barrel housing for Kuster were cleaned using Simple Green and pressure-washed in the catwalk.
2. Just before the sampling runs, The chamber were cleaned with milliQ water, which was collected for contamination study.
3. In between runs, especially those between coring operations, the O-rings are checked and replaced if necessary, the tools are thoroughly cleaned, especially the rod and the sample chamber. Simple Green and Scotch-Brite scrubbing pad that is rolled and passed through the barrel several times. The scientists were informed of the process and what materials were used.

For efficient deployment, especially given the deep sampling stations, a spreadsheet (KFTS Deployment Estimator) was created to calculate the required clock setting, determine the sampling depth with reference to the rig floor, account for the elevation of the intake ports from tool zero and to adjust coreline (cable) speed as needed to reach target depth. Once the required time is calculated, that clock setting is simulated to determine possible lead or lag (see ET Report for details).

Water was collected for various analysis using the vendor-provided pressure manifold assemblies. During Run 2, which targeted the lower and hotter part of U1309D, the 3D-printed ABS centralizers deformed and clogged with granule-size rock fragments. This bonded the upper KFTS-2 to the casing, such that when the head connector was unscrewed, the Kuster chamber also rotated and spilled the water sample. Succeeding runs reverted back to using the older set of gray Delrin centralizers, and a new pair was made for the second tool (see ET Report for details). Wire mesh were also used to cover both inflow and outflow ports of the KFTS and prevent debris from lodging into the valves.

Overall, the operation also proved that despite the force subjected to the tool during rig operation (i.e., when zeroing the tool bottom), the mechanical clocks did not trigger prematurely.

Table 2: List of KFTS samples.

Figure 4: Photo of the 9.3 m-long CTD-KFTS2-KFTS1-ETBS toolstring taken on 28 May 2023 01:56 UTC, just before running in to U1309C borehole.

Multi-Temperature Fluid Sampler (MTFS)

The MTFS is a tool developed by Geof Wheat, to sample borehole fluids 80 to 181 ^oC. It is described as a "a non-gas-tight, titanium syringe-style fluid sampler ... that ... collects a single 1 L sample at a predetermined temperature, which is defined by the trigger design and a shape memory alloy (SMA)" A total of 11 modules were assembled and used to sample U1309D, right after bit re-entry. During deployment , the ETBS was attached at the bottom of the string in order to provide a complete temperature profile of the undisturbed borehole. The entire toolstring was lowered through the pipe  at about 30 m/min, and through the open borehole at 10 m/min, stopping for 3 minutes at every 100 m. The 5000 lb string reached about 3045 mbrf or 26 m above the total depth. After retrieval, the modules were disassembled in the catwalk and brought into the PaleoPrep Lab for water extraction. Aside from water, some rusts scales, black powder and rock fragments were also found in the chambers. Of the 11 modules, 2 were completely full, 2 were empty and 7 were partially full, mainly due to debris wedging on the piston O-rings.

Core Catcher Water

Two sets of water were also collected from the core catcher: (1) right after the core catcher is unscrewed in the rig-floor, it is tipped upside down to let the water drip into a vial; and, (2) after the inserts are removed in the core catcher bench, a syringe is used to collect the water that pools inside the bottom lip. The water samples are analyzed for hydrogen using S. Lang's GC in the Chemistry Lab.

TEMPERATURE (and SALINITY) LOGGING

Various instruments were used to profile the water column and borehole. Except for the last VIT run, the CTD was deployed in every time, together with the Niskin bottles. The ETBS and LEH-PT (Schlumberger) were deployed during significant or specified stages of borehole operations. To estimate borehole conditions while coring, temperature-indicating strips were sometimes placed inside the core liner.

CTD

The CTD was deployed mostly with the VIT, to profile the water column and provide in situ depth, temperature and salinity values for the Niskin bottle bottom-water samples collected. However, because the MTT was not working and the ETBS had some issues and uncertainties after the first downlog, we were also given approval to deploy the CTD inside the upper part of boreholes U1601C and U1309D, where temperature is less than the sensor limit of 45 deg. C. Using a MTFS cylinder from Geoff Wheat as a capsule, it was connected at the top of the toolstring, followed by the two KTFS samplers and then the ETBS (Fig. 3).

Figure 5: CTD inside a MTFS cylinder and the adaptors needed to connect to the sinker bar and enable borehole deployment. To secure the instrument and dampen vibration, a core liner spacer is placed above the CTD and rubber pads are set on both ends (top of core liner and bottom of CTD).

Table 3: List of CTD deployments and data files.

Hole	Sensors	Log Files C:\MinosX_31067\ Logs\399\	Exported depth and pressure (in DHML PC) C:\MinosX_31067\Exports\398\398_depth or \398_dBar	Date (first CTD datapoint)	Comments	Niskin sample	VIT Run	Site Run	Hole Run
U1601A	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601a_1_mbsl.log	U1601A   2023-04-19   09 59 22 2   Down mbsl.csv ; U1601A   2023-04-19   09 59 22 2   Up mbsl.csv   U1601A   2023-04-19   09 59 22 2   Down dBar .csv ; U1601A   2023-04-19   09 59 22 2   Up dBar .csv	2023 April 19 20:03:27	Deployed over Hole U1601A prior to spudding hole A. No pre-deployment immersion.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	1	1	1
U1601B	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601b_1_mbsl.log u1601b_1_dBar.log	U1601B 1   2023-04-23   07-28-01 Down dBar .csv    U1601B 1   2023-04-23   07-28-01 Down mbsl .csv (No uplog)	2023 April 23 10:57:28 plug at 07:28:02	Deployed over Hole U1601B after drilling in casing. Extended VIt deployment until 24 April 2023 1520H (~28 hrs). CTD battery went below 6.5V and stopped logging around 0503H or about 21:35H	Yes (5L+1.7L)	2	2	1
U1309D	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1309D_1_mbsl.log u1309D_1_dBar.log	U1309D 1   2023-04-25   10-46-56 Down mbsl .csv U1309D 1   2023-04-25   10-46-56 Up mbsl .csv     U1309D 1   2023-04-25   10-46-56 Down dBar .csv U1309D 1   2023-04-25   10-46-56 Up dBar .csv	2023 April 25 11:41:57 plug at 10:46:58	Deployed over U1309D during first re-entry to deploy MTFS-ETBS.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	3	1	1
U1309D	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1309D_2_mbsl.log u1309D_2_dBar.log	U1309D 2 2023-04-26   21-16-21 Down mbsL.csv  U1309D 2 2023-04-26   21-16-21 Up mbsL.csv U1309D 2 2023-04-26   21-16-21 Down dbar .csv U1309D 2 2023-04-26   21-16-21 Up dbar.csv	2023 April 26 21:23:13 plug at 21:16:22	Deployed after first re-entry to clean out Hole U1309D.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	4	2	2
U1309D	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1309D_3_mbsl.log u1309D_3_dBar.log	U1309D 3 2023-04-28   03-11-05 Down mbsl .csv  U1309D 3 2023-04-28   03-11-05 Up mbsl .csv U1309D 3 2023-04-28   03-11-05 Down dBar .csv U1309D 3 2023-04-28   03-11-05 Up dBar .csv	2023 April 28 04:04:34 plug at 03:11:05	Deployed after coring re-entry. (VIT Run 5)	Yes (5L)	5	3	3
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_1_mbsl.log u1601c_1_dBar.log	U1601C 1   2023-05-03   15-52-29 Down mbsl .csv U1601C 1   2023-05-03   15-52-29 Up mbsl.csv  U1601C 1   2023-05-03   15-52-29 Down dBar .csv U1601C 1   2023-05-03   15-52-29 Up_dBar .csv	2023 May 3 16:11:07 plug at 15:52:30	Deployed during re-entry. Spans area between Hole B and C.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	6	3	1
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_1_mbsl.log u1601c_1_dBar.log	U1601C 2  2023-05-03   21-50-20 Down mbsl.csv  U1601C 2 2023-05-03   21-50-20 Up mbsl .csv  U1601C 2   2023-05-03   21-50-20 Down dBar .csv U1601C 2 2023-05-03   21-50-20 Up_dBar .csv	2023 May 4 00:00:54 plug at 21:50:21	Deployed after free-fall funnel. Same log file as preceding run (i.e. CTD not retrieved in between U1601C runs 3 and 4	Yes (5L)	7	4	2
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_3_mbsl.log u1601c_3_dBar.log	U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Down_mbsl .csv U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Up_mbsl .csv U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Down_dBar .csv U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Up_dBar .csv	2023 May 8 13:12:54 plug at 11:28:46	Deployed before U1601C Bit Run #1 POOH.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	8	5	3
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_4_mbsl.log u1601c_4_dBar.log	U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Down_mbsl .csv U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Up_mbsl .csv U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Down_dBar .csv U1601C 3   2023-05-08   11-28-45 Up_dBar .csv	2023 May 9 00:51:18 plug at 23:04:49	Deployed before coring Bit Run #2 re-entry.	Yes (5L)	9	6	4
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_5_mbsl.log u1601c_5_dBar.log	U1601C 5 1  2023-05-14  23-36-18 Down_mbsl .csv U1601C-5 1  2023-05-14   23-36-18 Up_mbsl .csv U1601C-5 1  2023-05-14   23-36-18 Down dBar .csv U1601C-5 1  2023-05-14   23-36-18 Up dBar.csv	2023 May 15 00:46:03 plug at 23:36:19	Deployed before coring Bit Run #3 re-entry.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	10	7	5
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_6_mbsl.log u1601c_6_dBar.log	U1601C-6 1  2023-05-20  21-23-33 Down mbsl.csv U1601C-6 1  2023-05-20  21-23-33 Up mbsl.csv U1601C-6 1  2023-05-20  21-23-33 Down dBar.csv U1601C-6 1  2023-05-20  21-23-33 Up dBar.csv	2023 May 20 23:05:43 plug at 21:23:33	Deployed before coring Bit Run #4 re-entry.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	11	8	6
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_7_dBar.log	U1601C-7 1  2023-05-25  23-01-32 Down mbsl .csv U1601C-7 1  2023-05-25  23-01-32 Up mbsl.csv U1601C-7 1  2023-05-25  23-01-32 Down dBar inc.csv	2023 May 26 02:48:17 plug at 23:01:33	Deployed before logging bit re-entry. Data log file incomplete: data dump terminated, but mbsl files are complete exported runs	Yes (5L)	12	9	7
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_8_mbsl.log u1601c_8_dBar.log	U1601C-8 1   2023-05-27   23-55-46 Down mbsl .csv U1601C-8 1   2023-05-27   23-55-46 Up mbsl.csv U1601C-8 1   2023-05-27   23-55-46 Down dBar.csv U1601C-8 1   2023-05-27   23-55-46 Up dBar.csv	2023 May 27 23:55:46 plug at 23:55:46	CTD deployed as topmost sensor with KFTS and ETBS inside U1601C borehole	Yes (KFTS #3)		10	8
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_9_mbsl.log u1601c_9_mBar.log	U1601C-9 1   2023-05-29   04-09-06 Down_mbsl .csv U1601C-9 1   2023-05-29   04-09-06 Up mbsl .csv U1601C-9 1   2023-05-29   04-09-06 Down dBar.csv U1601C-9 1  2023-05-29  04 09 06 23 Up dBar.csv	2023 May 29 05:30:37 plug at 04:09:06	Deployed before milling bit re-entry.	Yes (5L+1.7L) but not collected as sample	13	11	9
U1601C	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1601c_10_mbsl.log u1601c_10_mBar.log	U1601C-10 1  2023-05-30  02-13-44 Down mbsl.csv U1601C-10 1  2023-05-30  02-13-44 Up mbsl.csv U1601C-10 1  2023-05-30  02-13-44 Down mBar .csv U1601C-10 1   2023-05-30   02-13-44 Up mBar.csv	2023 May 30 04:19:26 plug at 02:13:44	Deployed before coring Bit Run#5 re-entry.	Yes (5L+1.7L)	14	12	10
U1309D					Not deployed during VIT run due to short turnaround with downhole CTD-KFTS-ETBS run.		15
U1309D	450864 (CT) 308233 (P)	u1309D_4_mbsl.log u1309D_4_dBar.log	U1309D_4 1   2023-06-02   22-47-49 Down mbsl.csv U1309D_4 1   2023-06-02   22-47-49 Up mbsl.csv U1309D-4 1   2023-06-02   22-47-49 Down dBar.csv U1309D-4 1   2023-06-02   22-47-49 Up dBar.csv	2023 June 3 04:19:26	CTD deployed as topmost sensor with KFTS and ETBS inside U1309D borehole. Sensors got covered with pipe grease affecting salinity data	Yes (KFTS #7)	---	4	4

During the CTD run in borehole U1309D, the sensors came back covered with signficant amount of gray pipe grease. This is because the tool and capsule diameter is close to the inside drill pipe diameter. The deployment in U1309D also occurred just after a complete run-in from the drilfloor, unlike in U1601 when it happened at the end of coring operations when several core barrel runs have gone through the drillstring. Despite this, the temperature data is excellent but the salinity data is erratic, with a large drastic shift inside the drillpipe during the downlog, which was not registered during the uplog. For future deployments, it would be good to have the capsule or the port wrapped with fine-mesh screen in order to minimize pipe grease coating the CTD sensors.

Modular Temperature Tool (MTT)

The MTT (https://iodp.tamu.edu/tools/logging/THIRD/mtt.html) was used to log Hole U1309D during Exp. 340T.  It was sent to the ship since Exp. 398P, but since then has remained non-functional.

ETBS (Elevated Temperature Borehole Sensor)

We learned a lot about the ETBS during this expedition: the components, assembly, software, pre-deployment, data download and troubleshooting. Part of the training and preparation was bench-testing the ETBS, which proved that the tool was running with ambient temperature. Given that the MTT was not working, the ETBS became the primary temperature logging tool that was deployed in all fluid-collection runs, and also with the SLB wireline logging tools.

In Hole U1309D, the ETBS was ran thrice: once with the MTFS and twice with the 2 Kuster FTS. Excellent data was collected during the important downlog of the first MTFS run to measure and sample the borehole fluid which has been undisturbed for about 12 years. In open hole, the toolstring/coreline descended at a slow rate of 10 m/min in order to minimize disturbing the lower part of the borehole. From the seafloor, the toolstring was stopped at every 100 m for about 3 minutes in order to allow the sensor to equilibrate. However, after reaching TD, the sensor recorded a drop of 20 deg. C, even if the toolstring was stationary. The subsequent uplog, and the 2 Kuster FTS runs showed erratic spikes in the data, that was also offset towards lower temperature and therefore clipped.  The data spikes was initially attributed to the down-facing design of the tool, much like the CTD, which would favor the downlog. However, tool failure was the final verdict when the ensuing bench test also showed offset and noisy readings: 5 deg reading, versus 21 deg C tool temperature in a room set to 20 deg C. 

Figure 6: ETBS data from first run in U1309D. The sensor managed to provide a good profile during the all-important first descent into the borehole but became erratic starting with the uplog and succeeding casts.

Given the erratic temperature result from the ETBS sensor 7053, we switched to the spare ("test") module with 7054 (P) and 7055 (T) electronic boards. A test run was conducted on 1 May 2023 at the end of the U1309D  Bit Run#1, while the bit was POOH at 1580 mbrf. The shrouded ETBS was sent down around 17:08H to 1560 mbrf at ~50 m/min, stayed at bottom for 10 min (1739-1749 H) before coming up at the same rate. In the lab, we found that water managed to get in to the tool via the pressure tubing. After overnight drying and cleaning of all electronic boards and terminals, we established communication with the temperature board, but not the pressure board. Given that temperature data is priority, we decided to close the pressure port to minimize the risk of future water incursion and use the new plug that has an internally threaded pressure port.

After pulling out of the hole for U1601C Bit Run #3, another test run was conducted on 20 May 2023, inside the drillstring to 800 mbsl, stopping for 3 minutes around 400 m and 10 min at the bottom (see graph below). The ETBS hysteresis is high, especially near the surface, given the construction of the sensor tip and the metal shroud that puts the sensor 1 m from the bottom. Similar to that reported in Expedition 376 (http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/376/104/376_104.html#26935), this ETBS test run also shows the underestimated temperature during downlog and the overestimated temperture during uplog. However, the average of the downlog and uplog very well matches with the CTD temperature profile taken 6 hrs after. This is also true during the actual profiling runs with the LEH-PT MTEM and CTD. During the SLB-ETBS Run#1, 5-minute stops were made every 100m, starting from the seafloor at 861 mbrf. Both MTEM and ETBS had registered cooler downlog values than the uplog, consistent with the expected warming of the borehole. The average uplog-downlog difference for the MTEM is 0.96^oC, whereas the ETBS averaged 3.28 ^oC (see graphs below). However, during the 5-minute stops, the ETBS readings drifted towards that of the MTEM values, indicative of the difference in the response time of both thermometers. Lastly, the logging winch cable spooling had to be fixed, requiring a quick pay out and reel-in at about 940 mbrf and thereby resulting in a separate second down and uplog. The deviation was more pronounced, clearly demonstrating the effect of cable/deployment speed (see graph below). It did not help that the sensors are positioned 1.3 m inside a barrel with limited outflow. Such parameters should be better constrained as part of the continuing development of the ETBS.

Figure 7: Graphs showing the performance of the ETBS compared to the CTD and MTEM from the Schlumberger LEH-PT. The ETBS underestimates on the downlog and overestimates on the uplog, but the average is only about 0.5 degrees Celsius off the average of the more sensitive instrument.

Table 4: List of ETBS runs.

Notes: * - erroneous

Temperature-Indicating Strips

These are 2x5 cm adhesive labels with 4, 8 or 10 levels or windows filled with temperature-sensitive organic chemicals that change color from white to black when the melting point is reached, supposedly indicating the maximum temperature that it was exposed to.  Adhesive temperature strips were used during Expedition 305 (http://publications.iodp.org/preliminary_report/305/prel17.html#999804). It was also extensively used during Expedition 376 (Brother's Arc) as a quick and cheap way to estimate borehole conditions while coring. Although the results are apparently affected by wetness and contact pressure, some results are proven accurate, such as when it was taped outside the ETBS barrel and gave a similar reading (cf. Site U1528 Report). The temperature strips used during Exp. 399 are left-overs from Exp. 376, manufactured in 2017 and are reported to only have a 12-month shelf life (https://www.omega.com/en-us/resources/temperature-labels).

Table 5: Inventory of Temperature-Indicating Strips (376 Proceedings Report) and those used during this expedition.

During Expedition 399, several tests were made to check if these strips still work: by using a heat gun and immersing the strip in a beaker of water and placing it inside an oven in the Chemistry Lab. Both showed progressive phase change of the windows in the strip, up to the maximum temperature that it was exposed to (see rows TT0 and OL0 in table  below). However, when these strips are deployed downhole (stuck to or taped around the sinker bar, core catcher sleeve or core liner) the different squares showed varying degrees of gray color, sometimes making it difficult to tell which temperature level was reached.This was initially interpreted as either 1) different temperature regimes as the strips travel inside the borehole or 2) pressure effect on the melting temperature of the organic compounds used as indicators.

Of the 3 positions tested, the one inside the upper end of the core liner resulted in cleaner and more pronounced color change as it was not subjected to contact pressure, stayed downhole during the entire coring time (as compared to the sinker bar which is sent down only to retrieve the core barrel). Moreover, it would capture more the temperature of the rocks and fluid that enter the core barrel and liner; a check valve on top of the core barrel prevents cool surface seawater from entering the core barrel. (Rhinehart, pers. comm.).

A very consistent result also is that in some of the 8 to 10-level strips, the darkest color change are low temperatures, but the higher temperature windows have light to moderate grayish color. This is interpreted to indicate that the strip briefly encountered such high thermal regime, possibly when pumping is stopped to disconnect the drillstring and retrieve the core barrel (~3 minutes), and after about 5 minutes of pumping while the sinker bar is retrieved, the drillstring is again disconnected for about 5 minutes in order to drop a new core barrel and add a joint of pipe. When the core barrel was dropped, the strips were exposed to such relatively higher temperature at the bottom of the hole, but may not be long enough for a complete melting or phase change of the organic indicator. However, when the drillstring is re-connected, pumping resumes and the borehole returns to a cooler temperature that persists for most of the time that the temperature strips are deployed, resulting in a lower temperature level to have a more pronounced color change.

In the table below, the images are screen captures of scans using an HP Color Laser Jet Flow MFP M880. No color correction was applied as the grayscale measurements is only to compare degrees of activation among the various levels in the same strip. Column T1 is from the temperature window/level with the highest gray value as measured in Photoshop, interpreted to be the dominant temperature while drilling/coring, when surface seawater is pumped to cool the borehole. Column T2 is the highest recorded temperature window/level that was activated within the temperature strip, interpreted to occur when pumping seawater coolant is stopped when the drillstring is disconnected to add a joint and the next core barrel is dropped into the borehole.

UPDATE: After multiple wireline logging runs, it was verified that T1 (dominant temperature) readings are close to MTEM and ETBS values .  What was interpreted as "highest recorded temperature" (T2) appears to be an artifact of pressure.

Table 6: Table documenting the deployed Temperature-Indicating Strips, the result and initial interpreations.

Figure 8: Graph of interpreted temperature strip results deployed in Hole U1601C compared to the mud temperature (MTEM) data from the LEH-PT of SLB Wireline Run #1.

From Schumacher and Moeck (2020): Cross-over point: Förster (2001) ... a depth-point in each of these wells at which the thermal disturbance due to mud circulation is zero. As the top of a well is heated by the mud circulation and the bottom is cooled, such a point has to exist for each well. The location of this so-called cross-over point was empirically determined as:

zCP=a⋅zf+b

where zCP is the depth of the cross-over point [m], parameter a=0.39 is an empirically derived fitting parameter, parameter b=267 m and zf is the final depth of the borehole [m] (Förster 2001).

Wireling Logging

Five runs of wireline loggging was conducted in Hole U1601C, given that there are 4 bottom-only tools that need to be deployed: FMS, UBI, MSS and ETBS. Instead of the LEH-MT logging head that was used during Exp. 340T, a slimline version LEH-PT was used during this expedition. Both are rated for -60 to 300 deg C. The multiple runs worked out well in terms of profiling the borehole temperature within a period of about 58 hours.

Table 7: Summary of Schlumberger wireline logging runs.

Multibeam Data

The Co-chiefs wanted to display the processed multibeam data of the Atlantis Massif (https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.935687?format=html#download) and display in Petrel for contingency planning. The NetCDF grid data was converted into geographic coordinates and was used onboard during the expedition.

1. Using QGIS, the grd data was imported into a new raster layer.
2. (Optional) Export as GeoTIFF to crop the region of interest.
3. Using the GDAL Processing module (Processing Toolbox > GDAL > Raster conversion > gdal2xyz), the grid data is converted to XYZ data, which outputs a CSV file.
4. The CSV file is converted into TSV (tab-delimited) file:
   1. For small file size, use Excel. Remove inf or no data markers and replace with a blank. Save As TXT tab-demited file.
   2. For large size grid, open CSV file in Notepad++. Use Search > Replace function to convert commas to a tab (in Word, create a tab character and copy that to Notepad++).
5. Import the TXT file into Petrel as General points/lines. In the Settings > Operations tab, "Eliminate where Z > or equal to zero or -500 in order to clean the data a bit.
6. Seismic Interpretaion > Make surface

QGIS gdal2xyz interface

Issues

1. Outstanding: possible break along the cable connecting the G gun (Solenoid 1) control switch from SLB office to aft control box.

Documentations

1. Elevated Temperature Borehole Sensor (ETBS) Tool User Guide
2. KFTS Deployment Estimator
3. Falmouth Scientific Inc. standard beam beacon #D547-001 (Model BAP-547; AMS Part Number OX0509)
4.  Use DEVI and HAZI data as input for the hole survey and plans (MD Incl Azim survey). If the default/existing survey plan is in "DX DY TVD survey" format, RMB menu>Insert New survey Plan and select the inclination and azimuth format. Verify in 3D window. If possible, use information to orient vessel during VSI experiment.

Acknowledgement

All logging activites for Expedition 399 were made possible with the help and effort of many technicians, crew and scientists.

Expedition 398P - JR Academy & School of Rock

The DHML computer had all user accounts re-created in an effort to get the ETBS connected to the computer. This effort was ultimately unsuccessful and the ETBS will run off of a laptop set up specifically for this purpose. Unfortunately, re-creating the user profiles wreaked havoc on connections and software for all other instruments which also typically use the DHML computer. The APCT3 and CTD were set up again and tested up through the upload process. The Icefield orientation tools required a full reinstall of all palm and inclin software and are also now working. These are the three tools which have been tested as they are the priority and most commonly used instruments on the computer. Other tools were not tested since the issue happened with 3 days left in the expedition and there was not enough time. 

CTD

Due to the cost associated with calibrating each sensor on a yearly basis, and the limited use of the sensors (some may not even get used before their calibration is due?), an attempt was made to see if a sensor bench check could be performed onboard to determine if the sensors were out of range before sending them back for calibration. The idea was that if the sensor reading was still within the expected range, perhaps calibration could be pushed back to every two years. It was believed conductivity and temperature would be easy enough so some conductivity solutions were made using NaCl. Unfortunately, the formulas for calculating conductivity seem to not be valid for higher concentration solutions (>.001M) required to achieve conductivities of around 50 mS/cm which is close to seawater range. This made it difficult to have a reliable known solution value to asses the sensors accuracy. David Houpt mentioned that onshore they have a metrology lab where the checks could be done with more accuracy (both temperature and conductivity) if we decide to do this in the future. The real  difficult part, however, is checking pressure. Without an accurate and reliable pressure reading, temperature and conductivity aren't really worth much regardless of how accurate they are. The pressure sensor is calibrated to close to 9000 psi. Achieving these pressures would be difficult/costly to do in house. Thus, it was determined to keep it simple and just send the sensors back to the vendor for calibration.

Niskin Bottles:

The pop barrel breakaway clasps arrived but seemed too weak to use reliably. They worked if the direction of pull was aligned perfectly with the pin but if the direction of pull was off a little, the friction in the pin caused the pop barrel to break before the pin triggered. This seemed like too close of a margin to use reliably. Several more of the 3d printed weak links were printed and used instead for both bottles. The bottles were set up so that the large 5L bottle triggers first. A triggering cord was rigged to ensure that the cord lengths between each bottle were consistently set up so as to have repeatable results when triggering. This rig assumes that the bottles are set up the same way. If a different setup is used, the cord lengths will need to be adjusted. Colored thread was sewn into the string to mark which string goes to which bottle. The red thread goes to the large 5L niskin, and the orange thread goes to the smaller niskin bottle.

Initially, the weak link was tied to the 5L niskin bottle trigger. Through testing, tying the additional knots became very tedious and resulted in lots of unwanted string tied all over the rig. To fix this, a plug was 3D printed (100% infill) which attaches to the trigger pin and the weak link can be inserted into the plug. This allows the 5L bottle weak link to be set up in a similar manner as the smaller bottle.

For the 5L bottle triggering, the black string was inserted into the weak link hole, then a simple overhand stopper knot was tied so that the colored thread was position about where the weak link was. The blue thread is where the smaller Niskin bottle trigger cord is tied into the main trigger cord that goes to the larger 5L niskin bottle. Before attaching the trigger cord to the weak links, rotate the beacon release so the the line dividing the two halves of the 3D printed drum is roughly in the middle of the guide slot (figure 2). This ensures that the proper tension will be in the trigger cord.

More photos of the setup are located on the share drive at:  T:\IODP_Share\Logging\niskin\photos\398P setup.

MSS

Two magnetite coated sleeves were received an a shipment to be used for dip switch optimization testing on the MSS. One sleeve was labeled 125 and the other was labeled 250. The sleeve labeled 125 appeared to have less magnetite in the coating. Tests were conducted by the Schlumberger engineer using an arduino to cycle through all possible combinations of dip switch settings for each sleeve, as well as with no sleeve. The test was also run with a wooden ring wound with copper to see the conductivity response. The dip switch setting that maximized the sleeve response while also minimizing the response from the tool itself was the setting chosen for the MSS. Data was sent to Trevor Williams and also saved on the share drive at: T:\IODP_Share\Logging\MSS\2021_03_29 MSSTesting

MTT

Could not communicate with the MTT. It was suspected that a communication cartridge was missing and that perhaps it was the MTFM. The MTFM was arifreighted out to the ship and received in Tarragona. Unfortunately, even with the MTFM, we were unable to communicate with the MTT. It is suspected that there is still some missing communication cartridge but it is unlikely that it will be located and shipped in time for X399.

Data Uploads

The downhole temp LORE report was revised to clean up the reporting a little bit. The standard report had 2 rows for each upload. The reason for this is that we upload files in various formats (i.e. a .png image but we also upload the .eps illustrator file for that image or a .dat as well as a .wtf for the raw data). The standard report was listing that additional files in a separate row (as opposed to a separate column). These additional files were removed from the standard report and moved to the expanded report. Previously, not all files were reported here.

Figure 7. DHTEMP standard LORE report prior to revisions.

Shipping:

Items Received:

• CTD pressure sensor  308233 and Temp/Conductivity sensor 450864 arrived back on the ship after being calibrated on shore. Calibration documents are saved on the server at T:\IODP_Share\Logging\CTD\calibration docs, the tracking sheet on confluence (CTD Calibration Dates) has been updated, and the hard copies are in an envelope in the CTD case.
• ROV Niskin water sampler 5L
• Vibration dampening U-bolt 6 1/16 in diameter (quantity = 1)
• Pop barrel break away clasps
• magnetite coated sleeves for MSS dip switch testing (stored in underway lab)
• ETBS tool was sent to shore for calibration and was returned on April 2nd
• MTT tool and MFTM
• adaptor to attatch ETBS to Schlumberger tool string
• polycarbonate 3D printed APCT3 electronics frame

Items Shipped:

CTD pressure sensor 306525 and Temp/Conductivity sensor 450466 were sent back to shore for annual calibration.

Expedition 398 - Hellenic Arc Volcanic Field

This expedition cored twelve sites around the Cristiana, Santorini and Columbo (Kolumbo) volcanoes, including four sites inside the Santorini caldera. APCT-3 and SET2 formation temperature were measured in only 2 sites and wireline logging was partially conducted in one site due to risky borehole conditions. Petrel enabled core-log-seismic integration, initially using time-depth estimates from the prospectus and later using the PWL and PWC.

In preparation for Expedition 399, a 5L ROV-type Niskin bottle and accessories were ordered, and the VIT attachment was modified to accommodate the two water samplers.

Multibeam swath bathymetric map of the Hellenic Arc Volcanic Field (Nomikou et al., 2012; 2013, Hooft et al., 2017) showing the location of the 12 sites cored and the seismic lines loaded into Petrel for the core-log-seismic integration.

Activities

Core-Log-Seismic Integration

Petrel was used to display and plot 2D reflection seismic lines and multibeam bathymetric data and integrate drilling (ROP, core recovery), petrophysical and geological (lithology and average grain size) core data. Time-Depth Relationships (TDRs) were calculated using predicted velocities, PWL and PWC velocities and where recovery is good, synthetic seismograms were generated and refined.

As per request by the logging scientists, also loaded into Techlog for reference are legacy FMS run data from seven sites of expeditions 324 (Shatsky Rise) and 340 (Lesser Antilles volcanic field), but never used in the end.

The Data Access module of GeoDesc is very useful in donwloading and displaying the core description data in Petrel, particularly the lithology principal name and average grain size, which was converted to the phi scale. To make sure the data does not extend into the gap between each core, the "Bottom depth recovered (m)" coumn from the Core Summary table of LORE was included in the top depth of the lithology or grain size table and later sorted (see figure below),

Wireline Logging

Given the significant 2D seismic stratigraphic analysis done for this expedition, the 3 toolstrings are planned to be deployed for each site: TC, FMS-sonic and VSI. For the VSI, a hanging depth of 3.5 m is requested for the 2x250 in³ G guns in order to minimize ghosting and capture the signal up to 200 Hz. To approximate the requested hanging depth, the 8-ft nylon sling can be folded into two and hang from the buoy (verify assembled length when crane pickes up the assembly). Furthermore, a 25 m station spacing was proposed for the VSP experiment, pending borehole wall condition.

However, most of the wireline  logging were cancelled due to the very risky borehole conditions, to the extent that 3 BHA were severed in order to extract the drill string and free the vessel from the seabed. Despite this, data from the recovered core were enough to accurately correlate with the reflection seismics, even to the point of generating synthetic seismograms to further refine the time-depth relationships.

Formation Temperature: APCT-3 and SET2

In addition to the APCT-3, the SET2 tool was also prepared to anticipate consolidated formation with elevated temperature.

CTD

The VIT was deployed only twice, over Hole U1599C, first to observe the POOH on the evening of 1 February,  and then for the re-entry around midnight of February 6-7. Both runs did not apply the pre-deployment water immersion. However, for the first run, the CTD was unintentionally equilibrated when the VIT was lowered to 20 mbsl for 15 minutes but was raised back to 3 mbsl prior to the final descent (see graph below). This may have helped in reducing the hysteresis to an average of 0.01^oC for the temperature, compared to the 0.04^oC for the second run. Moreover, during the second run, a winter storm also went through the site, dropping air temperature by about 2.5^oC and with northerly winds gusting to 30 kts, instead of 20 kts during the first run.

Niskin Water Sampler

No bottom water sample was requested during this expedition. However, in preparation for Exp. 399, a 5L Niskin Bottle (ROV version) was requested by P. Blum, for B. Julson. The release mechanism for this bottle is simpler, requiring only a small spring-assisted pin to be pulled.

The Niskin bottle mount in the VIT was modified to be able to accommodate the 1.7L and 5L bottles. Both can be triggered independently, at the same depth (in which case the 1.7L bottle serves as a back-up) or at different depths (i.e., deep and thermocline waters).

Designed, printed and tested prototypes for a breakaway connector for the requested ROV type 5L Niskin bottle. In the end, an off-the-shelf simple and cheap extruded plastic connector was ordered as an alternative to the originally designed shear ring. Need to be tested when the item reaches the JR. For reference, the 3D printed black PLA shear pin requires a pull of about 2 lb to release.

Issues

1. Loading a seismic profile with duplicates and geometry problems: use SEGY toolbox, interpolate duplicate coordinates, cropped lower part (or traces both ends), delete dead and zero traces, AND use very Nth trace coordinate.

Documentation

1. Techlog project Exp390_324-340 contains data from the FMS runs of holes (Exp. 324 Shatsky Rise) U1347A, U1348A, U1349A, (Exp. 340 Lesser Antilles) U1394B, U1395B, U1397B and U1399C.

2. Published a user guide for creating a surface in Petrel (bathymetry, magnetics, gravity, etc.).

3. Reference for safe distance of air-gun to ship's hull: Tulett, J. R., Duncan, G. A., and P. R. Thompson. "Borehole Seismic Air-Gun Sources: What's the Safe Distance from a Ship's Hull?." Paper presented at the SPE International Conference on Health, Safety and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 2002. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/74177-MS (pdf).
   1. From the Sercel manual, 2 G. guns in paralel cluster with 500 cu. in volume, at depth of 5 m and pressurized to 3,000 psi would yield a 6.5 b-m signal (0-peak). Divided by 0.83, this would give a Conservative Safe Distance (m) of 7.8 m. Even with a peak-peak strength of 11.7 b-m, the Conservative Safe Distance (m) Conservative Safe Distance would be 14.1 m, still much less than the actual gun distance of 20 m during VSI operation.
4. For reference, VSP station spacing is 15 to 30 m and checkshot stations are between 61 to 305 m.
5. Petrel 2016 licenses good until Februaru 7, 2025!

Source Depth

Email from Christian Huebscher (X398 Correlator/Geophysicist):

The firing depth of the G-Gun cluster is 7 m according to the manual.
The reflection at the water-air interface above the cluster is called "ghost reflection". Due to the negative impedance contrast, phase inversion occurs.  The ghost reflection disturbs the primary signal and creates a so-called "notch" in the frequency spectrum, which is a kind of gap. The frequency of the notch can be easily calculated:
If z is the cluster depth, then the corresponding wavelength of the notch frequency is z/2 (the length of the two paths is z, which should cause positive interference, but the phase inversion creates destructive interference when the primary signal and ghost signal are superimposed).
See the attached figure, which I took from the SODERA manual. The tow depth was 5 m, so the wavelength at which destructive interference occurs is 10 m. The speed of sound in water is about 1500 m/s, so the frequency is 150 Hz (speed = frequency x wavelength). In the right part of the figure, you can see that the amplitude is strongly attenuated at about 150 Hz (not exactly there, since the velocity is not exactly 1500 m/s and the depth can vary slightly).
I expect usable frequencies up to 200 Hz. If we fire the cluster at 3.5 m, the notch will be shifted to > 200 Hz. We might lose some of the maximum amplitude, but considering that the water depth is shallow and, for example, all of our seismic reflection data was taken with a single GI gun in true GI mode (generator 45 cubic inches, injector 150 cubic inches), I guess it should be OK, but of course I don't know the sensitivity of your VSI tool, and depend on your expertise.

NOTE: This frequency notch is manifested in the far field signature or the geophone signal received in the borehole. Open the raw or stacked geophone SEGY file and display as a spectrum plot in Seisee or Petrel. Below is an example of a spectrum plot from 399-U1601C Run5, file Srv01_Zvsp_RAW_STACK_RECEIVER_Z.segy. This is for a 250 cu. in G gun, pressurized to 2000 psi, hung 7 mbsl and using a 1527 m/s sonic velocity from 0-7 mbsl (based on CTD data), giving a notch frequency of 109 Hz.

Shipping

1. Send out SET2 #1854449C (assembly tip, electronics with battery) back to John VanHyfte and Andrew Howard for calibration. It required special handling due to the lithium battery soldered into the electronics assembly. 

   Vendor: Battery Mart
   BM Part #: BAT-COMP-2-1       
   Voltage: 3 Volt    
   Capacity: 1400 mAh       
   Type: Lithium  
   
   (For BAT-COMP-5)
   Height: about 33.5 mm     
   Diameter: about 17.0 mm      
   Shipping Weight: about 0.12Lbs (1.92 oz)

   
   
2. To Receive from Shore after X398:

   1. Rov Niskin Water Sampler, 5L (US$ 677 + SH) [Quantity = > 1]

      Blue tagged as item ID N2408, arriving in Tarragona, Spain (398P) on Shipment T398P02S, Pallet ID 054446, Parcel 18782

      https://www.generaloceanics.com/rov-niskin-water-sampler-5l.html

      

   2. Vibration Dampening U-Bolt: 316 Stainless Steel, Plain, 1/2"-13 Thread Size, 6 1/16 in Inside Wd/Dia  (US$71.04 +SH) [Quantity = 2]

      Completed requisition #2301014BDJ. Arriving in Tarragona, Spain (398P) on Shipment T398P02S, Pallet ID 054443 (K-Box), Parcel 18713

      https://www.grainger.com/product/ZSI-Vibration-Dampening-U-Bolt-4MWH5

   3. Breakaway Clasps (connectors)

Requisition #2301009JOM Arriving in Tarragona, Spain (398P) on Shipment T398P02S, Pallet ID 054443 (K-Box), Parcel 18710

AMS Description: 100pcs Black Plastic Buckles Lanyard Safety Breakaway Pop Barrel Connectors for Paracord & Ribbon Lanyards Necklace

https://www.amazon.com/100pcs-Breakaway-Connectors-Paracord-FLC090-B/dp/B00PU47FRW/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_2_1/138-8435057-6067412?pd_rd_w=lfcwZ&content-id=amzn1.sym.1e7a0ba4-f11f-4432-b7d8-1aaa3945be18&pf_rd_p=1e7a0ba4-f11f-4432-b7d8-1aaa3945be18&pf_rd_r=WAA9ZMPFB8B0N5TZDVMT&pd_rd_wg=6frk7&pd_rd_r=88e43ef9-1c65-4ec8-a530-96f1e29c4dad&pd_rd_i=B00PU47FRW&psc=1

Expedition 397 - Iberian Penninsula

Items Received:

CTD pressure sensor 306526 and Temp/Conductivity sensor 450735 arrived back on the ship after being calibrated on shore. Calibration documents are saved on the server at T:\IODP_Share\Logging\CTD\calibration docs, the tracking sheet on confluence (CTD Calibration Dates) has been updated, and the hard copies are in an envelope in the CTD case.

Items Shipped:

CTD pressure sensor 308233 and Temp/Conductivity sensor 450864 were sent back to shore for annual calibration.

APCT3

The latest calibration files were missing from the downhole computer. The only calibration files found on the downhole computer were from 2019 or later. Additionally, these files were located in C:\Antares\WinTemp\Calibration\CalibrationFiles whereas WinTemp searches C:\Antares\WinTemp\CalibrationFiles for the calibration. The user had to manually navigate to the correct folder in order to load a calibration file. The current (year 2022) calibration files (.wtc) and the .pdf documents were found on the ET's computer. The old calibration files as well as the current calibration files were moved to the directory that wintemp searches(the old calibration is in an archive subdirectory). After moving the files, the user no longer needed to navigate to the correct directory and load the calibration.

Wireline Logging

Expedition 393 - South Atlantic Transect 2

Expedition 393 is the last in a series of 4 expeditions in the middle of the South Atlantic. Occupying 4 of the 7 total sites, this expedition also provided an opportunity for repeated downhole activities that potentially captured temporal variations. This is on top of the rare site layout that transect the western flank of the Atlantic mid-oceanic ridge. Given this rare chance for a spatio-temporal coverage, a list of downhole activities were conducted during this expedition: the normal wireline logging, APCT-3 runs, CTD profiling and Niskin bottom water bottle sampling for microbiology.

Activities

Wireline Logging

A new Schlumberger Logging Engineer, Kirby Garrett, sailed aboard the JR this expedition, with Giles Guerrin (LDEO-RG) as the logging scientist.

APCT-3

All run sheets are scanned and copied to :\data1\14.1 Formation Temperature APCT-3_ SET_ WINTEMP_ TPFIT

CTD

For Expedition 393, we had 9 deployments of the CTD, at all 4 sites. Only one set of sensors were used for all runs, and will be sent back to AML Oceanographics for re-calibration at the end of the expedition: CT.Xchange 450735  and P.Xchange 306526

¹ Exported_Depth in DHML PC C:\MinosX_31067\Exports\393\393_depth; Exported_Pressure in DHML PC C:\MinosX_31067\Exports\393\393_dBar

Given the derived sonic velocity (SV) from the CTD runs, different averaging techniques were also calculated and used as input in the Knudsen EchoSounder. Result from this single site show that the integral harmonic or arithmetic mean as defined by Maul and Bishop (year) provide the most accurate water depth estimate.

Niskin Water Sampling

The expedition microbiologists, Jessica Labonte (TAMU Galveston) and Shu Ying Wee (TAMU CS), requested that the Niskin bottle be deployed with the VIT in order to collect deep water samples that are closer in composition to what is circulated within the rocks, as compared to the surface water that was often used in the past. The closing mechanism designed during Expedition 391 was used and tested on deck, and was given approval by SIEM Electrical Supervisor that the 3D-printed PLA shear pin is of the proper strength to prevent stripping off the gear mechanism of the beacon release system. The previous mounting was modified by using a U-bolt to hold the bottle. The visual indicator for the release was made more discrete to the search camera view by using a clear nylon line with a rubber weight. The sequence of video still captures from the search camera shows the nylon lanyard across the lower right corner of the field of view, and how it swung out during the release.

Below are annotated photos of (L) the lanyard and chord routing and attachments; and (R) the pre-deployment closed set-up for the petcock assembly and air vent: turn the upper air vent screw clockwise and the lower petcock pull disc out. Also, make sure that there's minimum slack on the trigger chord  because the beacon release mechanism rotates only once for every command sent from topside (too much slack will require sending the trigger signal several times).

For this expedition, we collected 7 deep water samples from 3 sites. The noted collection time is when the visual cue for the closing of the Niskin bottle is observed via the live-stream search camera feed over the VIT Console in the Sub-Sea Shop. The VIT cable depth and sonar altitude are also noted then. When possible, collection time is later verified through a replay of the search camera video saved in the network folders :\data1\1.3 Ops Video or :\data1\1.0 Operations.

Notes:

1. VIT cable depth: two values based on the two counters at the VIT winch operator's console. The upper counter for RigWatch has a small timing delay that causes the discrepancy.
2. Date/time collected is when the trigger was sent and visual cue for closing was seen through the survey camera, possibly refined through a video playback after the operation.
3. Lab salinity was measured using a refractometer.
4. Lab temperature was measured on the 500 or 1000 ml bottles.

Water collection procedure

Each water sample is divided into 3 bottles: 250ml, 1000 ml and 500 ml (wide-mouth Nalgen bottles). A small red-white cooler (like the one previously used for the TCON station) can be used to transport these sample bottles.

1. Drain about 100 ml into the 250 ml bottle. Rinse.
2. Successively transfer and use the 100 ml to rinse the 1000 ml and 500 ml bottles. Return the wash water water to the 250ml bottle.
3. Fill the 1000 ml bottle.
4. Fill the 500 ml bottle.
5. If there's any remaining water, empty it into the 250 ml bottle.
6. Take the temperature, ideally from the bigger bottles, but can also be from the 250ml bottle. Take note of the time.
7. Hand over the water sample bottles to the scientist. Record other measurements made on the sample (e.g., pH, salinity, etc.)
8. The bottles might be returned after. If so, thoroughly rinse the bottles with DI water, ready for the next use.

Photographs: Niskin bottle on VIT, sample collection, filtration and use for microbiological culture experiments during Expedition 393. (In pictures are Jurie Kotze, Jessica Labonte and Ying Wee. Photo credits: Eric Bravo, Ying Wee and Julia Reece)

Issues

1. APCT-3 Calibration files: Calibration files saved into the electronic board are missing. The latest files were sent back from CS and every time data is downloaded from the APCT3, Wintemp has to be pointed to the corresponding calibration file. This will be the routine until Wintemp can be run as an administrator and save the files into the APCT3 electronics board.
2. Power loss on logging tools: During the Triple-Combo run into U1583F, the tool was pulled back up from 500 mbrf due to a power loss or electrical short. A similar incident happened during Exp. 392 (Agulhas Plateau) which was traced to the HNGS, but was fixed during Exp. 390. However, this time, the problem is traced to the HRLA. Given that this is now the third straight expedition that such power issue has happened from two different sonde, the main HRLA will also be sent back to SLB for further diagnosis and fix.
3. Damaged FMS: During the logging operation in U1583F,at least one of the pads was damaged, likely at the beginning of the 1st uplog. At the second descent to start the 2nd pass, the toolstring got stuck, forcing the decision to retrieve the tool. However, the FMS also was unable to enter back into the pipe. After a few maneuvers in an effort to retrieve the tool, the entire toolstring was recovered, but the FMS was badly damaged. A spare FMs is available onboard.

Documentation

1. The CTD casts in U1559B provides a complete sonic velocity profile of the water column and a chance to apply this data to those domains that the instrument was initially intended for (see Underway Geophysics Technical Report). The CTD data would better refine the VSI results by providing an accurate water column sonic velocity correction for the total transit time. However, in the SLB software and in some IODP proceedings, it appears that the required sonic velocity of the water column is only for the interval between the source (7 mbsl) and the nearfield hydrophone (9 mbsl). However, this surface water sonic velocity is higher than the average of the water column, which are respectively 1521 m/s and 1496 m/s in U1559B. The later yields a more accurate estimate of the seafloor TWT vis-a-vis with the 2D reflection seismic profile. Therefore, using an integrated harmonic or arithmetic average of the water column sonic velocity would also result in a synthetic seismogram that requires minimal bulk shift.
2. The multiple CTD profiles over Hole U1560B, between expeditions 390C and 393, provide text-book examples of the seasonal and diurnal variation of the upper mixed layer of the oceans, as illustrated by the graphs below. For more information, see Guemas et al. (2011) Impact of the Ocean Mixed Layer Diurnal Variations on the Intraseasonal Variability of Sea Surface Temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, Journal of Climate 24 (12), 2889-2914, doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3660.1

Shipping

1. Sclumberger logging tools
   1. main FMS: damaged during U1583F logging (for repair)
   2. 3rd FMS for spare parts
   3. main HRLA: caused electrical short during U1583F logging (for repair)
   4. UBI (2 tools on loan)
2. CTD sensors sent for calibration
   1. Conductivity/Temperature Sensor with part number RF53791 and serial number 450735
   2. Pressure Sensor with part number RF53794 and serial number serial 306526

Expedition 392 - Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate

Activities

Wireline Logging

Notes

• • 18 Feb 2022  Petrel license renewal ongoing, as per email from M. Berardi. Current license expires May 22, 2022. New license will be good for 3 years. Techlog license will be renewed around April 15 in order to also get a 3-year long license.
  • Discrete waveforms from the DSI are in the packed waveform channels PWF1 (lower dipole), PWF2 (upper dipole) and PWF4 (monopole). Import these arrays into Techlog > RMB > Dimension Extraction: this will extract 8 arrays for detectors 0 to 7 (PWF1_D0 to D7). For each detector array, RMB > Column extraction. The resulting individual waveforms can be opened in the data editor and exported to Excel or Notepad for manual display and processing. Alternatively, the PWF can also be extracted automatically in Techlog, using the Data preparation in the Geophysics toolbar.
  • Gilles Guerin of LDEO-BRG is now working with Tanzuo Liu in processing the logging data, after Cristina Malinverno retired last December 2021. Giles has also started extracting the DSI waveform data into binary files that logging scientists can more easily access, instead of extracting it from the DLIS file.
  • In addition to seafloor picking and depth matching, Tanzuo Liu has been applying corrections to the MSS data. From the MSS processing note:

The raw susceptibility data (are) retrieved from the conductivity channel, (whereas) the raw conductivity data (are) retrieved from the susceptibility channel. Due to such inconsistencies observed in the data recording, hole-specific corrections (are) applied using a MATLAB-based data processing code. Processing consist of:

(a) uploading the MSS raw data (LCONR and LSUSR channels) into MATLAB
(b) negating LCONR and then detrending the data with a linear-fitted baseline for the downlog and repeat pass and with poly(5)-fitted baseline for the main pass
(c) linearly-scaling the detrended data
(d) comparing the scaled data with core susceptibility data to confirm the contents of the LCONR and LSUSR channels.

The processed MSS data are provided online in ASCII format only, with four data columns: raw conductivity (LCONR), raw susceptibility (LSUSR), calculated susceptibility (CALC_MS), and borehole temperature (TEMP). The susceptibility data provided in other formats (DLIS) should not be used for direct comparison.

• • The PWL data results in a more accurate TDR than the PWC, given that whole-round samples are still confined within the liner, as oppose to completely exposed section-half samples.  This is prominent in sites where there's significant water depth.

APCT-3

APCT-3 runs during this expedition were limited, given the age and degree of induration of the overlying formation. In those sites where formation temperature were measured, the heat flow were calculated using the Pribnow et al. workbook, and results appear to agree with nearby measurements. One notable result is the non-linear geothermal gradient evident from the deep site, U1581 in the Transkei Basin. Apparently, this fast to slow rate of change is found in most polar regions or areas with strong currents that facilitate heat dissipation.

Issues

1. Status update on MSS investigation (email from T. Williams, received 17 Feb 2022):
   

   Thanks to Andrew and Max (and Tarik, one of the original developers of the MSS), we made a lot of progress in understanding the workings of the tool, but ultimately did not get the EC4/DR4 to a state where we could confidently pick up susceptibility or conductivity signals.
    
   Therefore, as you will have figured out already, it will be best to go back to the MSS combination that we have been using for the last few years, EC3/DR4, because we know it gives susceptibility data, even though the data channels are reversed.
   Clearly there are more investigations to do, but right now the priority is to collect science data.

   Note: According to the topside check that Kerry performs on the tools at the beginning of an expedition, the DR3 sonde has orders of magnitude stronger response than the DR4.
2. Yellowstone still cannot be directly accessed from the 2 logging workstations. As a work-around, Nick (MCS) has installed WinSCP in PC 90887 (portside station).
3. After the initial test and transfer of data files to LDEO via Yellowstone, succeeding transfer in either way were unsuccessful. TAMU IT apparently closed one of the firewall keys that provide direct link between JR-TAMU and LDEO. In the future, it is recommended that test files be transferred both ways in order to check the gateway, either at the beginning of the expedition or before logging operation commences.

Documentation

In the process of assisting a logging scientist in generating a reference for running his own Matlab script to determine acoustic anisotropy, I managed to get through the Techlog workflow with the help of Gilles Guerin. The steps are documented in a user guide: Acoustic Anisotropy Processing in Techlog.  This procedure is very rarely done (once in seven years ), is usually conducted as post-cruise research, so the results generated are not part of the Logging Database.

Shipping

Received from College Station: MSS deep-reading sonde D4 and Electronic Cartridge (EC#3?) for MSS D4

Expedition 391 - Walvis Ridge Hotspot

Niskin bottle on the VIT:

• Thanks to a great mount made for us on 396T we were able to quickly and safely attach the newly received Niskin bottle onto the VIT for water sampling at the sea-floor above hole. One item to note is the gas bottle rack that the bottle fits in is slightly too large a diameter. We chose not to use the filler material as it was more secure without. One solution would be to design a similar piece with the exact diameter to meet the bottles specs.(In Progress)
• The idea for triggering the sample collection mechanism was to use the beacon release as this is the only mechanical part we have control of on the VIT. Working with Siem electricians on how to best utilize the beacon release mechanism some adapter parts were designed and 3D printed so that we would be able to achieve the desired force on the Niskin trigger mechanism, the pushrod. A downward force is required to trigger the Niskin bottle, usually applied by dropping a weight down a line that the bottle is attached to. In our case a string is attached to the pushrod cap and is threaded to the beacon release so that when the beacon release is activated it turns and the string wraps around and is pulled bringing the pushrod downwards. This design ensures consistent repeatable activation while making an accidental activation during descent very difficult. Note: All 3D printed parts were printed with 100% infill to withstand the pressure changes associated with VIT operations. 
• Shown below are the printed spool and guide that attach to the beacon release to keep the string in the correct place and wind the string around pulling it (Figure 1). There is a third printed part that attaches the string to the pushrod cap shown in figure 1.
• Notice in figure 2 how the string is wrapped below the top Niskin's upper mounting block, threaded between the sample chamber and the pushrod and then over to the beacon release. This is very important and ensures a downward force applied to the trigger rod when the string is pulled.
• More pictures and video of the trigger activation in action can be found on \IODP_Share\_IODP_Technical_Manual\DHML\Current\Niskin Bottle on VIT.

                                        Figure 1                                                                                  Figure 2

Expedition 396T - Transit from Reykjavik, Iceland to Cape Town, South Africa

Activities

• Worked with Schlumberger Logging Engineers to improve the VSI caliper arm tip for better performance in wide and soft-walled boreholes. The VSI shuttle, arm and tips were modeled in Solidworks and Fusion360 prior to 3D printing. Discussion is ongoing with SLB engineers in Houston.

Figure 1. Comparison of standard (left; brown), extended (center; beige) and proposed (right; green) VSI caliper tips.

• Site Survey Data for Expedition 392 (Agulhas) were downloaded and partially plotted in a Petrel Project. For the seismic reflection profiles, the coordinates fro the traces and separate navigational file are not used. instead, a polyline is created in Petrel and the SEGY file is fitted along the line. This method resulted in the same plots as those in the Prospectus.

Shipping

Shipped to College Station from Reykjavik: MSS deep-reading sonde D4

To air-freight from Cape Town to College Station, Electronic Cartridge (ELC) for MSS D4.

Air freight to arrive in Cape town: 2 FMS sondes

Expedition 395C - Reykjavik

Activities

Wireline Logging

Notes

• • 14 Jun 2021  Techlog license successfully activated on both logging workstations
  • The Yellowstone transfer folder between JR and Lamont is currently not available through the 2 Logging workstations. Current work-around is to place the raw logging files to a network folder (i.e., Data1/Logging), where the MCS will copy it to the actual Yellowstone folder. Both out and inbound file transfer were tested and working well during this expedition.
  • For future logging operations:
    
    • For future expeditions covering soft sedimentary sequences and where VSP is extremely important, consider measuring the strength of the cored materials, using the AVS, penetrometer or shear vane. This will aid in determining the feasible VSI stations where the formation strength is high enough for the required clamping force of the VSI caliper arm.
    • For the future version of Rigwatch, a display of the running average of the heave is more useful than the instantaneous values, for anticipating and adjusting the wireline heave compensator.
  • In all wireline logging runs with the MSS, the resulting profiles are similar to the MSL/MSP core data.
  • During the VSI run at U1562B, the distance of the hydrophone to moonpool was calculated based on the boom angle of crane #3. The average water column sonic velocity of 1490 m/s was also entered in MAXIS.
  • The VSI Experiment in hole U1562B allowed a review of the 2x250 cu. inch parallel G gun seismic source signature.

Source signature of the 2x250 cu. inch parallel G guns at 7 mbsl, as recorded by the near-field hydrophone hanging directly 2 m below.

Note the clipping of the primary pulse, even at the lowest gain setting. The zoomed-in diagram below illustrates the chronology of events included in the waveform.

Surface sensor QC plot of the break time pick for each shot (chronologically from right to left).

Note the set of later (~1 ms) break time, which appear during earlier shots and accompanied by a minor precursor peak in the signal.

APCT-3 measurements

Notes

• • 09 Jul 2021 After a regular computer reboot (i.e., even without updates), WinTemp will NOT immediately recognize the logger. We (JJ, David F., Zenon) tried re-establishing communication with it through PuTTy on COM3, unplug-replug or replaced the serial cable and data logging box: none of these steps consistently work, but eventually, the software will recognize the hardware. No logical explanation at this point: for further observation.

CTD casts

This expedition afforded the opportunity to deploy the CTD along a transect of sites, to record the water column properties and demonstrate the scientific merits of the data in scientific ocean drilling expeditions. At Hole U1554F, four deployments allowed us to test a protocol that has potential bearing on the uppermost segment of the profile, which is important for the VSI experiment. Overall, the profiles along the transect show the eastward warming and deepening of the surface mixed layer resulting from the seasonal change of the upper thermocline and the North Atlantic Current impinging on the UK shelf and bifurcating into the North Atlantic Drift and Iceland Current. Though taken at irregular intervals, the nonetheless closely spaced and repeated CTD profiles at U1554F can surely be of significant value to a physical oceanographer.

Notes

• • The repeated CTD deployments at U1554F illustrates the need for the sensors to equilibrate to seawater conditions prior to actual profiling run. The manufacturer suggests keeping the instrument stationary for 2 minutes after immersion, but it is not possible with the VIT deployment. As such, the next best option is to immerse the sensors in a container of freshwater, while the CTD is already mounted on the VIT. This will allow the instrument to (1) adjust to aqueous conditions while (2) preventing it from prematurely starting the log for the seawater column. This step cannot totally eliminate the hysteresis between the down and up casts, but aims to at least minimize it, especially considering that the sonic velocity of the uppermost 9 m is the most critical input value for the VSI experiment.

Temperature profiles of the upper 100 m of the water column from the 4 CTD deployments in U1554F, illustrating the warming of the surface mixed layer at the start of the boreal summer.

More importantly, runs 3 and 4 had the sensors immersed in fresh water until the time of deployment, resulting in less obvious hysteresis between the down and up casts. For reference, run 1 equilibrated to atmospheric conditions, resulting in a later adjustment to seawater conditions (e.g. apparent "deep mixed layer") during downcast. Run 2 had partial immersion of sensors, which allowed the downcast to capture variations in the upper 15 m, similar to those shown in the upcast but with a significant offset.

Photograph of the CTD attached to the VIT, and the sensors are immersed in a container of fresh water. The container sits on the moonpool door, but is secured by a rope to prevent it from falling into the moonpool.

• • The average sound velocity reported by SeaCast is a straight average of the calculated sound velocity throughout the down and up casts. Alternative methods include the integral harmonic (MSV) and integral arithmetic (Sv) average as described in Maul and Bishop (1970).
    
    
  • Warning on overwriting SeaCast log data file: When plugging the CTD to the PC, SeaCast will automatically download the log file. This is often completed during the first time the CTD is connected after a survey. HOWEVER, subsequent connections (i.e., to verify battery charge) may prompt the user to abort the automatic data download, which will overwrite the previously written log file with a shorter incomplete log version! Either (1) make a copy of the first complete log file into a different sub-folder, or (2) erase the data in the CTD after the initial download.

• • When zeroing the pressure sensor, the baseline pressure differs between when the DHML watertight door is closed or open. However, it is uncertain what reference value the instrument or pressure sensor will use as a barometric pressure offset for the actual run. It may be useful to take note and compare both values in the log sheet for the succeeding deployments.

Follow-up Work

Seismic-well tie entails correlating core data with wireline logging and seismic reflection profiles, in order to expand the interpretation from a single (core and log) to a two (or three)-dimensional domain. It is a step-wise process that advances with available data to improve the accuracy, potentially starting with matching the profile of core physical properties with the equivalent but more complete and in-situ measurements afforded by wireline or downhole logging. Typical industry practice involves deriving the time-depth relationship using the downhole sonic velocity data. At about 15-cm resolution, the downhole sonic is ideal in generating a synthetic seismogram, which is the ultimate test and proof of the seismic-well tie. However, the high resolution measurement also incurs cumulative error. For this reason, the downhole sonic data requires the correction factor derived from VSPs or checkshots, which have stations at about 50m interval, and is therefore described as a "more direct measure of travel time". But then again, one of the penultimate steps in generating a synthetic seismogram requires that a bulk time shift should be applied before adjusting tie-points. This "bulk shift" is based on the maximum correlation that will be achieved between the synthetic seismogram and the corresponding trace/s for the well. In retrospect, this required bulk time shift is very likely a consequence of using a rounded value of 1500 m/s for the sonic velocity of the water column during the VSP/checkshot logging operation, instead of an empirical value specific for a site. During this expedition, the water column for each site was profiled with a CTD, and the mean sound velocity was calculated and factored in calculating the transit time for the planned VSI experiment. Of the 5 planned VSI experiments, only one was conducted during this expedition. When time becomes available, the transit time will be reviewed and recalculated to determine the difference in using measured water column sonic velocity and the error contribution of other parameters, such as accuracy of hydrophone position.

Sound velocity profile of the water column at U1562B. Integral harmonic mean velocity is 1488 m/s (rounded up to 1490 m/s in MAXIS).

Expedition 395E

• TPfit needed a MatLab licensing fix before it would run on the PC. This seems to happen every year around this time (Feb-April-ish). Probably just how our MatLab license agreement is set up. It makes no difference to how TPfit is set up or run.
• CTD training/overview conducted with tech staff who were interested or will be involved in deployments.
• Emailed Dean F. about APCT-3 tool 041C as we have a calibration file but no calibration certificate. Also asked about when to send tools to shore for calibration. No response.

Expedition 395P

• Schlumberger renewed Petrel (and Techlog) licenses for one year, instead of the previous 3-year period. However, the license sent on February 2021 had an issue with the registered MAC address. A temporary Petrel license is valid until 2021 April 10.
• Petrel projects for expeditions 390, 393 and 395 are created: loaded SEGY files, primary sites and their corresponding stacking velocity TDR models.

Expedition 390R

• Created CTD_Plotter program.
• Re-finished port side downhole workbench.

Expedition 390C

Activities:

CTD

• Raw data/logsheets transferred to DATA1\31.0 CTD.
• The first two casts were done at 1 Hz and the last one at 2 Hz.
• Dabbed a bit of Molykote 44 on sensor female connections.
• Deployed at U1559B.

• Deployed at U1558B up to where the camera failed.
• When exporting separate down/up casts, select SeaCast csv files in 'custom export'.
• Deployed at U1557D, our first CTD cast. There were no issues.
• 390C CTD notes

Expedition 384:

Activities:

• Worked with SIEM to find a place to properly secure the CTD mount onto the VIT and come up with a basic plan for securing and removing the CTD from its mount. CTD mounted

• Installed SeaCast software onto the downhole lab computer. Conducted some water bath tests to get familiar with the MinosX deployment/cleaning procedures as well as getting the data onto the computer and into a usable format.
• Set up G-gun cluster in preparation for logging and VSP. No operations issues with the guns. They have been serviced and stowed. 
• Replaced clogged needle valve on the high pressure air manifold. This was the bleeder valve on the regulator. 
• Logging winch motor seized during logging operations and must be sent away for repairs. As this is a very specialized motor there is no spare onboard or ready to be sent out.

Documentation: 

• Created an initial version of a CTD log sheet to help keep track of each run and record some useful back-up information similar to the heat flow log sheet.
• Added both the CTD and heat flow log sheets as linked files to this page. 
• All CTD/VIT mount photos can be found in IODP_OFFICIAL\UW\UW User Guides and Info\8.Photos\CTD
• Added GGun cluster photos to IODP_OFFICIAL\UW\UW User Guides and Info\8.Photos\GGun 384 as well as onto the VSP Ggun photos and information page.

Expedition 378

21 Jan 2020 Deployed SET2 tool while drilling down to target coring depth to better constrain formation temperature used in gas safety calculations. 

Expedition 378T

• Seismic well tie user guides for calibrating sonic logs and generating synthetic seismograms are created.

Expedition 385

21 Oct 2019 Kuster tool runs have been going successfully and returning water samples under pressure. Both valve assembly o-rings are being replaced each run at a minimum. As the sample chamber is being opened the valve that is opened first often blows the o-ring into two pieces, fig1. The tool was pressurized in the lab to 800psi and this could be observed to dislodge the o-ring, fig2. The samples are coming back above 2000psi which is why we are seeing the o-ring completely tear apart. This did not affect the sample taking negatively, as the o-ring had to be replaced anyway following a deployment.

fig1             fig2

22 Oct 2019 Changed TPFit code so that the help window no longer appears every time the program is run. Original copy of TPFit was saved and labeled accordingly.

24 Oct 2019 Ran ETBS tool to bottom of U1547D after coring was completed. Proceded to collect a sub-bottom survey across U1547 & U1548 and all of Ring-vent.

-- Started a Kuster FTS Tool page and the beginnings of a user guide. Need to find more technical info ideally from Probe1(Kuster) themselves to go along with our information.

Expedition 382

Downhole Logging Technical Report

Addendum: During the inbound transit to Punta Arenas, the Bathy2010 CHIRP was used to collect sub-bottom profiles (L6T), particularly before Site U1535 and after U1534. The following are the approximate acquisition parameters: