Ocean services provider DeepOcean has announced that it has successfully mobilized its first autonomous inspection drone (AID).
AID has mobilized on board Edda Fauna underwater inspection, maintenance and repair vessel and ROV support. In the coming months, DeepOcean said it will conduct offshore tests to use the AID in one of DeepOcean’s annual inspection campaigns for an operator on the Norwegian continental shelf.
“A rapidly growing amount of subsea infrastructure is being placed on the seabed in both the offshore renewable energy and oil and gas industries. This equipment must be regularly reviewed. We have developed the AID to increase efficiency and accuracy in the collection of inspection data. It has the potential to substantially reduce the cost, time and environmental footprint typically associated with subsea inspection work,” says Craig Cameron, technology manager at DeepOcean.
Subsea infrastructure is typically inspected by ROVs launched from multipurpose vessels and controlled by ROV operators on board, DeepOcean noted. Some companies, such as DeepOcean, have developed remote operations capabilities, which allow the company to control the ROV from the ground, which reduces operating costs, emissions and HSE risk, the company said in a statement.
AID is an obvious step for the offshore industry, says DeepOcean. Examples of inspection areas, which will likely be automated in the near-term future, include external and internal production jigs, jacket structures and flexible lifts, the company noted. In the offshore renewables sector, it is even more attractive to automate the regular inspection of subsea structures as hundreds of similar structures are installed in a single field development with very similar inspection requirements, he says the statement
A key factor in the ability to perform scheduled and autonomous inspection work is the creation of digital twins of underwater infrastructure, says DeepOcean.
The company also notes that it has developed a digital twin platform where an AID model is controlled. This technology allows inspection engineers to virtually plan and simulate the route for the inspection scope. The AID can then autonomously execute the planned route, while an operator simultaneously monitors the operation from shore. AID inspection data and vehicle position are continuously transmitted to the digital twin to ensure high data quality and increased situational awareness for the operator.
This AID project is a strategic partnership between DeepOcean, Argus Remote Systems and Vaarst where a system of systems has been developed with AkerBP to bring a platform to market and could potentially disrupt the way underwater inspections are conducted, DeepOcean highlighted . Remota, a JV between DeepOcean, Solstad and Østensjø, is enabling offshore operations to be conducted from land, the statement said.
The AID is based on a Rover MK2 ROV from Argus Remote Systems, with updated hardware and software packages. Argus is responsible for the AID platform and navigation algorithm. DeepOcean said it is responsible for the digital twin platform, mission planning software and live viewing of the operational AID, while Vaarst is responsible for the machine vision camera called Subslam 2x for autonomous navigation and data collection.
The AID measures 1.25 x 0.85 x 0.77 meters (49.2″ x 33.4″ x 30.3″) and weighs 320 kilograms (750 pounds) and can operate in water depths up to 3000 meters (9842 ft). Sonardyne’s selected inertial navigation system is the Sprint Navigator mini 4K. Live imaging sonar with obstacle tracking and avoidance is the Norbit WBMS FLS.
“We hope to demonstrate that AID enables autonomous surveys, allowing us to collect data in a smarter way and better support comparisons and changes over time in underwater equipment. Regardless of the AID launch pad, we believe that the combination of AID and digital twins for subsea inspection work can save offshore asset operators a substantial amount of time and money,” concluded Cameron.
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