UT3 Issue Two 2017
Pipe Repair Underwater Vehicles
1
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
2 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
UT3 Issue 2 2017
UT2 Issue Two 2017
Pipe Repair Underwater Vehicles
1
UT2 Issue 2 April June 2017
Tritech Gemini sonar on an Outland ROV. Image: Tritech
Vol 11 No 2
Society for Underwater Technology 1 Fetter Lane London EC4A 1BR
+44 (0) 1480 370007 Editor: John Howes John@ut-2.com Editorial Assistant: Mahatma Coat Production: Sue Denham Advertising: Zinat Hassan UT3subsea@gmail.com ISSN: 1752-0592
Published by UT2 Publishing for and on behalf of the Society for Underwater Technology. Reproduction of UT2 in whole or in part, without permission, is prohibited. The publisher and the SUT assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material, nor responsibility for content of any advertisement, particularly infringement of copyrights, trademarks, intellectual property rights and patents, nor liability for misrepresentations, false or misleading statements and illustrations. These are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Opinions of the writers are not necessarily those of the SUT or the publishers.
3
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
NEWS
4 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Shah Deniz Stage 2 The second jacket for the Shah Deniz Stage 2 platforms - the Quarters and Utilities (QU) platform jacket, has sailed away from the Heydar Aliyev Baku Deepwater Jackets Factory (BDJF). The transportation, launch, positioning, pile installation and final completion activities of the jacket structure are expected to take around 75 days, depending on the prevailing weather conditions. The construction of the jacket was completed ahead of schedule and was then successfully loaded onto the transportation barge STB-1 at the quayside of BDJF. The QU platform jacket, built by the BOS Shelf, Star Gulf and Saipem consortium, was fully constructed in country at the BDJF, using local construction infrastructure and facilities. 2000 people including sub-contractors and specialist vendors were involved in the construction works. The QU platform jacket weighs approximately 12 084t and stands 105m high. It contains 31 J-Tubes, 7 utility caissons and 3 J-tube caissons. The jacket will be installed in a water depth of 95m.
5 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
NEWS Cara ENGIE E&P Norge has awarded contracts for feasibility studies for the Cara project (PL 636) in the Norwegian part of the North Sea to TechnipFMC AS and Aker Engineering and Technology. The companies will conduct two separate and parallel studies that will identify various subsea solutions for a tie-in of Cara to the Gjøa installation. The work has started and will be completed in June 2017.
Cara
Damen Shipyards to Acquire Keppel Verolme shipyard in Rotterdam Since 1957, the Verolme yard has been active in the Botlek area of the Port of Rotterdam with three graving docks, a quay capacity of over 1800m and approximately 250 employees. With the largest dock measuring 90 by 405m Damen will gain capacity to cater for the largest maritime objects. Currently, Damen’s biggest dock 46m x 307m in the Netherlands is located in Rotterdam. Damen intends to continue activities in the Botlek area with the current employees of the yard.
Trestakk Norwegian authorities have approved the Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) of Statoil's Trestakk discovery on the Halten Bank in the Norwegian Sea. Investments are calculated at NOK 5.5 billion, almost half of the original estimate. Trestakk was discovered in 1986, and expected recoverable volumes are 76 million barrels of oil equivalent, mainly oil. Tied into the Åsgard A production vessel, Trestakk is expected to come on stream in 2019. The field development comprises of a subsea template and a tied-in satellite well. Three production wells and two gas injection wells will be drilled.
DeepOcean Total has started up production from the Badamyar project, located offshore 220km south of Yangon in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The project will enable an extension of the Yadana gas field’s 8 billion cubic meters per year production plateau beyond 2020.
6
The Badamyar project involves the installation of a new wellhead platform connected to the Yadana production facilities, and the drilling of 4 horizontal wells to develop Badamyar gas field as a satellite of Yadana. The project also includes a new compression platform. Launched in mid 2014, the project was completed with no Lost Time Injury occurrences during the 5 million man-hours worked. Total is the operator of the project with a 31.2% interest. Its partners are Chevron-Unocal (28.3%), PTTEP (25.5%) and the national company MOGE (15%).
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Yakaar BP and joint venture partner Kosmos Energy have made a major gas discovery offshore Senegal. The Yakaar-1 exploration well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 4,700 meters in nearly 2550m of water in the Cayar Offshore Profond block by the Atwood Achiever drillship. Bernard Looney, BP Upsteam chief executive officer, commented “Yakaar-1 follows the earlier exploration success that led to the Tortue discovery and further confirms our belief that offshore Senegal and Mauritania is a world-class hydrocarbon basin. This discovery marks an important further step in building BP’s new business in Mauritania and Senegal. We look forward to results from the additional exploration wells planned for 2017.” The Yakaar discovery, coupled with the Teranga discovery, creates the foundation for a further LNG hub in the basin. BP and Kosmos will be drill stem testing the Tortue discovery in mid-2017 and will now drill 3 additional exploration wells over the next 12 months offshore of Senegal and Mauritania. In April, BP agreed to deepen its investment in Senegal by acquiring the full 30% minority participating interests that Timis Corporation held in the Saint-Louis Profond and Cayar Profond blocks offshore Senegal. This is subject to government approval and follows BP’s entry into Mauritania and Senegal through an agreement with Kosmos Energy, announced in December 2016. The Saint-Louis Offshore Profond block includes the Senegalese sector of the cross border Tortue (Ahmeyim-Guembuel) field and significant future prospectivity. Tortue is estimated to contain more than 15 trillion cubic feet of discovered gas resources.
Best choice ever
for underwater tasks everywhere the future is electric
WORLD LEADER IN UNDERWATER e-ROBOTIC SYSTEMS
7
THE UT3 FUTURE ELECTRIC Issue 2 IS April June 2017
NEWS Pre-piling Template Subsea technology company Seatools has completed the development, manufacturing and installation of a piling instrumentation and control system for the Pile Installation Frame (pre-piling template) on behalf of Seaway Heavy Lifting. This will be used for the construction of a large offshore Windfarm. Seaway Heavy Lifting will commence the offshore installation operations imminently. For this project, Seatools’ scope of supply comprised the complete mechanical, electric, hydraulic and software design of the pile template instrumentation and control system, complemented by the hydraulic and mechanical system for template levelling and pile positioning. The entire project has been successfully completed in as little as 5 months, from signing the contract to FAT. The project’s challenging deadline required close collaboration between Seatools’ in-house technical disciplines and related suppliers, as well as between Seatools and its client Seaway Heavy Lifting. Early-stage dialogues, during which Seatools linked its technical expertise to the operational expertise of the client, opened up a number of suitable technical configurations and potential solutions.
8
Complemented by a thorough FMEA analysis, this resulted in an adequate system architecture and related solutions featuring a high level of redundancy, a solid backup strategy, and innovative measurement technologies.
Njord A Pile Installation Frame
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
9 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Troll C - Illustration :Deep Ocean
Deepocean Awarded EPCI Contract for Troll C DeepOcean has been awarded an engineering, procurement, fabrication and installation (EPCI) contract for wear protection on the risers at the Troll C platform in the Norwegian Sea.
The award covers, in addition to installation, the design, engineering, procurement and fabrication of the wear protection solution for the risers on the Troll C platform.
The onshore project team will work out of DeepOcean’s offices in Haugesund, Norway. Offshore execution is scheduled for the third quarter of 2017.
deliveries, significantly enhancing the domestic Jones Act Fleet.
SEA, can perform a broad spectrum of subsea installations and removals, inspection, repair and floatel services. It can be equipped to lay umbilicals and cables and perform wellintervention and hydrate remediation operations.
Harvey Gulf Marine MPSV Harvey Gulf International Marine has taken delivery of the first of two, large capacity Multi Purpose Support Vessels (MPSV) scheduled for 2017
This first vessel, the M/V HARVEY SUBMPSV from Harvey Sub-Sea
The M/V HARVEY SUB-SEA is a 327ft x 73ft x 29ft MPSV, equipped with a 250t knuckle boom, heave compensated crane with 4000ft of wire. The crane’s winch is below deck, expanding her lifting capacity and enabling loads of 107 metric tons to be delivered to water depths of 12 000ft.
10
The Sub-Sea has 150 berths, all in 1 or 2 person rooms, 13,000 ft2. of deck space and a 24ft x 24 ft moon pool. It has a S61 (Heavy) Helideck and meets ABS DP2, SPS Code and MLC 2006 certification requirements.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
NEWS Post-Lay Trenching
DeepOcean Trencher
DeepOcean has been awarded a contract for the provision of post-lay trenching and backfilling works on 56km of power cable offshore UAE. This contract award has come on the back of two completed projects offshore UAE in 2016 and early 2017. The post-lay trenching and backfilling works are planned to commence late 2017 with DeepOcean’s T1 mobilized from the UK after the completion of an extensive upgrade. The 25t self-loading trencher T1 has successfully completed over 1650km of subsea trenches for cables and pipelines up to 20in. After the upgrade, T1 is designed to cut a subsea trench with a maximum depth of 1.4m in various soil conditions up to 40MPa. The trencher is also capable of carrying out mechanical backfill operations to assist in cable protection.
C-Fenna The newest addition to the Leask Marine fleet has just arrived in Orkney, the C-Fenna.
The C-Fenna is a 26.48m Neptune Eurocarrier 2611, that has been specifically adapted to support the The C-Fenna
offshore marine renewable sector, especially our wave & tidal clients. This multipurpose vessel is fully equipped to meet all current industry demands and offers a stable work platform and will enhance the capabilities and increase capacity to deliver bespoke services to clients all around the world. The vessel has a bollard pull capacity of over 35tonne, and has 2 large cranes forward and aft plus a total of 8 winches for towing, craneage, anchor handling and tuggers. Douglas Leask, Managing Director said, “We are particularly pleased to have purchased the Neptune Eurocarrier 2611, and the C-Fenna’s addition to our bespoke fleet underlines our commitment to our clients and our focus on the marine renewable and construction markets
11
The C-Fenna
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
WIN-WIN Wind Powered Oil Recovery Concept Moves Closer to Implementation The DNV GL-led joint industry project, WIN WIN (WINd powered Water INjection), has completed its first phase and determined that wind power could be used to power offshore water injection. The project is currently moving into its second phase, which includes refining and testing the electrical systems, and investigating possibilities for broader applications. The project consists of four partners: DNV GL, ExxonMobil and ENI Norge – all part of the first phase – and the Norwegian Research Council –
12 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
a new participant for this second phase. The first phase of the project determined the concept is technically feasible, capable of meeting performance targets, and cost-competitive with conventional water injection solutions. The WIN WIN concept includes a floating wind turbine, which supplies power to a typical water injection process that includes pumping and basic water treatment. The second phase will focus on
extensive physical lab testing of the electrical systems at the DNV GL power laboratories in Arnhem, the Netherlands, thereby maturing the technical concept and expanding the system performance. “In this next phase of the project, we’ll use a small scale physical set-up to conduct tests on the systems,” explains project manager Johan Slätte. “We aim to instil confidence in the industry that the system and components in this configuration will perform well over time with a variable power input.
While phase one was a desk top study, this phase is a natural step before going into piloting with real prototypes. The second phase of WIN WIN is expected to run over the course of one to two years and will result in an application guideline document for the industry. If all tests are successful, a realistic timeline for a first full scale prototype could be around 2020.” The next phase of WIN WIN will also help to further develop the economic feasibility of wind and potentially other renewables in complex environments with demanding functional requirements. The concept
showcases alternative sources of energy and its reliability for off-grid situations. “The WIN WIN project has shown great potential for the oil and gas industry to lower costs and increase efficiency, while also reducing its environmental footprint," says project sponsor Johan Sandberg. "Proving that large-scale renewable units can be integrated well into oil and gas systems will also expand the industry's toolbox of technology solutions. It is a win for society with regards to emissions, and for the oil companies who can lower their costs on
both equipment and operations.” “We are encouraged by the success of the first phase and look forward to continued collaboration as the project progresses,” said Tom Schuessler, president, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company. “Recent advancements in wind technology, particularly in offshore oil and gas applications, are improving the economic feasibility and allowing for wind to contribute to the overall energy mix at a time when demand continues to rise.”
13 WIN WIN Concept
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Vessels Van Oord Orders First LNG-Powered Crane Vessel Van Oord has ordered the construction of a new crane vessel, the Werkendam, the company's first LNG-powered vessel. The Werkendam is being built by Neptune in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands. It will take about twelve months to build. With a 38 m3 tank on the aft deck, the Werkendam will be able to store enough LNG on board to sail and operate for fourteen days without bunkering LNG.
14 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Specifications: Length Breadth overall Hopper capacity Propulsion Bow thruster Generator LNG tank Spud poles powered Crane Type Lifting capacity:
68.40 m 11.40 m 700 m3 2 x 550 kW 450 kW 3 x 475 kW 1 x 38 m3 2 x, electricfour-rope grab 20t at 20m
15 Werkendam
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Pioneering Spirit on Brent
Pioneering Spirit Lifts Brent Allseas’ dynamically positioned singlelift installation/decommissioning and pipelay vessel Pioneering Spirit has set a world lifting record with the safe and successful removal of Shell UK’s 24 000t Brent Delta platform topsides from the North Sea on 28 April 2017.
16
Located in the Brent field, approximately 186km off the north-
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
east coast of Shetland, the Brent Delta topsides sat on a three-legged gravitybased structure which stands in 140m of water. The topsides has since been seafastened on board Pioneering Spirit for transport to the Able UK decommissioning yard in Teesside, North East England.
Brent Delta
17
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Pioneering Spirit approaching the Brent platform
18 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
19 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
The twin hulls of the Pioneering Spirit enveloping the Brent platform
20 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
21 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
22 Connecting yokes to the platform
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
23 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
24
Sailing the topsides to Teesside
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
25 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
IRM MEG Line Repair Engineering teams from Hydratight and Connector Subsea Solutions (CSS) have completed a milestone deepwater pipeline repair in Western Australia. A 4in MEG line owned by a major-NOC required urgent repair. It was pressure rated to 400 bar and was located at 830m, so required a customised solution. The international team designed, manufactured and installed a diverless Structural Deepwater Pipeline Repair Clamp for the project. Prior to installation of the clamp, CSS and Hydratight also prepared the pipe using a new, high-performance ROV-based Coating Removal Tool. James Rowley, Global Subsea Market Development Manager, Hydratight, said: “Projects at such subsea depths require comprehensive pre-planning, strong cooperation between contractors and clarity with the operator. We have worked with CSS many times before and they bring ingenuity and align with our own objective to solve complex problems. This was a milestone project to show what we can do in the Australian market and adds to our track record globally. “Now that we have completed this high-profile repair in deepwater using our international resources we look forward to making this a key offering to major subsea oil and gas asset owners and operators wherever repairs are required. After successful testing and real-life completion for a major NOC, the companies can offer similar services worldwide to increase the lifespan of subsea installations. The clamps are DNV approved and will last up to 25-years in service. The clamp has been designed without the use of bolt tensioning to activate. All activation technologies and hydraulics are in an external installation tool, which is removed on completion. This significantly reduces the overall weight of the equipment left as a permanent repair on the pipe, lowering project time and costs.
26 Coating Removal Tool
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
27 Coating Removal Tool on deck
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Interview: Hallvard Hasselknippe At the start of this year, Technip and FMC Technologies embarked on its corporate integration following the formal announcement of the merger agreement. Part of the group, however, has had a considerable headstart. Over a year beforehand, the two groups formed a joint venture company, Forsys Subsea, to satisfy gaps in the market which it wanted to specifically address. This focused at the front end and life of field areas. The intent of Forsys Subsea was to look at improving subsea project economics in a sustainable way through early engagement with the customers addressing optimised field architecture and integrated technologies and execution. They succeeded in identifying cost savings on every project they looked at. This reassured them that clients liked their approach. The merger has brought together two market leaders and their talented employees and innovative technologies. The combined company offers more than subsea solutions and has brought together the whole business of Technip and FMC Technologies, offering a new generation of comprehensive solutions in Subsea, Surface and Onshore/Offshore to reduce the cost of producing and transforming hydrocarbons. “The merger of the principals allowed us to go all in without considering any restrictions which you can normally have in alliances, eg, around intellectual property rights and certain scopes” said Subsea President Hallvard Hasselknippe. “Now the two parent companies have fully combined, we have begun to fully take advantage of synergies that have become gradually apparent over the last 12 months.” “The merger was conjectured and negotiated against a background of high costs in a high oil price market followed by low oil prices resulting in limited, if at all, project economics. The still pertinent table of market conditions including ageing infrastructure, low recovery rates and difficult reservoir conditions were demoted in favour of lowering the client’s costs by improving project economics and if appropriate, accelerating the development schedule.”
28
Projects are carried out by individual groups companies contributing to equipment or services at various stages of a project’s timeline. Even companies large enough to offer complete Engineering Procurement Installation and Construction (EPIC) commitments have to order services from various companies, internally or externally, be it manufacturing the production equipment, export pipelines or installing everything on the sea floor.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
The equipment items may be purposedesigned or standardised but each part typically requires being connected to another and at the correct time, for a coherent system to work. One of the largest areas of cost savings is not accrued from necessarily reducing the unit costs of the individual components, but by optimizing the field architecture and systems as well as by managing all the interfaces between these parts. “FMC Technologies were traditionally responsible for subsea production (SPS) hardware while Technip were active in the Subsea Risers umbilicals and flow lines (SURF),” said Hasselknippe. “With the two companies becoming one, the engineers have been able to look for better ways to physically connect the parts and reduce subsea development costs by improving efficiencies.” One example, at present, the pipelines are manufactured with a pipeline end termination at each end. Subsea equipment is then installed with accuracy on the seabed in close proximity. The gap between the relative ports on the tree/manifold structure and the pipeline end termination are measured and at the appropriate time, jumper spools are purpose-built to connect the two together. “Being responsible for the production equipment and the pipe installation allows the engineers to look at how such terminations can be made more efficient,” said Hasselknippe. “We’re not talking about just simply bolting on a better connector in a more efficient way, but, physically integrating the two to make an optimised new inline product. It is like a camera on a mobile phone. Originally two devices, they now share a commonality that allows them to be fully integrated. Hallvard Hasselknippe
“Removing the physical spool interfaces can not only simplify the process and result in financial savings, but could tighten the schedule. There are also benefits of having to carry out fewer final subsea testing procedures as all the leak testing and troubleshooting can be performed in one operation only and ultimately in the dry prior to installation.” This can only be done by subsea production and installation engineers engaging with each other at an early stage, and practically, within a single company involved in both disciplines. In doing so, factors such as the ease of installation become just as an important factor in the overall design concept as mechanical function. With smaller structures typically being easier to install than larger ones, the obvious equipment cost benefit of significantly reducing the size of many of the components and ultimately the overall size of the manifold pays further dividends later on in the install phase, in particular when it can be laid as part of the pipeline installation rather than through a separate lifting operation. “In fact, we have already designed and sold a number of such smaller, compact manifolds,” said Hasselknippe. “At present, driven by conventional contractual arrangements, these include more traditional tie-in methodologies but we are actively promoting the future with the lean optimised weight. “Treating the subsea production system and export
flow line more as a combined entity is part of a holistic approach which includes the possibility of introducing system intelligence such as measuring flow and integrity across the entire system and interpreting the feedback loop. We can then start mitigating any deviation from the normal operations. This greater understanding may result in need of less redundancy and lower costs, especially at the beginning” When FMC Technologies and Technip originally started to examine possibilities that working together could bring, they carried out analyses in cases where they had firsthand knowledge of the architecture of the installation and the commercial issues, and estimated that such holistic initiatives such as these could confer cost savings up to 30%. “We are seeing huge traction with clients ranging from independents to NOC'S AND IOC’s for this new vision. We are looking at ways to reduce cost in our traditional products such as trees, controls, etc. We have invested in technology to drive cost efficiency and standardisation e.g. for pipelines with improved system insulation and heating to improve flow assurance, automated higher definition survey systems and hardware with halfed size and parts count. The oil prices of $50-$60 might dent deepwater aspirations in the short term, but through optimized integrated solutions and technologies and standardization we can reduce field development costs to help making this an interesting sector for the long term.
29
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
30 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Skandi Búzios TechnipFMC and DOF Subsea (DOF)'s jointly owned pipelay support vessel (PLSV), Skandi Búzios, commenced its 8-year charter contract with Petrobras. Skandi Búzios is the sistership of the Skandi Açu. These two vessels have flexible pipelay tension capacity in the world (650 tons), enabling the installation of large diameter flexible pipes in the ultra-deepwater Brazilian pre-salt area. Under the joint venture agreement, TechnipFMC is responsible for the engineering and management of the flexible pipelay, while Norskan, a DOF ASA subsidiary, is responsible for the marine operations.
31 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Insulation High Temperature Thermal Insulation Systems Balmoral Offshore Engineering has introduced a range of proven high temperature thermal insulation systems suitable for use on subsea Christmas trees, manifolds, spool pieces and jumpers, etc. The systems complement Balmoral’s portfolio of buoyancy and elastomer products making the company a highly effective through-systems provider for the exploration and production subsea sectors. The company’s experience of the insulation market runs deep. Technical director, Dr Bob Oram, was instrumental in the success of the Group’s former division, Balmoral Webco, which carried out many industry milestone insulation projects including BP Miller, Total Dunbar/Ellon and Girassol. High temperature-rated silicone, urethane alloy and epoxy materials form the core of the thermal insulation portfolio. Dr Oram said: “2015/16 has been Balmoral Offshore Engineering’s busiest period in terms of thermal insulation projects. “We have contributed to a number of projects including Pierce and Blackbird in the UK North Sea, Shah Deniz in the Caspian, Lucius Deepwater in the Gulf of Mexico, Baobab offshore Cote d’ Ivoire, the Ten project in Ghana, and the OYO phase II project in Nigeria. Proprietary laboratory, hydrostatic and mechanical testing facilities enable Balmoral to research, identify and develop cost effective materials across a spectrum of applications.
32
Despite current market conditions Balmoral continues to invest heavily in technology, manufacturing processes and product development. Installing state of the art technology is key to driving production efficiencies and reducing lead times. This, combined with an effective product development programme, supports current industry demands while positioning the company strongly for when the market recovers. Allied to this is a major expansion of Balmoral’s subsea test centre which services the developing requirements of clients and that of the wider market.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
IBalmoral insulation systems
33
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Riser Repair Intecsea and Mexssub recently formed a strategic alliance to deliver permanent integrity solutions to live pipelines and risers. The alliance will bring the innovative pipe repair system that Mexssub has pioneered over the last 35 years, to a worldwide client base. The technology is built on encasing critical sections of pipelines or risers with a split sleeve. "This sleeve can be either applied preventatively or correctively," said Business Development Manager, Franco Silva. "In some applications, it is used to encapsulate pipeline sections that have been compromised due to mechanical damaged corrosion erosion etc. Placing a metal sleeve over that specific area of concern fully restores the mechanical integrity of the pipeline and is DNV certified as a permanent repair. "The sleeve can be equally applied at the original construction stage. This is typically placed onto the riser section segment that will be eventually installed within the splash zone or any other area that has a high propensity for failure. This splash zone segment will never require repair from day one. The Mexican company Pemex routinely installs sleeves in every new build riser." “Alternatively, if inspection engineers designate that a section of damaged pipe from an existing line has to be cut out and replaced, a sleeve can be also added offsite to augment this replacement segment and ensure that such a repair is never required again.� The first stage is to make a full inspection of the area. If a repair is deemed necessary, the dimensions are taken and corresponding sleeves are manufactured in Mexssub's workshops.
34
For a riser, a typical sleeve installation commences with the section above the water being cleaned and prepared using hydroblasting techniques. The two halves of the sleeve are then installed around the pipe and permanently joined Process together by longitudinal welds. The completed sleeve section is then lowered. This process is then repeated with new sleeve sections being installed, circumferentially welded onto the previous spool, and lowered down to its final position. The top of the sleeve is permanently secured to the riser by a fillet weld.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
35 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Riser Repair contd The second part of installation concerns welding the lower part of the sleeve, now underwater, to the riser. This is facilitated by a novel habitat system installed around the riser that, when filled with air, forms a working diver habitat. This allows diver welders to complete the fillet welding on the lower rim of the sleeve in a dry controlled environment. "Dry habitats improve the speed and more importantly, the quality of the weld. The habitat concept is something we developed over five years of research and development,” said Silva. “It was developed specifically to provide the versatility we need to work in congested space.” For horizontal pipelines, the sleeves are lowered in place by crane. Because the pipes lie on the seabed, they require intervention to get the sleeve around the side in contact with the ground. "It depends case-by-case but in the cases where there is no room
under the pipeline, we have to dig. Depending on the materials in the sediment underneath the pipeline we use different techniques,” said Silva. The welding is carried out from a more conventional metal welding habitat that surrounds the pipeline. The annulus between the pipe and the sleeve is typically a couple of inches. The sleeve thickness, length and the specific size of the gap is calculated taking into account factors including the extent and type of damage, the product it carries, application and the operating temperatures and pressures. Individual sleeves are often 8m–12m long although they can be smaller or larger. In the past, the company has made sleeves from 2m up to 70m long. The annulus between the riser and the sleeve is filled by a proprietary epoxy resin injected through a plug hole. This hole is then sealed. "We have been developing these techniques for 35 years and have
completed over 900 projects with a perfect track record," said Silva. “Many of these have been demanding. "For example, about three years ago, we were engaged in reinforcing a pipe with severe bending. We customdesigned a sleeve. In order to install it, we also had to custom- design an asymmetrical horizontal habitat from which to carry out the welding. "Another project we did was off the coast of California where the riser had severe degradation – at one point it had 83% loss of wall thickness. With that severity, it is common simply to employ a cut and replace operation. “By creating a replica of the entire layout, however, we were able to demonstrate to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), that our technology would be able fully restore the original integrity. It was approved and be executed it successfully. It is difficult to say exactly how much money this saved, but Mexssub has estimated that to date, it has saved around US$4 billion during the repair process alone. Cutting-and-replacing pipe is a difficult operation even on a new pipe but importantly, it requires full shutdown. Being able to work on a pipe in continuous production, would have saved in the order of millions of dollars. "Up until now, we have concentrated mostly in the local Gulf of Mexico but we believe that the time is now right to expand more into international markets. Yes, we could spend the next 10 years expanding on our own, but it makes far more sense to build an alliance with Intecsea. Their international client base can now benefit from additional options in pipeline integrity management.”
36
Mexxub's Rigid habitat for pipeline repair
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Copenhagen Thrusters Copenhagen have developed a range of rim-driven thrusters designed to provide a high thrust force. One limiting factor of many thrusters is the heat generated when the rotor propeller component spins. With the Copenhagen Subsea design, the power is provided at the rim and therefore provides cooling. This means that it can be driven faster, with higher thrust force, for extended periods of time. There is no gearbox or oil inside with the lubrication of the bearings provided solely by the surrounding seawater. There is also no toxic fluids inside to compensate for subsea pressure. The thruster is solid and completely fluid-free. This obviates pollution. "The Rim driven thruster is not new - it is probably 30 years old, but we have solved many of the reliability problems that plagued early designs. "One feature of the propeller is that they are silent in operation. This would make them particularly good for operations such as mine hunting and tracking marine life.
Copenhagen Thrusters
They can also very responsive and able to change direction very easily. The propellers are 3-D printed so they are particularly light.
37
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Subsea News
Tommy Norton
Damen TSHD Launched The Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) 650 ordered in December 2015 has recently been launched at Damen Yichang Shipyard in China. The vessel, named Tommy Norton, is undergoing final commissioning, after which she will sail for Shanghai to undertake sea trials. The TSHD 650 has been modified to increase the installed propulsion power, allowing her to manage the strong currents encountered in the harbour’s entrance. To minimise disruption to the local ecosystem, an anti-turbidity valve has been fitted on the overflow to reduce air bubbles and visible plumage in the water. Additional features include an indication package to measure soil density. This allows the suction pipe to be angled precisely for accurate operations. The dredging process will be made even more efficient by the installation of the navigational dredging aid, NavGuard, indicating the area and quantity of substrate dredged.
38
Capable of dredging to depths of 15 metres, the dredger has been built with self-emptying capabilities with bottom doors for dumping and the choice of either a bow connection or rainbow expulsion for beach reclamation work. In order to increase the vessel’s payload capacity when dredging sand with a high specific density, Damen has reduced the freeboard of the vessel and applied a dredge mark.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Autonomous Vessel Mission Control Centre ASV Global has opened a Mission Control Centre at its Portchester headquarters. This new centre will be the hub for the company’s ongoing development of its ASView autonomous vessel control system. Not only will the centre be capable of operating and monitoring the company’s fleet of ‘ASVs’ all over the world using satellite communication links but will also be used for operator training and simulation exercises. The centre has been partly financed under Innovate UK funding awarded to the company in 2015 under a project called ‘Unmanned Safe Maritime Operations Over The Horizon’. This tasked ASV Global’s team of autonomous system engineers to research and develop both the technology and the regulatory requirements of operating autonomous vessels over the horizon. Mission Control Centre
Subsea Equipment Subsea Sampling Cylinder Proserv has launched a new subsea sampling cylinder that can improve the quality of results and reduce risks normally associated with sample transfer. Based on existing technology, the Proserv Subsea Sampling Cylinder (SSC) is the world’s first fully qualified and certified ‘for shipping’ sample cylinder to be deployed in a subsea environment. The system accurately captures well properties throughout the lifetime of a field. Subsea cylinders allow operators
to take representative production samples from a subsea system for direct transfer to a laboratory. Proserv’s SSC eliminates the risks associated with handling and transferring samples on the surface, reducing the risk of containment loss and exposure to H2s / CO2 which can present a danger to people and the environment.
The Proserv SSC is suitable for severe service applications and has a large two-litre sample volume. Cylinders are available for sale or rental for use with existing systems. They can also be integrated with the firm’s bespoke subsea sampling systems (SSS) which have been manufactured and delivered to clients around the world.
Subsea sampling systems
Birns in DeepFlight BIRNS has been selected by DeepFlight, a leading manufacturer of high performance personal submarines, to supply a range of custom penetrator assemblies for its newest submarine model, the DeepFlight Super Falcon 3S. The high density, ABS certified custom penetrators will be crafted from anodized aluminium and rated to 400FSW. The custom penetrator assemblies will be a key piece of the Super Falcon 3S, a craft which was specifically designed for ocean tourism and to provide underwater excursions at luxury resorts around the world.
BIRNS supplies penetrators to DeepFlight
39
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Subsea Equipment Turbidity Buoy Turbidity can provide a simple assessment of general water quality and effects of sediment disturbance. At the recent Ocean Business exhibition, MacArtney showed its turbidity buoy, designed for monitoring dredging sites. Anchored with a 100kg weight, the autonomous buoy system is used for determining turbidity in coastal water areas. It consists of a yellow buoy body fabricated from durable glass reinforced plastic GRP, a turbidity sensor, a rechargeable battery pack and a data logger with integrated Inmarsat modem. To fulfil safety regulations, the buoy is also equipped with a white flashing LED light which is automatically switched on under low light conditions. The system is capable of 14 days of autonomous operation before the batteries need recharging or replacing. The AQUAlogger 210 TYT turbidity sensor gas four measuring ranges which can be selected automatically. To avoid biological growth on the optical window, the instrument is equipped with an antifouling wiper. The sensor is protected by a cage firmly attached to the buoyant body. The buoy and the data acquisition system has an open architecture that allows for integration of other types of sensors like CTDs, fluorometers etc.
40
The buoy's hollow interior contains the satellite modem for data transmission. The logger sends turbidity data at a predetermined interval on the satellite modem to the MacArtney developed 'MetOcean Gateway' portal, a web based data acquisition and data storage system, that forms an integral part of the buoy system. The buoy is also available with a cellular data transmission system. MacArtney's Turbidity buoy
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Tritech 720iK Tritech has added a new multibeam sonar, the 720ik to its existing Gemini product range. The Gemini 720ik provides the benefit of real-time target tracking capabilities utilising SeeByte’s advanced tracking analytics. The integrated software allows users to effortlessly distinguish and track objects within a wide 120-degree view. This is available as a commercial-off-the-shelf solution. A real-time, high frequency imaging solution, the Gemini 720ik operates at 720kHz and combined with Tritech's advanced processing electronics, it produces images of outstanding clarity, benefitting from 512 beams which results in a 0.25 deg effective angular resolution. The Gemini 720ik has been developed specifically for shallow water operations with low power consumption and Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse (CHIRP) processing for greater definition at long range. The product also has an integrated Velocity of Sound (VoS) sensor to ensure extremely accurate imaging and measurement. The Gemini 720ik is supplied with Seanet Pro, Tritech's data acquisition and logging software,
cNode Micro KONGSBERG recently unveiled its innovative cNODE Micro system. As the smallest member of the highly regarded cNODE series of subsea transponders, the new cNODE micro is designed to provide range accuracy better than 2cm and is ideally suited for divers and shallow water ROVs, at depths down to 600m. With dimensions of 245 mm by 55mm, cNODE Micro is both compact and light weight. It uses Kongsberg Maritime’s proprietary Cymbal digital acoustic protocols to provide the optimal positioning performance using the KONGSBERG range of SSBL systems, from μPAP through to HiPAP. cNODE Micro is extremely flexible, featuring both SSBL and Long Baseline positioning capabilities. With its better than 2cm range accuracy and capability to measure baselines between transponders on the seabed, cNODE Micro is
OSIL Small Buoy Ocean Scientific International Ltd (OSIL) has launched its latest version of the Small Field Buoy.
Gemini 720ik
which offers users the ability to operate a number of Tritech sensors using this single software program. A stand-alone Gemini software package provides users with a range of additional software features. This software can be upgraded to Gemini SeaTec for target identification, classification and tracking. The capability to record data in a range of digital video formats and output screen shots for review comes as standard.
ideal for simple diver metrology or archaeology. Multiple cNODE Micro transponders can be interrogated simultaneously in SSBL positioning mode using the ÎźPAP and HiPAP Fast Track feature to ensure the fastest possible updates during operation. Built in a coated, anodised aluminium housing, cNODE Micro features an internal rechargeable Li-Ion battery offering up to 10 day operation
between charges with up to 28 hours operating using Cymbal’s 500+ channels. Its telemetry capability allows battery status to be read during operation and an integrated tilt sensor can be turned on and off with positioning updates. It also features a pressure relief valve for safety and an external connector for configuration, software update and charging.
The platform, which is now a more manageable 55cm in diameter, also offers a more robust top section that sits higher in the water than previous platforms, meaning it is better suited to frequent redeployments in high-traffic coastal and port areas. The buoy is suitable for all applications, including scientific studies, water quality monitoring, coastal engineering projects, harbour and coastal monitoring, and maritime traffic control The Small Field Buoy has been designed to be easy to handle, deploy and recover with an integrated grab ring, a total weight of 35kg without instrumentation and a total length of 1.8m. The central structure safely houses sensors with excellent water flow, while providing protection from collision damage. The buoy can accommodate four 14W solar panels with battery backup, datalogger and telemetry system(s), including UHF/ VHF, GSM, GPRS and Satellite, with 60kg net buoyancy. OSIL provide a complete data telemetry solution, including either desk top or web-based software packages to access the data. Small Field Buoy
41
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Cables NKT Victoria The NKT Victoria has been named at a ceremony at the power cable plant in Karlskrona, Sweden. The cable-laying vessel is among the world’s most advanced and its design is based on extensive experience with offshore installations. NKT Victoria lays high-voltage offshore cables with high precision based on eg DP3 capability and a remotely operated vehicle using cameras and sonar. If not incorporated in the power cable itself, fiber optic cables for monitoring purposes can be placed simultaneously. These, and many more cutting-edge features, contribute to higher efficiency and precision of the installation and service execution, while offering maximum safety for the crew. In addition, NKT Victoria uses a powerfrom-shore solution together with onboard energy storage systems. This reduces fuel and CO2 consumption significantly compared with other cable-laying vessels available in the market. The power-fromshore connection can be maintained while loading the cable onto the vessel – a unique advantage which results in a more environmental-friendly operation.
42 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
43 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Data Deep Data: Visualising the Future of Subsea Last year, Wood Group responded to the challenging oil price environment by launching Project Intrepid - a substantial programme of research and development aimed at identifying innovative ways to reduce the CAPEX cost of engineering design, construction and installation; and the OPEX cost of subsea developments by 50%. Kevin Whooley, vice president of strategy & development for subsea at Wood Group, discusses how leveraging the latest digitisation and visualisation technology can improve how subsea projects and operations are delivered with reduced cost. "Over 500 ideas were generated globally by Project Intrepid focusing on standardisation and simplification, design efficiency, automation, data-centric engineering, lower cost engineering centres and new contractual models," he said. "While it is clear that the goal of reducing CAPEX and OPEX will likely be achieved by a combination of efficiencies across multiple innovation areas, a dominant theme emerged around leveraging digital technologies. "Digitisation in the subsea sector of the oil and gas industry offers an array of technologies through which we can evolve and improve the design and operation of subsea production facilities."
44
Digital innovation Digital technologies enable engineers, project managers and specialists to augment existing practices by implementing new digital platforms, methods and analytical skills coupled with increased connectivity and communications. Wood Group is implementing new digital technologies across a range of application areas. "Our data analytics team are using techniques to derive value from measured data, from data visualisation
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Digitisation in subsea offers technologies which can evolve and improve the design and operation of subsea production facilities
to advanced predictive analytics, and machine-learning," said Whooley. "These technologies reduce time, allow users to make informed decisions and give substantial savings through avoiding unplanned intervention and deferred production." Additional efficiencies are being made through automating engineering design tools, introducing better documentation and control tools, and using visually intuitive ways to improve digital solutions to operators.
easily searchable. Project to operations handover then becomes easier and provides a platform for storing future inspection and operations data." For years, operators and service companies have put significant efforts into trying to capture lessons learned, best practice and clever design tools. They have, however, struggled to organise the information in a way that it can be extracted efficiently beyond a traditional search function.
"For example, coupling our document management software, DocPro, and integrity software, NEXUS, with GIS or 3D modelling technology, creates a more intuitive system capable of capturing all project data, including vendors, using a single platform," said Whooley.
"By implementing advanced analytics searches, data mining and visualisation technologies, we are now able to make it easier for companies to extract and understand valuable information more effectively to better inform future decisions on development solutions," said Whooley.
"Furthermore, by tagging documents to equipment, the system becomes
"Indeed, over the last 40 years, our subsea teams have accumulated vast
Innovative. Intelligent. Informed.
Booth 1739
Balmoral Offshore Engineering | Buoyancy, insulation and elastomer products With over 35 years’ experience in the oilfield we have developed materials and provided engineered solutions to practically every deepwater project around the world. Our technical, engineering, procurement and manufacturing teams are full of highly qualified personnel, all brimming with ideas. Supported by senior personnel with unrivalled experience we believe we provide an industry-leading service. Benefit from the best product solutions with Balmoral engineered buoyancy, insulation and elastomer products.
knowledge and expertise, working on major capital projects worldwide. As a result, Wood Group is developing data centric tools and processes to make it easier for our concept studies team to work with operators to benchmark new development options against reliable historical technical and current cost data." This allows operators to evaluate a wider range of development options and accelerate early design decisions. Democratisation of industry data Finding new ways of democratising offshore subsea design, construction and operational data will identify new opportunities for improvement. This may require a change in the historical practice of implementing barriers to the accessibility of that data. "However, the prize in succeeding in this is high - if we can better understand how subsea designs are performing in the field, the industry will be able to refine future designs and reduce inherent conservatism that may exist," said Whooley.
"For example, by enhancing our knowledge of subsea system failures; we can establish a feedback loop into design to make more effective decisions on future projects around equipment selection, systems design, inspection scoping, and critical spares selection. This feedback loop will also benefit equipment vendors by informing their product development programmes and identifying new areas of improvement." Wood Group is leading the SURFIM Network, Subsea Equipment Australian Review and SureFlex (flexible pipe integrity) joint industry projects, which have been making substantial progress in sharing knowledge and using industry information to increase safety and our ability to understand subsea risk and reliability. Subsea operations is an area potentially rich in digital opportunity given that most offshore assets collect data for 20+ years, providing engineers with a wealth of information to understand how an asset is performing
www.balmoraloffshore.com
and more importantly, how it will perform in the future. Wood Group estimates that offshore OPEX has increased by 500% over the last 15 years, and for subsea operations, a large element of this cost is associated with the industry’s over reliance on ROV general visual inspection (GVI). Now, through a multi-channel approach of digital, data analytics, visualisation and scanning technologies, the industry is developing new and substitutive ways of improving GVI while maintaining the same level of production, reliability and safety. Embracing partnership "Partnership is key in driving the development of this technology, and as we’ve learned from the past, can accelerate innovation within the industry," said Whooley. "Not one business has all of the answers and therefore we must proactively and openly engage with technology companies to capitalise on their benefits."
45
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Riser Integrity While global oil demand grew by 1.8 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2015 the oil prices still remains low in comparison to recent years. The current era of oil prices is termed “lower for longer oil” and operators have to adjust their OPEX and CAPEX spend accordingly. Across the industry we have seen a dramatic slow-down in CAPEX spend on new projects and an increasing pressure on operators to reduce operations and maintenance costs. Globally OPEX costs have reduced by 17% over the period 2014 to 2016. Alongside this trend is a desire by operators to keep existing facilities operating for longer to maintain production from all possible avenues.
Adjusted oil price (West Texas Intermediate ) Extending the life of existing equipment is now commonplace rather that replacing equipment as it reaches the end of its original design life. Asset Life extension requires a thorough review of remnant asset life to ensure ongoing reliability and integrity. Having a formal Asset life extension methodology enables operators to safely and cost-effectively manages asset life extension when approaching or operating beyond their design life.
Innospection MEC-FITTM inspection tool The key benefits of Flexible Risers are; • They enable a permanent connection between floating facilities and subsea infrastructure where large motions are experienced. • The ability to reel long lengths facilitate cost effective transport and installation • They can be installed in deep water by diver less installation techniques. However, flexible are put them under complex dynamic stresses during operation and one of the critical parameters in the design and continued operation is related to fatigue. Risk Based Integrity When risers are initially designed they have a significant inbuilt safety factor driven by the uncertainty in the fatigue life. During early life when the riser operated well within the design limits, basic inspection is carried out in line with a low risk categorisation (e.g. DNV RP 206). This means there is often very little inspection testing or monitoring carried out. As the riser approached the end of its intended design life, this lack of operational integrity data makes life extension a challenge. Understanding the remaining fatigue life of the riser and establishing whether any degradation of the tensile armour wires has occurred has historically been
The FlexIQ alliance between Innospection and INTECSEA provides a structured risk based process that enables the integrity of flexible risers to be better understood. In addition to adopting industry best practice and providing access to materials and flexible riser specialist, two innovative technologies are wrapped in the FlexIQ service; best in class inspection and computational simulation techniques.
46
Flexible Risers Flexible risers are designed with a discrete design life that includes significant safety factors to compensate for the uncertainties in degradation associated with the complex layer construction associated with tensile armour, pressure armour inner carcass and outer protective layers.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
FlexIQ service offering
Ultrasonic MAPS-FR Digital Radiography MEC-FITTM Pulsed echo ultrasound technique
Electromagnetic stress measurement technique
Ext Scan under Static ext. mounted water, slow measurement
External radiography technique
Electromagnetic technique (Magnetic / Eddy Current field)
Static spot RT shots
Dynamic fast scan
Detect flooding of Detect fatigue failure Detects cracks, corrosion Detection of corrosion (pitting) annulus and thickness and through (limited min wall loss cracks, wire misalignment in tensile of outer tensile armour cracked wires detection) loss of interlock armour layer 1 and 2 layer only if flooded in pressure armour layer Loss of interlock in pressure armour layer Couplant required No penetration through X-ray computed No couplant required outer layer tomography very high but requires calibration resolution single line scan) both an analysis and inspection challenge. A layer by layer integrity assessment process enables the probability and the consequence of failure of each layer to be established by a team of experts. This enables the ongoing operational risk and the potential to reduce uncertainty to be evaluated in a robust systematic manner. While there are a number of non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection tools on the market, they have had their limitations as shown in the table. The Innospection MEC-FITTM inspection tool enables cracking and corrosion of the tensile armour wires to be detected in up to 3 layers of armour wire in both flooded and non-flooded annulus conditions. The tool can be deployed by inspection ROV or directly from the facility using a low capacity crane.
For a UK North Sea Project a (confidential) client used MEC-FITTM to successfully inspect from the top side to approximately -30m on a flexible riser which had damage to the polyethylene outer sheath. Advanced Analysis Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is the predominant method used to perform structural integrity assessments of complex components under various load combinations. Its application to the simulation of flexible risers is common during the design phase, and is used to reassess loading as part of a life extension assessment. Flexible risers exhibit nonlinear behaviour under bending, largely due to the stick/slip interaction between the pipe wall layers. Capturing the highly nonlinear interactions in a compliant system that can undergo large 3D translations/rotations is currently limited by the computational efficiency of commercial FEA tools. This limitation has historically precluded flexible risers from being assessed using high fidelity irregular wave fatigue methods, therefore a regular wave approach with increased uncertainty and overarching assumptions is traditionally used. API RP 17B, Section 5.7.1 states The limitation of the regular wave approach is that the results can be difficult to interpret for systems whose response is strongly dependent on frequency. It is often impossible to determine whether the result is conservative or un-conservative, particularly in the case of flexibles where estimation of the natural periods can contain significant uncertainties. INTECSEA have developed a simulation based approach (FLEXAS) where Nonlinear Dynamic Substructuring (NDS), is leveraged for efficient computation of the large scale nonlinear simulations. Reducing the uncertainties and assumptions using the FLEXAS approach has demonstrated that a significant increase in fatigue life can be achieved.
Risk- based process
The FLEXAS approach has the additional benefit that damage can be incorporated into the detailed local model and therefore any metal loss or cracking detected by the MECFITTM inspection can be also be modelled.
47
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Surveyor Interceptor In 2015, survey company MMT took delivery of its ROV Surveyor Interceptor (SROV). Built by Kystdesign on behalf of MMT and Reach Subsea, the vehicle was conceived to enhance survey capabilities and improve cost effectiveness. “The recent downturn has provided the incentive for all companies to change the way they work, particularly diversifying into alternative work streams, improve efficiencies and looking for new ways to reduce costs,” said MMT’s Sales Manager Phil Wilson. “The SROV has been instrumental in us being able to pursue these strategies.” Surveys of underwater structures are traditionally performed by using inspection class remotely operated vehicles. With their classic quasi-cuboid form, these vehicles are good for examining subsea production systems but their natural drag means that they are not always ideal for inspecting pipelines and cables. Surveying linear pipelines over long distances favour more torpedo-shaped vehicles that can move through water more efficiently to save time and money. In recent years, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have registered a number of successes in this area. “AUVs are very useful, sophisticated tools and we employ them as part of our survey portfolio,” said Wilson. “They are particularly suitable for carrying out operations in deep waters.
48
"Autonomous vehicles, however, do have some inherent disadvantages. One such is that the duration of the survey is limited by their battery life. In addition, AUVs do not provide a live data stream back that allows the operator to control the survey based on the data being received. "The larger the payload, the more the AUV must expend its limited battery
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
resources to move and operate it, and so are also practical limits on the amounts of sensors that the vehicles can carry.” The Survey Interceptor ROV was conceived to provide the improved speed of a hydrodynamic shaped vehicle with the extensive sensor carrying capacity of a traditional ROV. “The speed that a survey can be carried out has a proportional impact on costs,” said Wilson. "The SROV gives us the potential to survey at up to 8kt, although in reality, while still creditable, 6kts are more practically achievable.”
Surveyor Interceptor The Surveyor Interceptor has a length of 5.5m, a height of 1,2m and a width of 2m or 3.6m with its stabilisation wings extended. It has two lateral and three vertical thrusters with the main forward propulsion being carried out by four large SA420 longitudinal thrusters. “When in operation, all thrusters naturally generate noise. Having the main thrusters and sensory equipment located either end of the vehicle and effectively separated by 5m, however, this effectively reduces the noise by an order of magnitude. The result is significantly enhanced high quality data.”
Boulders and Berm showing in a point cloud
Another feature of the large vehicle is its payload. At the design stage, the primary function of the SROV was to be a comprehensive mobile sensor platform that could be provided with unlimited power via the tether. Fitted equipment as standard includes a Kongsberg 2040 Quad (200-400 kHz) Dual Ping Multibeam Echosounder, an Edgetech 2205 600/1600 kHz Side Scan Sonar and an Edgetech DW 106 1-10 kHz Sub-bottom Profiler. It has a Blueview M900 Obstacle Avoidance Sonar. The SROV contains cameras and high capacity lighting that could quickly drain
an alternative battery-powered vehicle. The vehicle contains CathxOcean M12-A1000 UHD (12.3 MP) cameras and a CathxOcean video camera. The target is illuminated by four 7 000 lumen Cathx Aphos LED lights. There are also six 28 000 lumen Cathx Aphos LED flashlights. The SROV has a CathxOcean 30deg port and starboard green Triangulating laser as well as a Dual Sealaser 100 for dimensioning. For operations and navigation, the SROV contains an IXSEA ROVINS Gyro/INS, a Sonardyne Sprint DVL and a 600 kHz LinkQuest NavQuest DVL. Its 500 kHz Tritech PA500 Altimeter works in the 0–10 m and 0–50m range.
Navigation and operational equipment items include a Valeport miniSVS sound velocity sensor, a Valeport miniCT CTD probe and a Valeport IPS 0.01% pressure gauge. There is also an auxiliary hydraulic system. On top of this, however, the SROV can carry a remarkable 700kg of unused payload. This allows tools such as magnetometers and gravimeters, for example, to be installed for cable tracking operations. For operations that require shallow water geotechnical survey, it can also accommodate CPT, vibrocorers, box corers and gravity corers.
49
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
50 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
51 Surveyor Interceptor ROV work in the North Sea
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Surveyor Interceptor Contd
52 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
“This ability to bring a wide range of sensors to a number of different projects is congruent with our diversification strategy," said Wilson. "By maximising the range of survey opportunities we can carry out, we can maintain a much more steady work flow and revenue stream. Since we took delivery of the SROV we have accumulated around 160 operational days." “The past few years have seen consolidation in the sector. Margins have been hit but the greater continuity has meant that we have not had to make the lay-offs of staff that many other companies have been forced to do. The result is that we are able to retain our pool of expertise and capitalise on improving market conditions.” As part of the diversification, MMT has expanded into subsea archaeology. This venture was largely driven by MMT’s founder Ola Oskarsson, who saw a correlation with the demands of detecting seabed structures below the current seabed and the ability of the Surveyor Interceptor to carry out low cost geophysical surveys Last year, the SROV was part of a survey in the Black Sea. Carried out in 1670m waters, the project discovered sea, over 40 shipwrecks that were preserved due to the anoxic conditions. The expedition provided new data on the maritime interconnectivity of Black Sea coastal communities and manifest ways of life and seafaring stretching back into prehistory. MMT was also involved in working with Historic England in mapping the wreck of HMS Falmouth which sank during the Battle of Jutland. MMT also carries out hydrography work however, its main work portfolio is divided into two main areas - pipelay inspection surveys for the oil and gas industry, and cable route surveys for the renewables sector. One of the SROV’s first jobs was for pipeline inspection on the Knarr pipeline for Gassco. The SROV has two inspection modes. ”High Fly” describes a typical high speed acoustic pipeline survey with full three cameras. Alternatively, ”Low Fly” inspection is more focused on examining known problem areas. This could describe its use in operations examining unexploded ordnance as part of a seabed clearance programme.
53
"We are already seeing traction in the oil and gas market. Operators have been putting off their IRM work and we see some movement in that area as well. The offshore renewables market is also quite a strong and it will be interesting to see what happens when the UK government outlines what is in the next round in June.
Surveyor Interceptor ROV work in the North Sea
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Surveyor Interceptor Contd
54 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
55 Pipeline debris
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Unmanned Surface Vehicles Sailbuoy
Unmanned Surface Vessels
While many established autonomous vehicles move by means of wave power or internal propellers, the novel unmanned surface vehicle Sailbuoy from Bergen-based company Offshore Sensing uses wind power for its propulsion. In doing so, the platform behaves much like a sailboat. It can keep station or travel from point to point. tacking to make headway against the wind.
waves and currents. This led to development of the Sailbuoy." The Sailbuoy idea was field tested in 2009 with subsequent work being conducted to improve the design and to qualify the vehicle.
"The Sailbuoy is capable of navigating for several months at sea, presenting little risk to exiting installations and vessels." said a spokesman. "The original idea was conceived in 2005. As a producer of drifting buoys, we saw them drifting out of the area of interest quite fast which limited their usefulness and operational time. "The original idea was to design an instrument platform that wasn't affected as much by the wind,
The vessel incorporates a modular payload accommodating a large variety of sensors. Electrical power is provided by solar panels located on the hull's surface. The power budget is an important issue for autonomous vessels. Power is used for navigation (autopilot and actuators) and to power sensors, dataloggers and communication. The Sailbuoy is designed to use very little power. The internal autopilot battery pack holds enough energy to navigate for 6 months without charging. To conserve energy the sensor payload can be in a low power state until the Sailbuoy arrives at the area of interest or until the payload batteries are recharged by the solar panels. Real-time data communication and
Payload
Batteries Solar Panels Autopilot
Antenna and met Sensors
Wave Sensors
56
Oceanographic Sensor
Sailbuoy
Water Quality
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Echo Sounder
Acoustic Modem
Once, the offshore survey industry used vessels that could be sailed to a specific place, using heavy sophisticated electronic equipment to take measurements en route. Ocean going vessels are still used for deep water surveys while smaller boats are commonly used in shallower and inland waters. In the past decade or so, however, this burden has been shared by autonomous underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vessels. In some applications these unmanned vehicles can reduce costs
control is established using the Iridium satellite system by means of a userfriendly web interface. One of the big strengths of the Sailbuoys vehicle's design is that it is designed not to damage or get caught
GeoSwath The newly launched innovative new GeoSwath Compact Survey Vessel (CSV) integrates equipment needed to survey shallow coastal and inland waterways quickly. It is based on a powerful and manoeuvrable twoperson catamaran equipped with the latest GeoSwath 4 shallow water multibeam system. The GeoSwath CSV features a 30 HP outboard motor and is road transportable on the supplied lightweight trailer, which enables launch and recovery from even the remotest of locations. With a draft of only 0.35m and a dry weight of just 120kg the vessel can operate in extreme environments and utilising the full GeoSwath 4R system, it can map bathymetry and geo referenced side scan in minutes.
by working autonomously, steered remotely with the data signals sent ashore by satellite Typical applications range from From measuring water and atmospheric parameters to tracking oil spills. They can also act as a communication relay station for subsea instrumentation. In addition to oceanographic and climate science applications, the platform can be more specifically used for meteorology, algal tracking, wave measurement, emission monitoring and aquaculture.
up in equipment or other objects at sea. It does not get caught in floating debris, moorings or other mechanical structures. This is important since equipment offshore can be very expensive to replace and deploy.
The craft is light enough to be launched by one person, and all instrument controls, communication systems and survey operating tools are ergonomically designed so that everything can be accessed from the helmsman's position. The GeoSwath multibeam system is mounted on a retractable pole with pre-installed motion sensor, GPS heading & position system and sound velocity sensor. The operator uses a console mounted ruggedised laptop to plan and control the survey. The vessel is even equipped with a VHF radio and is coastguard approved for use at sea with an International Marine Certificate. By design, the GeoSwath CSV is effective in a wide range of shallow
NAIADI
Shallow Water Prospector
Earlier this year, NAIADI carried out a its latest test run of the Shallow Water Prospector (S.Wa.P) to evaluate new engines. The tests confirmed new engines allowed a higher velocity while improving power management and reducing the vehicle's weight and volume. NAIADI project is public-private partnership of three regional laboratories and five private companies co-funded by the Regional Authority of Emilia-Romagna in Italy through the POR-FESR 2014-2020 programme. Main target is to realize a new class of autonomous vehicles to study and monitor aquatic environments. The aim of the vehicle is to collect multidisciplinary data (Geophysical, Chemical and Environmental data) to study and monitor various contexts, as harbours, lakes, rivers and coastal areas.
"The project NAIADI intends to fill a relevant gap," said a spokesman. "Conventional tools are not conceived to carry out surveys in complex and difficult-to-access shallow water contexts. The main target is to realize a customisable USV fleet made of a modular platform, based on open-source software, offering an innovative perspective to enhance and monitor the territory. According to NAIADI, the cost of USVs (Unmanned Surface Vehicles) is limiting their use, in particular in areas with high probability of damage or loss. Conventional sensors are not feasible for USVs, due to their considerable weight and dimensions. The aim of the project is to develop a set of three prototypes, equipped with sensors devoted to direct and indirect water analysis, designed to operate in various environments.
survey applications. Its shallow draft, high top speed and manoeuvrability combined with the stability of a catamaran hull make it ideal for use in both marine surveys and on canals, river and lakes. It is able to steer tight survey grids and quickly get from launch site to survey location and back.
57 GeoSwath Compact Survey Vessel
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Unmanned Surface Vehicles
58 Ocean Infinity offshore testing
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Ocean Infinity This month, Ocean Infinity will commence offshore testing of its novel survey system. This is based on a host vessel, the Seabed Constructor, remotely controlling six SeaWorker unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Each of these six ASVs can support an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Sidescan sonar data, etc, gathered by the ASV is relayed back to the host, where it is processed and sent ashore via satellite. Ocean Infinity has taken delivery of the six systems and two others are currently being built. "The proposition is to be able to use all six simultaneously," said Oliver Plunkett, Finance Director at Ocean Infinity. "What this gives the market is economies of scale. Our approach dramatically increases productivity and reduces downtime. For a large survey, we can do it faster than a single AUV, and this ultimately reduces the bottom line costs. The standardised equipment allows faster repair and it is possible to change the mission plans in real time." The maximum width of a single sweep is around 90 nautical miles. One of the limiting factors is the curvature of the earth. Radio waves travel horizontally, so sooner or later, the earth will cut through this straight line. It might be possible to use some sort of dirigible tethered above the ASV to realise a straight line point to point. Applications include geophysical seabed mapping, Benthic habiltat mapping, Archaeological survey, Marine debris search and pipeline inspection survey. Ocean Infinity has a number of partners. The host vessel has been supplied by Bergen-based Swire Seabed while the AUVs and USVs are managed and operated by SeaTrepid. The main equipment they have selected includes the 6000m rated 6.4m long Hugin AUV. With two lithium polymer battery backs, it can travel for 48 hours at 4 kts. These house 6000m rated EM 2040 multibeam echosounders which hvae a range of 500m, an Edgetech 2205 dual frequency sonar an Edgetech DW 216 Sub Bottom Profiler and a Cathx M12-A1000 colour camera. It carries a CTD and a self compensating magnetomoter. .
59
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Subsea News
High Flow Well Kill Trendsetter Engineering and Add Energy have combined expertise to provide engineering and hardware support services to the industry’s most challenging problems in a nimble and responsive environment. The companies have been awarded a contract to supply engineering expertise and access to Trendsetter’s patented Relief Well Injection Spool (RWIS) in support of an operators’ drilling campaign on a newly sanctioned field development. The RWIS has been designed and built to greatly increase the pumping capacity of a single relief well by enabling the ability to pump in excess of 200bbl per minute of kill mud through a single relief well, using multiple vessels as opposed to the conventional method of multiple relief wells.
60
The RWIS is installed on the relief well wellhead beneath the blowout preventer (BOP) to provide additional flow connections into the wellbore. Using high‐pressure flex lines, the inlets enable pumping units from separate
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Relief Well Injection Spool (RWIS) floating vessels, in addition to the relief well rig, to deliver a high‐rate dynamic kill. Additional benefits generated by this hardware include an increase in redundancy and flexibility of operations by moving the additional required pumps and mud storage to the remote vessels, allowing for the potential for an off-bottom kill which could provide a faster relief well intercept, thus reducing spill volumes to the environment. A kill operation with two or more relief wells is recognized as being a challenging operation. In the event of multiple relief wells being required to dynamically kill a well, all relief wells will have to successfully locate and intersect the blowing wellbore. The blowing well must be killed through a simultaneous coordinated kill operation. Assuming a blowout where a relief well intervention is the only option and that the kill requirements are expected to be very demanding, the use of the RWIS provides a viable cost effective solution.
Boaty McBoatface Boaty McBoatface, the Autosub Long Range submersible operated by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), has completed its first Antarctic sortie beneath the waves of the Southern Ocean. A team of researchers from the University of Southampton and BAS, along with NOC engineers and technicians, in the Antarctic on a research cruise for the DynOPO project aboard the BAS research ship RRS James Clark Ross. They deployed Boaty in the Weddell Sea, near the South Orkney Islands last April. During its first real-world Antarctic deployment, the unmanned vehicle was under water for nearly 30 hours, following a pre-programmed route before surfacing for fine-tuning by the engineering team on Wednesday 5 April. Boaty will be heading into the deep again on this research cruise, which is scheduled to conclude in
“DELIVERING INDUSTRY-LEADING SURVEY PERFORMANCE AND DATA RESOLUTION TO OUR CLIENTS”
MEET US AT STAND S-P10 AT OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY 2017
UT2 magazine20170412.indd 1
Montevideo (Uruguay) in early May. Its mission is to investigate the flow of deep water masses north from the Antarctic through the Orkney Passage, a submarine valley that connects the
2017-04-12 09:26:28
Weddell Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and allows the movement of abyssal water masses. The data the submersible will collect will
help scientists understand how winds over the Southern Ocean affect the warming of these deep water masses through changes in the turbulence of its flow.
61 Boaty McBoatface
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Underwater Vehicles Trencher Soil Machine Dynamics has signed a contract with Van Oord for the manufacture and delivery of a QTrencher 1600. This contract follows the successful deployment of SMD’s QTrencher 1400 on Van Oord’s Gemini Wind Farm. Scheduled for delivery in Q1 2018, the high power trenching machine will be supplied with an SMD designed umbilical winch, along with jetting and mechanical cutting tools to tackle a wide range of seabed conditions. Additional functionality includes beach operation to offer cable installation for export and inter array campaigns. The equipment will be loaded directly onto Van Oord’s state of the art cable-laying vessel Nexus from SMD’s Turbinia Works in Wallsend, UK. The QTrencher 1600 is scheduled to be deployed from the Nexus onto various wind farm projects in 2018. The QTrencher 1600 is the next generation of the QTrencher 1400 model, and the power available to the trenching tools has been optimised for offshore wind applications in shallow water.
62 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Oceanserver L3 Technologies has acquired OceanServer Technology. The business was renamed L3 OceanServer and will be integrated into the company’s Sensor Systems segment. The L3 Ocean Sever-designed Iver is the first commercially developed low-cost Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). Iver is used for coastal applications such as sensor development, general survey work, subsurface security, research and environmental monitoring. The AUV is single man-portable and features simple point-and-click mission planning. OceanServer Technology positions L3 to support the U.S. Navy’s vision for the tactical employment of UUVs.
Buoyancy to ROV SuBastian Trelleborg’s applied technologies operation has engineered and manufactured a custom syntactic foam buoyancy package for the Schmidt Ocean Institute for use on its new Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), SuBastian.
animals, and seawater samples. It is equipped with a versatile array of power and data interfaces to enable integration of a wide range of add-on deep sea instruments and samplers that oceanographers may need to support their deep sea research.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute underwater robotic research program includes the design and development of a 4500m robotic vehicle for use on research vessel Falkor.
SuBastian recently completed its first expedition on newly discovered hydrothermal vent sites, possibly finding new species in the Mariana Back-Arc, an extreme deep-ocean environment. This is the first series of scientific dives for the ROV.
The ROV is outfitted with a suite of sensors and scientific equipment to support data and sample collection, as well as interactive research, experimentation, and technology development. The buoyancy package on SuBastian is made from Trelleborg’s Eccofloat TG30, a high performance syntactic foam. The SuBastain ROV is designed to go to depths of 4,500 meters/ 2.8 miles, which is deeper than the average ocean depth of 3,700 meters / 2.3 miles. Trelleborg’s Eccofloat TG30 is designed for a service depth of 5,000 meters / 3.1 miles. The ROV will be suitable to support high resolution seafloor mapping, photomosaicing, video and image gathering, and collections of rocks,
Equipped with numerous cameras, including a high-definition 4K video camera, the dives were live streamed onto YouTube and watched by millions. The multidisciplinary team will continue to analyze the data and samples collected during this expedition to advance research on how life thrives on these extreme deep-sea hydrothermal vents. This research was supported by the NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research Program, the NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
63
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Underwater Vehicles 6 Degrees of Freedom The majority of ROVs currently on the market can travel in four degrees of freedom. Vehicles able to move with a full six degrees, however, are being viewed with increasing interest. The movement of a vehicle may be described in terms of degrees of freedom. A railway train has one degree of freedom because it can only go forward or backwards in a linear motion. A castle in a chess board moves in two degrees of freedom because it not only travels forward and backwards, but also side to side on a flat twodimensional plane. In a three dimensional space, there are the full three axes but in addition, it is also possible to rotate around each of these three axes.
MAC-ROV
"Most remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) manoeuvre with three or four degrees of freedom," said Brian Abel, managing director of All Oceans Engineering. "The majority
Right
Up Yaw
Backward
Roll
64
Left Pitch
Forward Down UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
of ROV thrusters are positioned along a horizontal plane, sometimes at a 45deg angle which helps the vehicle to steer left to right (essentially rotating around up/down Z axis or Yaw). There are some vehicles, however, that can manoeuvre in the full six degrees. This allows the vehicle to be positioned and maintain any attitude." This is useful. If fixed cameras and lights are locked onto a subject, the vehicle can move backwards while maintaining the viewing angle. Sometimes a tether entering the ROV from the rear can impart a torque, turning the entire vehicle and affecting the angle of the image produced by the forward-facing cameras. The ability of the vehicle to 'roll', allows the ROV to be rotated back to the horizontal. "There is now a greater demand for high-quality underwater video and this demand has been growing year-on-year," said Abel. "The fundamental property that has been missing from the toolbox
MAC-ROV Specifications
throughout a single dive without the vehicle having to return to the surface.
The MAC-ROV is a compact 20in cube with a depth rating of up to 6000m. It weighs 90kg in air. It is powered by 8 rim-driven brushless DC fluid -filled pressure balanced magnetic coupled thrusters. These achieve a 23.2kg, fore and aft bollard thrust, a 23.2kg port and starboard thrust and a thrust of 17.2kg, up and down. It has a speed of 3kts in all lateral directions and 2kts vertically. It has three HD 1080p (two forward facing, one rear facing) cameras as well as a pair of 1700 Lumen, forward pointing lights and a similar rear-pointing pair.
of the underwater cinematographer concerns lights and cameras. To function effectively and provide high quality professional images, these need to be separated by a decent distance and controlled separately in order. A single ROV can’t really offer this." AllOceans' answer is its latest MAC-ROV design, together with its with its shuttle system. The shuttle can transport two inherently manoeuvrable MAC-ROV vehicles to site. These are both armed with the highest resolution 4K cameras as well as and lights as standard. From the shuttle, a pair of MAC ROVs can fly out in a tandem arrangement, each providing illumination and photography for the other. The shuttle can also be used as a floodlight platform to provide further illumination. "Marrying this technical capability with ultimate manoeuvrability also allows the user to start experimenting with techniques such as swarming – when one vehicle automatically directs the flight of another," said Abel. "It is possible to achieve a fly-past or a panning/rotating shot with the lights always following the target. It is like bringing the film studio underwater for the very first time. "The shuttle can also be incorporated with thrusters. While it wont have quite the same capability as the flying vehicles, it can still move and carry cameras."
is only one application for which the robust photographic ability of MACROV is suited. The vehicle is equally applicable to carrying out underwater work that requires a knowledge of what is happening underwater in real time such as deep sea mining, or a thorough three dimensional close-up inspection such as a salvage programme.
"The failure rates of this technology are now so low,"said Abel, "that it is easy anticipate that these sort of structures can stay underwater for more than four weeks constantly. "If you’re doing a recovery type work in virgin territory, the shuttle could be lowered to a few hundred metres from the seabed and employ a sonar to scan downwards at a full 360deg with a half mile radius. The ROVs could then be subsequently deployed to investigate zones of interest or get visual confirmation of the sonar image.
The shuttle, an autonomous garage, provides any underwater vehicle with what it needs
Shuttle and LARS
65
According to Abel, cinematography
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
6 Deg of freedom Contd Ocean Modules V8
Ocean Modules V8 M500 manoeuvring upside down Ocean Modules of Sweden, together with Atlantas Marine, recently took the opportunity to show how the V8 M500 could perform. It was exhibited in the test tank at recent Ocean Business exhibition
66
"With its six degrees of freedom manoeuvrability, the V8 system allows unlimited pitch and roll through a full 360 degrees without losing stability, said Chairman Claes Drougge. "The ROV can hold any position such that any changes in depth, heading, pitch and roll due to external forces such as tether drag, swell, current or payload are automatically corrected. This makes it very useful for sonar and video inspections to profile of sea floor,
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
or inspect the ship hull / subsea structure regardless of angle.
centre of buoyancy are placed the middle of the vehicle."
"The V8 ROV system has been used for such diverse application as measuring the thickness of the Antarctic ice, ship hull inspections, and explosive device removal. It can perform extremely long inspections in the tunnels for cooling water in nuclear power plants, penetrating ship wrecks, underwater equipment repair and accurate pipe documentation.
This all contributes to ease of operation in difficult environments, and access to spaces which would be difficult or impossible to work in using a conventional ROV.
The control system allows the V8 to move around any axis means which means it can be operated at any angle, and in any direction. "An important part of the Ocean Modules V8 design is that the centre of gravity and
VB-M500 Specifications Depth Rating Length Width Height Weight Payload Power Thrusters Max Speed
500 m 840 mm 655 mm 670 mm 70 kg 12 kg 10x 750W 10x 300VDC 3 kts (variable)
Riptide
Underwater Vehicles RipTide AUV
EcoSub Micro The ecoSub is a new AUV designed to be around a third smaller than many conventional equivalent vehicles. It has been developed by the Planet Ocean spin-off ecoSUB Robotics, in collaboration with the Marine Autonomous Robotics Systems (MARS) group at National Oceanography Centre (NOC). "We have been able to fit 20 years of Autosub development technology into these products," said director Ian Vincent. "We have had an integrated team of from Planet Ocean configuring the software and others from NOC covering mechanical engineering and particularly designing algorithms for the autonomy components. "At present, we have two vehicles. The first one, the ecoSUBμ is the result of an innovate UK DS TL funded project in collaboration with ASV to enable the launch and recovery of from an autonomous surface vehicle, C-Worker." To facilitate the launch, the AUV is cylindrical and has no protruding features, such as fins or a communications aerial. It can be launched from the shoreline or conventional platform. The University of Southampton has worked with ecoSUBμ to deploy it from their fixed wing ‘Spotter’ unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). "They are doing some testing at Thorney Island at the moment,
in which the AUV is strapped underneath the vehicle and there is launch mechanism so that it can be ejected. The vehicle deploys a parachute to reduce the speed of its journey down to the surface. The ecoSUBμ is 500m rated and has a potential range of up to up to 250km. It is capable of carrying a limited sensor payload such as CTD and bathymetry. The second, larger, vehicle is the ecoSUBm. It is rated to 2500m and can be configured with the CTD, altimeter and even a fluorimeter is tuned for the detection of oil in water for leak detection. It carries iridium satellite communication, Wi-Fi and GPS. There is also an infrared light allowing the vehicles to be located using infrared camera. Because of the reduced size, there is not the capacity to carry advanced navigation systems like DVL and instead work by dead reckoning navigation. "Because affordability, size and convenience they lend themselves to mass deployment," said Vincent. "Rather than deploying just one, it would be feasible to deploy 10–20 and quickly build up a wide spatial database very quickly. When targeting events such as an oil spill, for example, you can put vehicles in the water and build up an environmental situation very quickly."
Riptide Autonomous Solutions was founded in 2015 to develop a range of low cost micro-UUVs. It delivered its first its first three production Micro-UUVs to SPAWAR Systems Center – Pacific in 2016, and added more deliveries to the US Navy last August. According to the developers, the new highly flexible, open source Micro-UUV has been designed to provide a low cost autonomous vehicle solution. The Micro-UUV features open hardware and software interfaces giving users a reliable and robust platform to advance technology development. The vehicle design is optimized for high efficiency with the best hydrodynamic signature in its class. Riptide’s micro-UUV features three individually actuated control fins providing active roll stabilization. An active GPS antenna, WiFi communications, and vehicle recovery strobe LEDs are integrated into the vertical control fin, reducing the vehicle’s hydrodynamic signature for maximum efficiency. Open system design provides for easy, user modification and customisation, making this a good platform for a wide variety of development needs. Multiple energy source options allow maximum flexibility for endurance, safety, shipping, and mission optimization. An Aluminium -Seawater Battery is planned for demonstration in late 2016 from Riptide’s partner Open Water Power.
Specifications
ecoSub
Length: Diameter: Weight: Speed: Depth: Energy Options Alkaline Lithium Ion Rec Lithium Ion Prim
25 – 72ins 4.875 ins 12 – 36 lbs 1 – 8 kts 650 ft (200m) 30 Hrs 48 Hrs 144 Hrs
67
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
LED SeaLite
Deepsea Power and Light
Cougar Cuts Costs In Canada
At the Ocean Business show in Southampton last April, DeepSea Power and Light exhibited its recently-launched its SeaLite product family. The compact LED design weighs as little as 240g in water, measuring 78.7mm in diameter and 88.5 mm long without the connector. There are a number of different options within the range.
Dominion Diving has customised its Saab Seaeye Cougar XT light work electric ROV to boost performance. The resulting Cougar XT custom version can now handle a tooling package normally possible only on a much larger hydraulic system.
The LED SeaLite has an output of up to 9000 lumens. It is possible, however, to switch between a wide 115deg beam configuration and a spot beam pattern. This is achieved with no moving parts. Instead, the face is populated by two banks of diodes each set with a different reflector design – one for spot, one for beam. A software code is sent to the lamp body to select either, or both. In another option, it is also possible to switch between a blue-white light and a warm light depending on the attenuation in water and the subject being highlighted. The blue white diodes emit a light of around 5700K however this can be switched to a warmer light to illuminate the reds and oranges better. This basic lamp body is constructed out of a hard anodized 6013 aluminium or acrylic housing and is depth rated 3000m. The range, however, also contains same body design but fabricated from Titanium. This is rated to 11 000m! "We also recently made an update to our SeaLite Sphere housing to enable them to use the same higher-efficiency LED configuration and achieve the same 9000 lumens output," said Sales Manager Robert Marsh. The SeaLite Sphere was DeepSea Power and Light's first jump into LED space. It costs 25% less than the newer SeaLite model and aimed at the less specialised market.
Founded 50 years ago, Dominion Diving, based on Canada’s Atlantic coast, provides subsea services. Matthew Lohnes, president of Dominion, said “We effectively turned the Cougar into a work class system that could undertake tasks typically needing 100hp hydraulic tooling and perform many roles in one tooling package.” This was to profile a manifold site using multibeam sonar, operate a trash pump to excavate and clear sand and debris from the valve, engage a torque tool to isolate the manifold and then operate a manipulator to turn paddle valves. “In building the package we added extra channels to control
C-Kore C-Kore Systems has verified the installation of three new umbilicals in the North Sea for a major oil company. The field is one of the biggest subsea projects being developed in the UK sector of the North Sea.
68
The C-Kore Subsea Testing Tools modernise subsea electrical testing by eliminating the need to use down-lines. The units provide quick
and accurate data, confirming the health or finding faults in umbilicals, EFLs, SCMs, distribution units and even down-hole applications.
The patented C-Kore Subsea Testing Tools were used both to prove cables subsea during installation and from the FPSO after hookup to the subsea control modules. Due to unique low-voltage IR testing technology, the C-Kore units allow testing of cables without requiring isolation of sensitive control modules electronics.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
C-Kore Testing tools
Underwater Vehicles IMENCO Imenco has continued its drive to develop high definition Internet cameras with a number of new models. "We see these cameras as representing the future, not just in the ROV subsea sector, but other applications such as monitoring offshore wind farms and seabed erosion," Said Mike Noble Imenco’s UK General Manager. "These HD models are broadcast over Ethernet and we are using LINUX -based systems using H264 compression for transmission.
Saab Seaeye's Cougar XT
different survey equipment, and built an enlarged skid to accommodate the tooling which included a Kraft Predator seven-function force feedback manipulator and a torque tool” said a spokesman. Faced with a new one-ton payload, they added an additional thruster to the Cougar XT’s six-strong thruster pack. The result was a very compact system that undertook all three tasks whilst operating successfully in currents of 2.5 knots and working with good manoeuvrability in a confined space.
"Video streaming not only allows the ROV pilot to see the image, but the subject can be relayed instantaneously to the whole vessel, people in office and back at headquarters - anywhere in the world. The first model was the Orca Subvis Camera, a 6000m subsea camera with 10x zoom designed for Workclass ROV’s. Following on from this Imenco have now produced the Grampus IP Camera, a 6000m subsea camera with 3x zoom designed for observation ROV’s, the Ross IP Camera, a 6000m Black & White subsea camera 576p@25fps (Pal) / 480p@30fps (NTSC). All three cameras have the Imenco Smart Brain (Embedded Computer) inside the cameras.
Nautilus Marine Service has placed a significant order for highend SubConn underwater connectors and straps, with MBT, MacArtney Germany, for delivery this year.
Imenco have also now developed their new downhole camera, The Gosia Shark, which is a 6000m camera with two IP cameras, one looking forward (i.e. down) with built in LED lights and one looking out to the side with built in LED lights. This camera has the ability to rotate 360 degrees to offer complete inspection options.
The SubConn connectors are to be used for deep sea floatation and instrument housings used in deep ocean research. They represent the second placement of order made by Nautilus Marine Service with MacArtney within a short period of time.
All the above cameras are running off of the Imenco designed control software which not only allows for control but for recording and for video stills
The scope of supply comprises 2000 LPBH5M and 2000 LPIL5F SubConn connectors as well as 2000 LPA straps.
For further information or to arrange a demonstration please contact Imenco UK in Aberdeen
Subconn Deep Research
SubConn Connectors
All the above cameras are running off of the Imenco designed control software which not only allows for control but for recording and for video stills
69 Grampus Shark
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Research International collaborative expedition to shed light on microplastics and ocean carbon In April, the RRS Discovery left Southampton for a research expedition to the Porcupine Abyssal Plain sustained ocean observatory (PAP-SO) in the Northeast Atlantic. This expedition aims to answer fundamental questions about the distribution, fate and effects of microplastic pollution, as well as measuring sinking particles containing carbon, through an international collaboration with onboard researchers from America and Germany. A research expedition to the PAP-SO is undertaken every year to service a mooring that has a range of sensors, measuring parameters such as temperature, oxygen and nutrients. Led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), this expedition, will sample the amount of microplastics in the water column and capture a continuous record of microplastics sinking to the deep ocean. Furthermore, the first controlled experiments investigating the impact of microplastics on tiny marine organisms at the base of the food chain will be carried out on-board. This expedition will also be the first time at the PAP-SO that a range of methods measuring marine snow particles, which contain carbon and sink out of the upper ocean, will be used together. This will enable a greater understanding of the differences between the methods, which will aid future dataset comparisons, and will create a clearer picture of how much carbon sinks to the interior ocean.
70
NOC scientist Professor Richard Lampitt, who is leading the research expedition, said “This is a great example of the NOC leading the way in facilitating international oceanography. Understanding carbon in the ocean, and so how it may change in the future, is fundamental to many aspects of oceanography, as
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
well as improving predictions of our future climate.” The PAP-SO, where these measurements and experiments are being conducted, provides key time-series datasets for analysing the effect of climate change on the open ocean and deep-sea ecosystems. Scientists have been collecting data at this site for over 30 years, providing a baseline to use alongside data collected on the expedition. NOC scientist, Dr Katsiaryna Pabortsava, who will be conducting much of the research into microplastics on board, said “Currently the microplastics we are seeing at the surface do not correlate with the amount we dispose into the ocean as a whole. Investigating distribution of microplastics throughout the water column and in the sediments could help solve this mystery about where pollution is going within the ocean.” Sediment traps at 3000 metres below the ocean surface will collect the microplastics that sink to the deep ocean over the course of a year. Water pumps will also be lowered over the side of the research ship to measure the amount of microplastics at different depths within the water column. Furthermore, the microplastics experiment focuses on microzooplankton (tiny shrimplike creatures), which may feed on microplastics and potentially fill up their guts, creating an illusion of fullness and reducing the amount of other food they eat. Dr Katsiaryna Pabortsava added “Understanding the impact of microplastics on microzooplankton is important because of the key role these tiny creatures play in the global carbon cycle and the food chain.”
RRS Discovery leaving Southampton
71 UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Renewables MegaWattBlue Hydrokinetic Turbine Guinard Energies has conducted a demonstration of the operation of its MegaWattBlue hydrokinetic turbine in the Gulf of Morbihan. It was possible to observe the power created by this hydro-turbine (300 kW for 8 meter diameter at only 2.5 m/s – the water currents velocity in the gulf can reached 3.6 m/s, ie 7 knots). Guinard Energies aims to develop all dimensions of hydrokinetic turbines. Marine and river hydrokinetic turbine from 3.5 kW to 20 kW associated with a regulating and converting electricity hybrid system for isolated sites as well as larger sized hydrokinetic turbine up to 1 MW for only 8m in diameter and 7kts of marine current. A 4m diameter tidal turbine to be tested in Ria d’Etel in Morbihan is currently under construction. Installation is planned for the year 2018. Smaller hydrokinetic turbines are under construction to provide a simple and efficient electrification solution for isolated areas around the world.
72
EC-OG Power Hub
Cable Protection
EC-OG switched on the Subsea Power Hub (SPH) for the first time. The ocean current energy conversion system was successfully installed yesterday afternoon and is now fully operational. The unit, which is being tested at EMEC’s Shapinsay sound.
Seaproof Solutions, supplier of cable protection systems (CPS) for Offshore Windfarms, has been awarded a contract by VBMS to supply its CPS for Vattenfall's Horns Rev 3 offshore project in Denmark.
The Subsea Power Hub is a turbine system which harnesses the energy within ocean currents to produce autonomous electrical power for multiple applications. In simple terms, each module is an underwater battery unit with integral charger. Each module consists of a turbine, generator, battery pack and electrical conditioning system. This new technology, patented by EC-OG, provides autonomous power to subsea infrastructure, reducing cost through efficient installation and removing the capital expenditure associated with electrical cables.
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
The contract covers the design and supply of cable protection systems for the installation of the 33kV inter-array cables for the 400MW offshore wind farm. This is the 14th offshore wind farm project for Seaproof Solutions, taking the total number of cable protection systems supplied to more than 1000 units.
DONG Foundation
Swansea Bay Tidal System A new report from industry body Seafish has confirmed the potential for aquaculture in the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon (TLSB), which could be used to farm a range of marine species. The report is part of a trio of interrelated publications from "Closing the Circle: Aquaculture Development in Enclosed Waters", a project supported through Seafish's Strategic Investment Programme (SIP). SIP has allowed Seafish to fund additional, strategically important work consistent with its Corporate Plan objectives. It found the sheltered lagoon has strong potential for aquaculture, including farming mussels, oysters, scallops, clams, cockles and seaweed; all of which have local and international market potential, although trials would be needed to see how the shellfish and seaweed would grow inside the proposed development.
It would be the first time that offshore marine renewable energy generation has been combined with aquaculture, says the report, which was led by Martin Syvret (Aquafish Solutions.) and Dr Andrew Woolmer (Salacia-Marine) in collaboration with industry partners.
SPT Offshore has been awarded a subcontract by Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) for the suction operation for the foundation of all the suction bucket jackets for a part of DONG Energy Wind Power A/S's Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm Project One.
It uses Swansea Bay as a case study to examine wider opportunities for aquaculture in and around enclosed marine water bodies, such as ports, natural lagoons, estuaries, sea lochs and managed retreats.
Boskalis is the main contractor responsible for the transportation and installation of the suction bucket jackets.
This SIP project has also created a generic shellfish hatchery design aimed at tackling the shortage of shellfish seed that can be raised to adulthood by commercial shellfish farmers; an acknowledged bottleneck that has held back the expansion of aquaculture in the UK.
The jackets support 7.0MW Siemens wind turbine generators.
It is hoped that industry will be able to use the hatchery design to help increase the supply of seed and boost production.
Swansea lagoon
73 Suction foundations
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Renewables
Tidal turbine The world’s most powerful tidal turbine, developed and manufactured by Scottish engineering company Scotrenewables Tidal Power Limited, has reached full rated power at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney.
74
After undergoing grid connected commissioning works prior to Christmas last year, the ‘SR2000’ was re-connected to its subsea cable in a low cost connection operation that took under an hour. All offshore operations have been delivered with small crew transfer vessels or locally based workboats. Following energisation, the 500 tonne floating tidal turbine commenced
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Power Cable Repair generation and power export to the local Orkney grid. Since then the turbine has been undergoing a phased testing programme leading to full, 2MW rated export capacity being achieved on 12th April.
CWind’s specialist cable installation vessel, the C.S. Sovereign, has successfully completed a vital power cable repair, reconnecting the Isles of Scilly to the mainland electricity.
The company is focused on building generation up on the SR2000 over the immediate future and demonstrating its power performance in parallel with its unique low operational costs.
The power cable was damaged late February by an anchor, a common occurrence with telecommunications and power cables. The C.S. Sovereign, along with her crew of experienced cable engineers and specialist cable equipment and machinery, was contracted for the repair and rapidly mobilised.
This deployment is already feeding into design optimisations being made under the company’s commercialisation project, FloTEC, which will see an even lower cost SR2000 model rolled out as a commercial offering in 2018.
Using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) deployed from
the back deck of the C.S. Sovereign, the vessel and technical team onboard surveyed the cable on the sea bed, located the fault and recovered the cable ends before successfully completing the joint.
75 C.S. Sovereign
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Renewables
Cable Protection Systems for Horns Rev 3 Seaproof Solutions, supplier of cable protection systems (CPS) for Offshore Windfarms, has been awarded a contract by VBMS to supply its CPS for Vattenfall's Horns Rev 3 offshore project in Denmark. The contract covers the design and supply of cable protection systems for the installation of the 33kV interarray cables for the 400MW offshore wind farm. This is the 14th offshore wind farm project for Seaproof Solutions, taking the total number of cable protection systems supplied to more than 1000 units.
76
Cable protection systems
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
for the Subsea Sector S
B S E A U
E
P
E D I A
T U N E
M
N
NePTUNE SUBSEA MEDIA
Specialist Technical PR
Press Relations l Technical Writing
+44 7867 641962
77
neptunesubseamedia@gmail.com UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Evening Technical Meeting:
Innovative Field Development, Pragmatic Riser Analysis and Connecting with Moorings Wednesday, 14th June 2017
Parmelia Hilton Hotel (Swan Room), Mill St. Perth
Onsite Registration 5.30 pm; Presentations 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm; Networking over drinks and finger food 7.30 pm – 8.30 pm
To register for the event visit www.SUTETM14June2017.eventbrite.com.au
Chaired by: Allison Selman, Coordinator, WISE (Women in Subsea Engineering) Subsea Field Development Engineering – The Greater Enfield Project Carolyn Thain, Subsea Delivery Manager, Woodside Energy Ltd Located 60km off Exmouth in Western Australia, the Greater Enfield Project sees the development of the Laverda Canyon, Norton over Laverda and Cimatti Oil accumulations. These reserves will be produced via a 31km subsea tie-back to the Ngujima-Yin floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, located over the Vincent Oil field. This presentation will focus on the technical challenges associated with the Greater Enfield Development, and will demonstrate how a combination of innovative thinking and the use of the latest technologies has enabled Woodside to accelerate the development of previously stranded resources. Flexible Risers and Dynamic Analysis Celine Laonelle, Lead Engineer, Atteris Dynamic risers are the link between subsea infrastructure and topsides, and are therefore critical components in an offshore field development. Various field conditions call for different riser types, but when most compliance is needed in the system, flexible risers are often selected to accommodate large floater excursions and motions. Their dynamic nature and complex structure require a detailed level of assessment to ensure integrity is maintained throughout their life, from installation to decommissioning, and including changes in operating conditions/envelope. This presentation will give a brief overview of flexible risers with a focus on dynamic analysis with a pragmatic approach. Subsea Anchor Chain Connection Device (ACCD 300) Emily Carmichael, Project Engineer, DOF Subsea The Anchor Chain Connection Device (ACCD) is designed for remote subsea connection and tensioning of mooring systems. The advantage of this concept is that chain tensioning and connection can be done at seabed, reducing pull-in tensions required and minimizing risk to personnel. In principle, the ACCD 300 can operate at any water depth, allowing subsea tensioning of mooring lines for CALM buoys, FPSOs, and other applications involving mooring chain. This presentation describes the technical details of the tool as it is currently designed, mainly focusing on its remote operability (ROV) and potential future applications. ETM programme is subject to change
REGISTRATION FEES:
Student/Individual/Corp Members $30*: Non-Members $50: (additional $5 if paying on night) 5 Ticket Member Pass: $125 (Individual or Corporate) WISE have organised an engineering student meet and greet post-presentations in the Swan Room. This is a chance for students to speak directly with the presenters and other engineering leaders. A reminder will be announced on the night.
SUT Corporate Members:
2H Offshore Aker Solutions Applus Arup Australian Maritime College (Staff only) Atteris BG Group Bibby Offshore Blue Ocean Monitoring BMT Group BP Exploration BPP-Tech Cameron/OneSubsea Carnegie Wave Energy Chevron ConocoPhillips Curtin University (Staff only) DOF Subsea DNV GL Dril-Quip EMAS Fastwave Forum Subsea Technologies Fugro GE Oil & Gas Genesis Oil & Gas Granherne Hydratight INPEX INTECSEA Kongsberg Maritime Lloyds Register International London Offshore Matrix Composites & Engineering National Oilwell Varco NGI Oceaneering OneSubea Peritus International Premier Oil Proserv Shell Sonardyne International Subcon Techologies Subsea Engineering Associates SapuraKencana Subsea 7 TechnipFMC TEK-Ocean Total E & P Total Marine Technology UWA (Staff only) Tracerco UTEC Survey UVS Viking SeaTech Western Advance Wood Group Woodside Energy Ltd (correct at time of creating flyer)
CPD = 1.5 hrs
Event Sponsors
78
Join the Society of Underwater Technology Now *New Individual Members can attend this Evening Meeting Free* Apply for Membership today by visiting www.sut.org.au.
SUT Evening Technical Meeting registrations are online. Payment during the registration process (via credit card or invoice) is required in order to secure your place. Further t&c’s available via the registration link above. Should you have any questions please contact the SUT on + 61 (0) 8 9446 9903 or email perthevents@sut.org. UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017
Society for Underwater Technology – Perth Branch
www.sut.org.au
Wet-mate connectors
Recognised throughout the industry
Full range of Ethernet connectors
38 year track record
79
Available worldwide Denmark
Norway Sweden
Netherlands Italy
UAE
Colombia Russia
Germany
South Africa Peru
Belarus
Finland
Poland
Uruguay
United Kingdom
France
Spain
Portugal
Israel
USA
Canada
Mexico
Chile
Singapore
South Korea
Japan
China
Taiwan
India
Brazil Pakistan
Australia
UT3 Issue 2 April June 2017