Ot5304 Subsea Construction & Operational Support Assignment 1 Research of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Technologies

OT5304 – RESEARCH OF AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES TECHNOLOGIES
OT5304 SUBSEA CONSTRUCTION & OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
ASSIGNMENT 1
RESEARCH OF AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES TECHNOLOGIES
A/PROF LOH WAI LAM
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Contents
1. Current Technology............................................................................................................................... 3
1.1. Types of AUV ................................................................................................................................. 3
1.2. Basic Operating Principles............................................................................................................. 6
1.3. Types of Power Used for Propulsions and Mission Duration Limitation ...................................... 8
1.4. How AUV Navigate ...................................................................................................................... 11
1.5. Depth Capabilities ....................................................................................................................... 13
1.6. Surveying Sensors Normally Deployed on Offshore Missions .................................................... 13
2. Current and Possible Use for AUV Technology ................................................................................... 21
2.1. Types of Survey Work Undertaken By AUV ................................................................................ 23
2.2. Other Uses AUV Could Be Adapted For ...................................................................................... 29
2.3. Current Limitation ....................................................................................................................... 31
3. Deployment, Operating and Recovery Method.................................................................................. 34
3.1. Types of Deployment & Recovery............................................................................................... 34
3.2. How the AUV is Configured & Operated..................................................................................... 34
3.3. How Data Is Retrieved................................................................................................................. 38
References .................................................................................................................................................. 39
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1. Current Technology
1.1. Types of AUV
An autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) is an underwater system containing energy source and able
to control itself while accomplishing a pre-defined task. It means that the AUV do not need human
intervention during its mission.
Torpedoes
Historically, torpedoes are the first type of AUV. In the earlier days, most AUVs follow the traditional
torpedo shape because it is the best compromise between size, usable volume, hydrodynamic efficiency
and ease of handling. There are some vehicles that make use of a modular design, enabling components
to be changed easily by the operators.
Underwater Gliders
Underwater gliders is an offset of AUVs. The design factors in small fluctuations in its buoyancy to dip in
the ocean. The glider uses wings to alter the vertical movement to horizontal, propelling itself forward
with minimal power consumption. The disadvantage is that it is not as quick as the traditional AUVs as it
uses buoyancy-based propulsion. But there is a huge increase in range and duration compared to
vehicles driven by electric motor-driven propellers, extending ocean sampling missions from hours to
weeks or months, and to thousands of kilometers of range. The gliders follow a distinct moving pattern
(zig zag type pattern) through the, providing data on temporal and spatial scales unavailable to previous
AUVs.
There are mainly four basic sampling modes. If forward motion is used to counter ambient currents and
maintain position, gliders can sample virtually as a vertical array of moored instruments with a single
sensor package. Moving from place to place yields a highly resolved section, although the slowness of
advance mixes time and spatial variability. Gliders controlled remotely from a research vessel can form
an array to describe the spatial and temporal context in which intensive shipboard measurements were
embedded. Finally, the long operating lives and ability to sample densely suit gliders to missions where
unusual events are sought and then studied intensely when found. This class of vehicles is distinguished
by four inter-related operating characteristics: the use of buoyancy propulsion, a sawtooth operating
pattern, long duration, and relatively slow operating speeds. In gliders, electric or thermal energy is
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converted to pressure-volume work to change vehicle volume and generate relative motion that is
converted to forward thrust by wing lift.
Slocum Battery (Webb et al., 2001) glider (Figure 1) is presented in this report. It has battery-powered
buoyancy engines and hull is fabricated from aluminum material. Slocum Battery is adjusted for shallow-
water coastal operation. Primary pitch control is achieved by the movement of water for buoyancy
control and pitch is trimmed by moving internal mass. An operable rudder controls the turning rate
while maintaining a level attitude for an acoustic altimeter. Pitch moment and surface buoyancy are
supported by inflating an air bladder at the surface. Sensors are mounted in a modular center payload
bay
Figure 1: Slocum Battery View
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Solar Powered AUVs
The advantage of using solar powered AUVs is that the main limitations like having insufficient energy,
less navigation and lack of real time data can be resolved. The AUV must return to surface to recharge
the fuel cell or battery but the available energy is limitless. When surfacing to recharge, they can use
global positioning systems (GPS) navigation to update position (Hitchcock, 1996). They are also able to
take advantage of the evolving communication infrastructure such as mature satellite based
communications (Herrman, 1997) and the newer Low Earth Orbiting Satellite (LEOS) communication
systems. Current computer technology and satellite-based navigation and communications provide an
opportunity to create systems that can work autonomously for long periods of time.
Multiple AUV System
Basically, the concept is to have a group of AUVs in formation underwater that can synchronize. They
are program to follow a predefined trajectory while holding a desired pattern. In offshore environment,
application include search and rescue in hazardous environment. While in military missions, the group of
AUVs aimed to provide a specified formation for area coverage and reconnaissance.
Moving in formation has many advantages over conventional systems. It can reduce the system cost,
increases the robustness and efficiency of the system while providing redundancy, reconfiguration
ability and structure flexibility for the system
Intervention AUV
Intervention AUV or I-AUV is a type of autonomous underwater vehicle. Its characteristic feature is that
it is capable of autonomous interventions on the subsea installations, a task usually carried out
by remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) or human divers. Without the need for tether
management system and the dynamic position system, I-AUVs can be operated from cheaper vessel,
thus reducing the cost. Thus far, the concept is relatively in its infant stage of development and only
three vehicles have demonstrated some autonomous intervention capabilities so far: ALIVE, SAUVIM
and GIRONA 500 I-AUV.
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1.2. Basic Operating Principles
AUVs are quite unique and it is designed and built to suit certain criteria. There is hardly one size fit all
function to suit any users. Basically, it is a robotic device that is driven through the water by a propulsion
system, pre-programmed by an onboard computer, and maneuverable in three dimensions. This level of
control, under most environmental conditions, permits the vehicle to follow precise preprogrammed
trajectories wherever and whenever required. Sensors on board the AUV sample the ocean as the AUV
moves through it, providing the ability to make both spatial and time series measurements. Sensor data
collected by an AUV is automatically geospatially and temporally referenced and normally of superior
quality. Multiple vehicle surveys increase productivity, can insure adequate temporal and spatial
sampling, and provide a means of investigating the coherence of the ocean in time and space.
Therefore, some basic operating principles are commonly found and highlighted in the latter section.
Autonomy, Energy and Navigation
True autonomy is the essence of the AUV principles. The level of autonomy is determined by their
performance in these three areas namely, energy autonomy, navigation autonomy and decision
autonomy. Energy autonomy defined as reliable power sources and low power consumption for long
endurance missions. Navigation autonomy refers to precise navigation and positioning with little or no
position estimate error growth for extended periods of time. Where decision autonomy is the ability to
sense, interpret and act upon unforeseen changes in the environment and the AUV itself.
In another aspect, total autonomy does not provide the user with any feedback on the vehicle’s progress
or health, nor does it provide a means of controlling or redirecting the vehicle during a mission. It does,
however, free the user to perform other tasks, thereby greatly reducing operational costs, if the vehicle
and the operator meet at their duly appointed times at the end of the mission. For some missions, total
autonomy may be the only choice; in other cases when the vehicle is performing a routine mission, it
may be the preferable mode of operation.
Gaining energy autonomy means that the AUVs has more than sufficient power to sustain the intended
operation envelope. For this concept to mature, AUVs can be powered by fuel cells.
Precise navigation is still a hindrance to effective challenge to go under the water. During the past 20
years, global navigation satellite systems such as GPS have solved this issue for most surface, land and
air based applications. With local or wide area augmentation systems, precise positioning accuracy is
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available anywhere, anytime. No similar system exists for positioning below the sea surface.
Autonomous operation in deep water or covert military operations requires the AUV to handle
submerged operation for long periods of time. One method is to employ the best possible inertial
navigation system (INS) together with sensors to support the INS, as performed by the HUGIN AUV from
Kongsberg.
Sensors
AUVs install various type of sensors primarily to move around autonomously and map features of the
ocean. Typical sensors include compasses, depth sensors and other sonars, magnetometers, thermistors
and conductivity probes. While in other type of industry application, the AUVs are fitted with biological
sensors such as fluorometers, turbidity sensors, and sensors to measure pH, and amounts of dissolved
oxygen. Offshore missions do have a different set of sensors and will be highlighted further.
Communications
AUV generally deploy acoustic communications. While new development initiatives uses laser
communication at short range. Another communication consideration is the problem of connecting
multiple vehicles and/or bottom mounted instrument platforms via a networked-based communication
infrastructure. This subsea network can then be connected to a surface vehicle that will act as a gateway
to the terrestrial based communication infrastructure such as the internet. Efforts are underway to
investigate how to implement such a network and be able to have effective communications among and
between multiple underwater systems.
Docking Systems
Underwater docking systems can consider as part of the operating principle, as this technology have the
aim of allowing AUVs to perform repeat missions without returning to the surface, and to be able to
perform data downloading and battery recharging activities underwater. The philosophy is that the
docking system acts as a charging station and data retrieving station.
Docking systems have the potential to overcome two of the principal current restrictions on the use of
AUVs their limited independence from expensive surface support, and the risk of loss or damage
inherent in repetitive surface launch and especially recovery. A small AUV with a docking station can
operate in an area over an extended duration and provide an extensive search or survey of that area
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cost effectively. Docking systems may therefore be defined as physical interfaces located underwater
that permit AUVs to replenish their power supply and exchange data in a secure fashion.
1.3. Types of Power Used for Propulsions and Mission Duration Limitation
The power source is the main component that determines its range of travel and the tasks that it can
perform. During the early days application, lead-acid and silver-zinc batteries were chosen for the
power. Lead-acid batteries are a mature technology and are available at low cost. However, they have a
low energy density. As compared to silver-zinc batteries, they have a much higher energy density of
about four times. However, they are quite expensive, and have a short life of 40–100 cycles compared to
1000 cycles for lead-acid (Carey et al., 1992). Other battery types including nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal
hydride, lithium ion and primary manganese alkaline and lithium cells, often using stacks of cells
developed for the market application. Recent advances in NiMH batteries have provided new
opportunities for AUV and this technology is being used in many of the current AUV systems. In this
assignment report, the flywheel electromechanical battery, semi-fuel cell and solar energy powered is
further explained.
Flywheel Electromechanical Batteries
The energy is stored as kinetic energy in a spinning rotor made of durable but light material, supported
by nearly frictionless magnetic bearings, and enclosed in a vacuumed housing to reduce windage loss.
Energy is coupled into and out of the rotor via some highly efficient electric motor-generator and
associated electronics. While the concept of a flywheel is old, its realization as a viable battery with an
energy density that compares well with the best of secondary batteries has been possible only recently.
The energy density of a flywheel is proportional to the ratio of the tensile strength to mass density of
the rotor material. In other words, for high energy density, the rotor material should be strong and light,
which are properties of carbon fiber.
Currently, there are at least five development program of flywheel batteries. The most notable of these
is that by Trinity Flywheel Batteries Inc. of the USA, who is currently developing prototype flywheels in
collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Westinghouse (Post et al., 1993;
Bowler, 1997). The Trinity development program is expected to deliver a power flywheel having a rated
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capacity of 140kW discharged over a period of 30s. Flywheel Energy Systems Inc. is another major player
in the field, with major expertise in winding carbon fiber rotors (Flanagen et al., 1990).
Semi Fuel Cells
Semi-fuel cells have established their operational reliability although at energy densities that still require
significant volume for the energy source. Hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells and high temperature batteries
remain the exotic choice for an AUV power source. The complexity, weight and volume of the ancillary
systems that these power sources require mitigate against their widespread use, as the total energy
density has yet to be sufficiently high to justify the risk.
Solar Powered Energy
Solar Energy is now being used to power an AUV. This system demands a detailed design of onboard
energy management; both during the acquisition phase, as well as, the utilization phase of operations. It
is an inexhaustible energy source but requires an AUV to surface while recharging. The Glider AUVs is
one AUV that employ solar system to utilize heat energy to vary the buoyancy of an AUV that can glide
up and down in the water column. The potential endurance of such a system is measured in years.
Mission Duration Limitation
There are several aspects that affect the mission limitation. Some factors include the energy supply,
communication at deep water, can only dive up to 6000-meter depth, very minimal payload of about 11
to 44kg, capacity of internal recorders and limited work functions. AUVs that exist today are vehicles
with limited decision-making capabilities and endurance. The missions for AUVs call for simple data-
gathering, conducting searches, performing surveys, and laying fiber-optic cable. However, until more
advanced capabilities evolve, missions requiring probabilistic decision making and true autonomy will be
developed only for high-value objectives. AUVs are still in their infancy, and the lack of operational
experience with these vehicles in the open ocean marks them as an immature technology with very
important future potential.
AUV missions are the most computation-intensive. Over the past decade, the computing revolution has
resulted in order of magnitude increases in processor capacity every few years at continually reduced
power levels. A central processor can implement all guidance, navigation, and control functions required
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by an AUV. Further developments in semiconductor materials, improved board geometries, and more
efficient operating systems for compilers will be able to meet the computing requirements. In addition,
the use of advanced paradigms, including artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, and neural computing, is
becoming more mature, and these paradigms will implement efficient sensor-based perception and data
fusion for object interaction and advanced fault detection, isolation, and management.
Current work in signal processing is benefiting acoustic communications and sensor signal processing.
The incorporation of low power, algorithm-specific processors with high processing rates provides the
required through-puts for separating signal from noise and integrating signals into meaningful
information. Advancements include distributed and parallel processors to interpret on vehicle acoustic,
video, and laser imagery when evaluating objects in the environment.
The design of the AUV, analysis, simulation, and verification, especially for AUV applications, have
benefited from advancements in computational capability. Vehicle development and construction have
progressed from empirical hand-drawn designs to completely computer-developed and maintained
representations that can facilitate automated manufacturing. Analysis is enhanced through solid
modeling and simulation that approaches real-time in complex tasks such as fluid flow and vortex
analysis.
As mainstream computing hardware and software continue to develop technically, these advances can
be incorporated into underwater vehicles to make them more capable and reliable. Techniques that
combine diverse types of data will allow scientific and commercial data products to be produced more
quickly, more cheaply, and with higher quality. In addition, automated techniques to monitor and
manage sensors will be vital to permitting AUVs to produce high quality data sets without intervention.
Docking System Limitation
Another aspect that can limit mission capability is the use of the docking system if the technology is
being employed in offshore environment. For AUV that is used for shallow water depth, there is not
much issue as it would commence its mission once the dock has reached a suitable depth. Within this
scenario the AUV may perform repeat missions without the requirement to be recovered on board the
ship, as once docked all the activities of recharging and data downloading may be performed at the
deployment and docking depth.
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But for deep water application (2000m), the docking application is still not viable and is yet proven in
the offshore oil and gas industry.
1.4. How AUV Navigate
Dead Reckoning and Inertial Navigation
Dead reckoning is the most commonly used and mature navigation method. It uses measurements of
the vehicle linear velocity and deviation from the magnetic North to calculate how much the vehicle has
moved from a starting point. The new position is determined by integrating the measured velocity, and
the orientation corresponds to the deviation from magnetic North. Navigation systems continue to
improve in accuracy as well as precision. In the past few years, many AUVs have taken advantage of GPS.
When the vehicle surfaces, it is possible to obtain an accurate position and update onboard inertial
systems. However, radio waves can only penetrate water at a certain depth, so as soon as an AUV dives
to a certain depth and it loses its GPS signal. Therefore, a standard way for AUVs to navigate underwater
is through dead reckoning.
The most used sensors in dead reckoning are the compass and the speed sensor based on Doppler Effect
or Doppler Velocity Log (DVL). The former orientates itself according to the Earth magnetic field. This
sensor is widely used in underwater vehicles due to its low cost. However, magnetic disturbances
caused by the structure of the robot and its systems can generate significant errors.
On the other hand, sensors based on Doppler Effect measure velocity relative to the water or to the sea
floor. It uses several transducers oriented on different angles that continuously send an acoustic signal
of certain frequency towards the sea floor. As the underwater vehicle is moving, the signal reflected by
the seabed changes in its frequency due to Doppler effect and the difference between the sent and
received signals is used to estimate the vehicle’s velocity.
Acoustic navigation
Unlike the electromagnetic signals that suffer a high attenuation and noise, the acoustic energy can be
propagated adequately to significant distances in aquatic medium and therefore, it results in a viable
alternative for positioning of unmanned underwater vehicles.
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Acoustic technique is the uses of the acoustic devices and a ping to transmit. The time between the
sending and return of the signal is used to calculate the distance that the vehicle has moved. Depending
on the number and the deployment of the acoustic elements as well as the signals frequency, it is
termed as: Long Base Line (LBL), Short Base Line (SBL), and Ultra Short Base Line (USBL). These
techniques require a precise knowledge of the water speed profile.
 LBL
It uses at least three transponders mounted on the operation area, and one transponder mounted on
the underwater vehicle. The transmitters-responders can be deployed in seabed or in the surface. The
maximum distance between the vehicle and acoustic transponders can be up to six kilometers [25].
To find out the position, the AUV sends out an acoustic signal to each transponder and they respond to
the call. Thereafter, a triangulation is made using the signal time of flight.
Among the three types of acoustic navigation, the LBL systems provide the higher precision. However,
the deployment and calibration of transponders require a considerable time and expert operators.
 SBL
In the case of SBL, the transponders are not mounted on seabed or on the surface, but on the hull of an
assistance vessel. The vehicle determines its position, related to this ship, when it calculates the arriving
time of each of the acoustic signals returned by the set of transponders. Depending on the vessel shape,
the acoustic devices are implemented in 10 to 50 meters among them.
This system when deployed has a good accuracy level. It is not as complex when compared to the LBL
arrangement as the acoustic devices are installed directly on the assistance ship, but a rigorous
calibration and the implementation of additional sensors to obtain an absolute position is needed.
 USBL
The operating principle of this technique is like SBL systems, but the distance among the transponders
mounted on the vessel is about 10 centimeters. The system measures the phase shift of the acoustic
signal arriving to the array devices to calculate the orientation of the vehicle related to them. If these
signals are returned to the robot, it can calculate its position according to the time of flight. Among the
three kinds of acoustic navigation, this technique is the most sensitive to the noise and to the calibration
errors.
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1.5. Depth Capabilities
In this sub-section, the author will present the furthest depth capability that an AUV can achieve in the
current commercial market application.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, REMUS 6000
The REMUS 6000 AUV was designed under a cooperative program involving the Naval Oceanographic
Office, the Office of Naval Research, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - WHOI, in support
of deep-water autonomous operations. The REMUS 6000 AUV has the same software and electronic
subsystems found in early prototype REMUS 100 AUV, with a depth rating, endurance, and payload that
allow for autonomous operations in up to 6000 meters of water. The versatile design also allows long
mission durations in shallow littoral areas.
Figure 2: REMUS 6000
1.6. Surveying Sensors Normally Deployed on Offshore Missions
AUVs carry sensors to navigate autonomously and perform several mission objectives. Well, typical
sensors used in other field applications include using compasses, depth sensors, sidescanner and
other sonars, magnetometers, thermistors and conductivity probes. Some AUVs are outfitted with
biological sensors including fluorometers (also known as Chlorophyll sensors), turbidity sensors, and
sensors to measure pH, and amounts of dissolved oxygen.
In general, payload sensors and navigation sensors are essential sensors for an offshore oil and gas
mission. Payload sensors are to be high data quality for survey capabilities. AUVs are ideal survey sensor
carriers for obtaining high quality survey data due to low acoustic self-noise, hydrodynamic stability,
effective control of optimal position and altitude and absence of cable-induced motions.
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The operational freedom in relative position between the AUV and the survey vessel allows the survey
vessel to be directly above the AUV. This will minimize the effects of ray-bending errors on the acoustic
positioning accuracy. In addition, minimal horizontal distance minimizes the error contribution from
survey vessel heading sensor and acoustic transducer installation misalignment.
Common Payload Sensors
 Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP)
ADCP transmit an acoustic pulse and measure backscatter intensity and doppler shift of the reflected
signal. This is typically done from four transducers angled in different directions. Therefore, the relative
current velocity vector (in three spatial dimensions) can be calculated. The assumption is that the
scatters in the water float with the same average speed as the current (Teledyne RD Instruments, 2011).
ADCP can work as an acoustic Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), by adjusting the processing of the
measurements. This way the measured velocity is relative to the bottom, not the water.
An upward pointing ADCP mounted on an AUV could therefore in theory measure the velocity of a
floating object. The prerequisite is that the velocity of the AUV must be known prior. As of today, AUVs
equipped with ADCP offer a good platform to conduct ice-monitoring, but further research is needed
(Norgren & Skjetne, 2014).
Figure 3: One of the most popular ADCPs on the market
 Conductivity Temperature Depth Sensors (CTD)
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CTD measure the water conductivity, the temperature and the pressure (which in turn is used to
calculate the depth). CTD measurements is used to find the salinity, density and speed of sound (in
water). For seabed mapping and underwater navigation, the speed of sound is especially crucial to
know. A CTD sensor mounted on a REMUS 100 combined with the Ruthers University’s Regional Ocean
Modeling System (ROMS) provided a proof-of-concept of how to characterize the sound speed profile(s)
in a project area (Imahori et al., 2008).
 Side Scan Sonar (SSS)
SSS sends fan-shaped acoustic impulse signals towards the seabed and measures the intensity and travel
time of the reflected signals. By mounting the SSS on an AUV with surge speed, different cross-track
slices are created which then are merged together and create a picture of the seabed. The assumption
for the SSS to work is a flat seabed condition.
AUVs can dive near to the seabed and collect data with the SSS that has up to two orders in magnitude
higher spatial resolution (Wynn et al., 2014). Other than just being used for seabed mapping, the SSS
show potential in improving AUV navigation by using landmarks extracted from the SSS data together
with dead-reckoning (Tena Ruiz et al., 2003).
 Environmental Characterization Optics (ECO)
ECO has many different configurations and depends on what application is to be applied. A typical
configuration is a scattering sensor combined with a fluorimeter. This way the chlorophyll as well as the
turbidity (calculated from particle scattering effects) can be measured. Field tests show that an optical
sensor package like the ECO combined with CTD and ADCP creates a important scientific data set which
supports biological oceanographic research (Purcell et al., 2000).
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Figure 4: Wet Labs ECO Triplet Puck (WetLabs, 2015).
 Multi-Parameter Sonde
Sonde sensors is used for measuring Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) and
pH levels of water. This data is invaluable when monitoring chemical and biological conditions in the sea.
 Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS)
SAS adapts the principle of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) which exploits the motion of the radar to
create images with finer spatial resolution than a traditional beam-scanning radar. When the radar
sends a signal, and moves a distance before the signal returns, we obtain a synthetic aperture (the
antenna seems larger). Signal processing of all recorded radar echoes outputs the final image. SAS uses
acoustic waves in water instead of radio waves in air, but the fundamentals are the same. SAS has been
implemented on AUVs the last decade when problems with enabling technologies finally were figured
out (Tate & Israel, 2014). The complex signal processing is done offline by powerful computers after the
mission.
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SAS on AUVs is particularly useful in the search of mines, since high resolution data is needed in the
identification process. The two popular AUVs REMUS 600 and Bluefin 21 feature SAS capabilities (among
others), where Bluefin 21 was used in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March 2014 after its
disappearance (Tate & Israel, 2014).
Common Navigation Sensors
 Acoustic Baseline sensors
In the earlier part of the section, the three class of acoustic baseline navigation sensors namely SBL, LBL
and USBL was briefly discussed.
LBL uses two or more (preferably four) seabed mounted transponders placed around the work site to
calculate the position. A transceiver mounted on the AUV which sends out an acoustic pulse that can
cause the transponder to respond. From this, combined with the SSP, the distance to each transponder
is found. The deployed transponders need to be placed accurately to obtain a high degree of accuracy.
Compared to LBL, SBL does not require any transponder deployment on the seabed. Instead three or
more transponders are mounted directly on a surface vessel. The AUV will finds its position relative to
the surface vessel. The larger the transducer spacing is, the better the accuracy is. This means that SBL is
best fitted for larger surface vessels.
USBL will require only one transponder to calculate the position. An USBL sensor mounted on the AUV
has an array of hydrophones that can use the difference in phase to calculate the horizontal and vertical
angles to the transponder. This combined with the range measurement gives the position relative to the
transponder. Since the hydrophones typically have spacing less than 10 centimeters, we say that the
baseline is ultra-short (compared to LBL and SBL). Angle measurement errors causes the position error
to be a function of the range between the AUV and the transponder. This means that the closer the AUV
is the transponder, the higher the accuracy (Kongsberg Maritime, 2015).
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Figure 5: LBL, SBL and USBL (Kongsberg Maritime, 2015).
 Doppler Velocity Log
By changing the signal processing of the ADCP data, it is possible to measure the Doppler shift of the
signal that is reflected off the seabed. Then we say that the ADCP is working as a Doppler Velocity Log
(DVL). The DVL calculated velocity can be input to a Kalman filter together with an acoustic position fix,
inertial measurements, depth and a GPS signal (if at the surface) in order to determine the vehicle
position, attitude, accelerations and velocities. This is particularly helpful in the case of dead-reckoning
navigation of an AUV.
 Heading and Inertial Sensors
The important principles that are used to measure the heading of an AUV around the vertical axis: the
relative position of two or more points, the magnetic field of the earth and the rotation of the earth.
According to (Sørensen & Ludvigsen, 2015) the latter one is the most used for underwater navigation. A
gyro compass exploits the earth’s rotation and finds the vehicle heading relative to true North (the axis
orientation with minimum potential energy), which is much more useful than the magnetic North for
navigational purposes. Also, the gyro compass is not influenced by magnetic fields that the vehicle might
encounter.
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In the case of the REMUS 100, a HG1700AG58 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) from Honeywell is used
to find accelerations and the rate of change of the orientation angles (Hydroid, 2012). The angular rate
of change is found with three Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG) (Honeywell, 2015), that uses the Sagnac
effect to make acceleration measurements. Accelerations are found with three quartz resonating beam
accelerometers (RBA).
Offshore Survey Sensor
A survey sensor suite in an AUV for site and pipeline route surveys typically consist of:
 high resolution multibeam echo sounder (MBE) for detailed bathymetry survey
 dual frequency Side Scan Sonar (SSS) for hazard object detection
 low frequency Sub-Bottom Profiler (SBP) for sub-bottom structure and geophysical mapping
 CTD
 Magnetometer
If the AUV operates in an unmanned, untethered rather than autonomous mode a survey vessel follows
it. The survey vessel tracks the AUV with a super-short baseline (SSBL) acoustic position system. SSBL
systems are interchangeably referred to as ultra-short baseline (USBL) systems. The survey vessel is
usually equipped with the following navigation instrumentation sensor:
 SSBL
 DGPS
 heading, roll and pitch attitude sensors
 acoustic communication links
By combining DGPS with SSBL data compensated for attitude, range and bearing an AUV position
estimate in global co-ordinates is obtained. This position estimate can be sent to the AUV using an
acoustic communication link. The AUV navigation system serves three main purposes:
 provide the guidance and control system with real-time estimates of attitude, velocity and
position
 store the navigation solution and navigation sensor data for use in post-processing of survey
sensor data
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 provide survey sensors with real-time attitude data for sensor stabilization
The Kongsberg Simrad HUGIN 3000 AUV is equipped with the following navigation sensors:
 IMU;
 Fibre-optic Gyrocompass (FOG);
 Pressure sensor;
 Doppler Velocity Log (DVL);
 DGPS receiver;
 SSBL transponder;
 Optional LBL navigation transceiver
Therefore, it is common to separate the sensors into two main sensor systems; payload sensors and
navigation sensors. The payload sensors are the units that collect the data. Depending on the mission,
an AUV can have different sensor configurations. Navigation sensors measures the state of the vehicle
and is used by an internal control system to position the vehicle correctly.
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2. Current and Possible Use for AUV Technology
Figure 6: The sectors that comprise the offshore industry (2001)
The oil and gas sector accounts for the greatest proportion of the offshore industry with about 83% of
its activities taking place in water depths less than 300 m while the rest is found in the deeper water
areas such as off West Africa, South America and the Gulf of Mexico. Telecommunications is another
sector of the offshore industry that is evolving rapidly. Its current 16% share of activities is on the
increase as the demand grows for secure, robust and high-capacity telecommunication networks to link
the nations of the world. Ocean mining, for precious minerals and metals, is also expected to be a
growth area in the future as technologies are developed to harvest these products from the sea.
The main driver for introducing the survey AUV has been the oil and gas industry’s deep-water blocks off
the Americas and Africa, where the costs associated with surveying, using traditional technology,
appeared untenable. The alternative method for imaging the seafloor, and advocated by many in the
industry, was to use reprocessed 3D seismic exploration data (Rutledge and Leonard, 2001). It has been
argued that the results compare more than favorably with multibeam echo sounder data; fortunately,
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for design engineers and the environment, most professionals disagree and uphold the value of surveys
conducted using appropriate tools and quality-assured procedures. The AUV bridged the gap and
offered the prospect of proper surveys performed at costs comparable to surveys conducted in more
shallow water.
AUVs are not just limited to deep-water. For the oil and gas industry, survey AUVs are suitable
alternatives for:
 geohazard/clearance surveys
 rig site surveys
 acoustic inspection of pipelines and sub-sea installations
 pipeline route surveys
 construction site surveys
While it is noted that most of the vehicles entering the market are quite large, five or six meters overall.
Handling such large vehicles is quite a challenge and, as a result, specialist launch and recovery systems
are needed. This tends to delimit the vessels capable of operating an AUV to the larger type of vessel or
survey ship. The techniques for AUV operations are only just developing. For site surveys, it has been
suggested that the parent ship will continue to perform the digital data acquisition leaving the analogue
acquisition to the AUV.
As inertial navigation systems are more technologically advance, there is greater scope for exciting new
tools to be piloted to subsea. The use of technologies such as synthetic aperture sonar, seafloor drills
and sea drones is set to rejuvenate operational methods and provide efficiency gains to the wider
survey market.
Within the next 10 years, the AUVs will be equipped with sonars, cameras, and sensors, which play an
important role in the operation and maintenance of subsea fields. Research indicates that autonomous
technologies developed for military purposes, AUVs and drones, will replace remote operated vehicles
(ROV) for inspections.
In the future, AUVs will be able to lay seismic arrays as well, Olsen the vice president of Subsea Sales for
Kongsberg Maritime says. “We are working to develop a seismic node that will swim out and deploy on
the seabed,” he says. “The AUV seismic nodes would be lowered in a sub-sea cage to the seafloor and
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swim out to the proper place. They would no longer be lowered from the surface. But this function will
take years to fully mature.”
2.1. Types of Survey Work Undertaken By AUV
Routine pipeline and seismic array inspections are some of the survey works undertaken by AUV. The
AUV can survey the ocean floor for threatening obstacles prior to the laying of pipelines and seismic
arrays. Another function is that they can detect corrosion or damaged pipelines from seabed slides, as
well as seismic arrays that have damaged nodes or that are entangled with adjacent arrays.
Pre-Construction
Deepwater developments beyond the continental shelf will require the same level of survey data quality
and intervention access as established for shallow water.
The AUV application includes pipeline, site/block hazard and cable surveying.
Construction
AUVs are ideal for platform area surveys, as they can encroach within the 500m exclusion zone without
stopping production. FAUVs also have successfully performed scouring surveys between platform jacket
legs.
Furthermore, the Hugin AUV can retrieve data like currents, temperatures, salinity, mammal life and
even oil seeps, methane and carbon dioxide by performing full water column dives.
Life of Field
Here, there are three case studies that AUVs application is evidence in the offshore oil and gas industry
mainly for pipeline route surveying and the deepwater horizon accident.
 HUGIN 3000 Field Experience
The vehicle has since January 2001 been in routine use for deepwater pipeline route surveying in the
Gulf of Mexico, in the Mediterranean and off the west coast of Africa. The vehicle control systems is able
to control and perform well in very rough bottom terrain and the navigation accuracy is reliable. All the
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payload systems like MBE, dual frequency SSS and chirp sub-bottom profiler have worked to full
expectation, delivering excellent data.
The AUV position accuracy was improved by post-processing the data with a forward/backward filter.
The filter produces an optimal estimate based on all logged measurements, both historical and future.
Furthermore, the full set of position measurements stored on the survey vessel is utilized. The Kalman
filter standard deviations are well in accordance with the standard deviation of the well head
observations (population standard deviation).
 Aqua Explorer line of AUV
Japan is also in the running for AUV development in offshore cable surveys. The Aqua Explorer line of
AUVs has been under development for nearly a decade by KDD R&D Laboratories. Their latest version is
the AQUA EXPLORER 2 (AE2), operated by Kokusai Marine Engineering Corp. (KMARINE). The AE2, which
recently completed the survey of a buried cable in the Taiwan Strait that exceeded 400 km, is now
available for hire in the UK through an agreement between K-MARINE and Oceanscan Ltd.
 SAILARS™
International Submarine Engineering Ltd., Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada, developers of such AUVs as the
Theseus and ARCS, has teamed with Mentor Subsea Technology Services, a unit of J. Ray McDermott,
SA, to develop the prototype unmanned semi-submersible vessel that will deploy a remotely operated
vehicle. The system, called SAILARS™, will be able to cost effectively accomplish a variety of subsea
intervention tasks. SAILARS is a hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle/remote operated vessel
(AUV/ROV) that can operate and provide power for 50-150 horsepower work-class ROVs. SAILARS is
designed to accommodate a variety of existing ROVs without modification and operate in significant
wave height (Sea State 6) at distances approximately 15 miles from the controlling platform.
 Girona 500 I-AUV
The GIRONA 500 (Ribas et al. (2012)) is a compactsize I-AUV designed and developed in the university of
Girona for a maximum operating depth of 500 m. The vehicle is built around an aluminum frame which
supports three torpedo-shaped hulls as well as other elements like the thrusters.
On its basic configuration, the vehicle is equipped with typical navigation sensors (DVL, AHRS, pressure
gauge and USBL) and a basic survey equipment (profiler sonar, side scan sonar, video camera and sound
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velocity sensor). In addition to these sensors, almost half the volume of the lower hull is reserved for
mission-specific payload, which makes possible to modify its sensing and actuation capabilities as
required.
In autonomous intervention, three different payloads have been developed. The first one was
developed in the context of the RAUVI project and was composed of a light duty 4 DOF electrical
manipulator, video system and their corresponding control electronics. The main goal of the project was
to perform a two-step autonomous underwater intervention mission consisting of an initial video survey
phase in which a object was localized, and then retrieve this object using a hook attached to the robotic
arm. This same configuration has been later used in the TRITON Spanish project to demonstrate more
challenging tasks, such as the manipulation of valves and connectors, while docked at an intervention
panel using a simple gripper as end-effector.
The second payload was developed as part of the TRIDENT FP7 project. The main difference with the
previous one is the higher level of dexterity of the system achieved with a 7 DOF manipulator and a
three-fingered hand. This made possible to demonstrate grasping capabilities for recovery tasks, while
opening the door to the manipulation of objects with more complex shapes.
Finally, the last payload was built for the PANDORA FP7 project. A new small size 4 DOF arm was
integrated into the GIRONA 500 I-AUV to demonstrate the autonomous free-floating operation of valves
on an intervention panel. For that purpose, a fixed tool was installed as end-effector to actuate the
valves, with the arm mounted on the front part of the vehicle to provide a more convenient workspace.
The GIRONA 500 system architecture is shown here.
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Figure 7: GIRONA 500’s System Architecture
Decommissioning
When performing site surveys after decommissioning a rig in shallow water in the US, traditionally the
trawl method has been used to ensure proper clean-up. Vessels drag nets to catch remnants, and boat
captains record items removed from the seafloor.
This type of operation can take multiple days and is very costly. But with AUV, they can survey 8 to 10
sites in the same amount of time and half the cost.
 Deepwater Horizon Case Study
On April 20, 2010, an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed eleven people and started
one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history, eventually releasing over 4 million barrels into the Gulf of
Mexico. The spill was unique both in its magnitude and in the water depth at which it occurred at about
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1500m depth. The depth of the spill precluded direct human observation and intervention and, in
consequence, ocean robots became the primary means for assessing and attempting to halt the oil spill.
While most public attention was focused on the remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) working in the
immediate vicinity of the well, AUVs played a role in assessing the scope and impact of the spill. In early
June, the Dorado AUV was deployed to search for evidence of an underwater hydrocarbon plume.
Gliders were used to measure large scale currents. This information was used to assess where these
currents might transport the oil. The Sentry AUV reported above was used on three oil spill response
expeditions
In June 2010, the Sentry AUV, which had TETHYS mass spectrometer sensors installed, was used to
identify, localize, and characterize a subsea oil plume originating from the Deepwater Horizon accident
site. The TETHYS mass spectrometer had been previously used to measure subsurface oil leaks from
blowout preventers damaged by hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and, in combination with Sentry, to
map naturally occurring methane seeps off the coast of California. This effort was part of a 10-day
expedition focused on surveying and sampling the plume. The surveying efforts included both Sentry
and a conventional cable-lowered oceanographic conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) rosette
augmented with a TETHYS in situ mass spectrometer as well as several sensors specifically selected for
the cruise. The CTD was also used to obtain water samples for on-shore analysis.
Prior to obtaining these samples, the operators had to ensure that there was existence of plumes by
locating and mapping them. Their approach capitalized on the strengths of our two sampling platforms,
while respecting the constraints imposed by the sensors on board. The lowered CTD was used to initially
locate the plume and then to characterize its vertical structure while the AUV provided a
complementary horizontal perspective. Our search strategy was aided by visual observations from an
ROV during a previous expedition attempting to measure the flow at the blowout preventer. These
observations provided an initial indication of the plume at a depth of approximately 1100m. To
constrain the horizontal position of the plume, they conducted 3 continuous CTD deployments in which
the instrument package was towed slowly while undulating within a prescribed depth interval at a radius
of approximately 5km from the well site. Two plumes were encountered and one to the NE of the site
and another to the SW centered at a depth of 1100 m. Having identified two potential plumes, the
Sentry AUV was deployed to localize the extent of the plume.
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Figure 8: Quantitative hydrocarbon plume tracking data obtained by the Sentry AUV during the June 2010 expedition.
Over the next five days, Sentry divesd 3 times, covering approximately 240 kilometers at depths
between 1000 m and 1300 m. The first dive started 5km from the well site and continued out from the
well in the NE direction for approximately 30km at three separate water depths (1000,1150, and
1300m). This survey failed to encounter hydrocarbons significantly higher than background
measurements and we focused on the potential plume to the SW.
Among these are two expeditions in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in which Sentry
obtained the measurements necessary to locate an underwater hydrocarbon plume and assisted in
locating deep-sea coral for sampling.
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2.2. Other Uses AUV Could Be Adapted For
The potential use of AUVs is limitless and ultimately it should replace ROVs and are expected to have
human diver equivalent capabilities. The most important anthropomorphic capabilities include human
finger like grasping. Besides capability of swimming an underwater robot also has multi DOF
manipulators and end effectors on these arms of various types to perform underwater tasks such as
construction, salvage, rescue and repair. Some of the other uses that AUV can be adapted for is
highlighted below.
Long-term cruise AUV
This type of AUV meets with the purpose of building the URASHIMA prototype vehicle, and aims to
extend the cruising range drastically to 1,000 km through 3,000 km to enable the collection of marine
data under the sea in the Arctic Ocean and the evaluation of the environment there.
Multiple AUV system
It is expected that AUV systems with very high efficiency detection capabilities will be deployed into a
wide range of marine mineral resources survey work soon. To meet this expectation, it would be
favorable to develop a multi-AUV system that simultaneously operates two or more AUVs of a size
smaller than URASHIMA. The theme for the development of this system is to establish the concept of an
AUV fleet to study problems/difficulty with complex cruising and find an integrated fleet control system.
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Figure 9: Concept of multiple AUV system
This concept is based on the idea where multiple AUV are autonomously performing survey missions
under the supervision of the mother ship. Although there are remaining tasks such as ensuring safety
and redundancy, emergency response and co-operative logics.
Swire Seabed has acquired this subsea vessel and that is being modified to carry and deploy up to six,
6000m depth rated AUVs. They will be joined by a matching fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs)
and two, work class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), rated to 5000m and 6000m. The vessel, which
will also have subsea lifting capability to 6000m subsea.
“Deploying six AUVs at one time has never been done before,” says Jan Arvid Ingulfsen, senior advisor,
Survey & AUV Operations at Swire Seabed, which was founded in 2008 in Bergen and bought by Swire
Pacific Offshore in 2012. “Similar work has been done in shallow water and in the military, so the
technologies in a way are working today. But, quite a lot of development needed to be done to do this.
We acquire six times more data than others, we shall process it [the data] much faster than others and
we have an ongoing development program with software vendors.”
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The aim of placing six AUVs on one vessel is targeted at speeding up subsea seafloor survey work.
“To get a really good mapping product, you need high resolution,” says Arvid Pettersen, Swire Seabed’s
CEO. “This is normally achieved by flying close to the seabed by using one AUV from one vessel. We will
be flying up to six simultaneously so you can do large scale mapping in high resolution in a fraction of
the time.” This could be for the telecommunications or oil and gas industries, where areas of the seabed
need to be mapped.
2.3. Current Limitation
Energy
The limit to the capability of any AUV is the amount of energy it has onboard. Depending on the type
and nature of the mission, some AUVs must equip with higher payload equipment and providing work
capabilities offshore. Fuel cell technology is a viable option as researchers and people of interest have
taken approaches to advance its technology. The increase in endurance will be substantial. Basic
research into some of the enabling technologies must be supported. The development of operationally
reliable systems must be undertaken.
The batteries which provide energy contain Silver-Zinc composition or Lead-Acid composition. But now
commercial NiMH battery is available which can provide energy better than the previous ones. Another
good way of solving this problem is using of solar cells as supplementary energy sources. This can reduce
the endurance of the energy cells.
The finite electrical power available has meant that the use of video and camera systems is, at this time,
limited. Similarly, heavy consumers like lasers canners cannot be readily incorporated into today’s AUV.
The oil and gas industry has come to depend on visual observation for much of its tasks only. Unless
AUVs can be fabricated that cater for this need, then it is unlikely that they will ever replace ROVs for
observational tasks or as work-class vehicles.
Artificial Intelligence
Another limitation other than power describe above, is the artificial intelligence. As compared to ROV
which requires human intervention, and the task performed are complex, AUVs has no artificial
intelligence to surpass the human operator. In oil and gas pipeline construction, the traditional method
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of monitoring pipe lay is to use a specialist ROV vessel. The ROV monitors the pipe’s touchdown point
and can also be used for light intervention tasks such as wire cutting. The AUV can replace the ROV for
much of the critical touchdown monitoring. In deep water, this aspect of surveillance takes on even
more importance, as there is the added difficulty that pipes tend to buckle under the extreme loads and
then collapse with the higher water pressure. The AUV can monitor the operation, its support ship can
be employed in a much more efficient way providing construction support to the lay barge and checking
the route ahead.
Navigation
There are challenges in the AUV navigation. However, these problems can be solved by using the
acoustic transponder navigation systems. Although this is cost effective, it can only solve the navigation
issue up to certain extent with taking advantages of GPS system. In certain cases, the problem arises due
to the use of some common types of sensors for a group of AUVs. In this case the sensors are not fixed
for any kind of AUVs. So, the range problem arises for making decision in case of emergency. These
problems are now solved by using embedded sensors, which are high range sensors and are designed
for AUVs.
Communication
AUV communication is a difficult task as the signal must travel within water. Keeping communication
constant under deep water faces many issues due to several reasons like chances of multiple
propagation, small available band width, uncertainty or time variation in channel of propagation, strong
attenuation of signal in travelling medium etc. Generally, laser communication is possible for short
range and RF communication is possible for long range. But these communication systems face the
predefined problems. Therefore, currently in the market, acoustic signals are used instead of
electromagnetic waves in AUV communication. In cases of terrestrial communications, laser or RF
signals are used. One demerit of acoustic communication is the transmission of low data rate comparing
to terrestrial communication. A wireless network is necessary for each AUV to keep the information of
its neighbor AUVs.
Decision
Most of the AUVs today operate with a pre-programmed mission plan specifying waypoints and vehicle
parameters for the entire mission. Complex tasks that cannot be accurately specified in advance must be
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solved through intermittent communication with a human operator. This obviously limits the
performance and applicability of such vehicles. A truly autonomous vehicle must be able to perceive its
own condition and its environment, and respond appropriately to unexpected or dynamic situations.
Updated situational awareness requires an extensive set of sensors and data analysis tools, but the most
challenging part of decision autonomy is still to select advantageous actions based on the information
available.
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3. Deployment, Operating and Recovery Method

3.1. Types of Deployment & Recovery
By having no tether, AUVs are usually quite easy to launch. But this will still require the lifting of a large
mass over the deck and into the water. Once in the water, an AUV must still clear the hull, and propel
out of the support vessel. It is imperative to avoid the propeller or the thruster section of the support
vessel to avoid damage. A failure to carefully coordinate the behavior of the AUV and motion of the
vessel can result in a collision.
Upon recovery, AUV must be tied on to the ship in a certain way. Methods used for human occupied
submersibles frequently rely upon divers to attach lines to the vehicle. Such an approach is not likely to
be cost effective for operators who hope to us AUV extensively. Instead, many AUVs release a light line
and buoy which can then be recovered via a grapnel. Once secured, the AUV can be brought to deck by
ramps or articulated cranes.
It can also be weight and size dependent of the AUV. For example, Kongsberg AUV (REMUS 100) which is
compact size and light-weight weighing from 37 kg, 2 people can easily deploy and recover the small
AUV from a small boat with no additional equipment required.
3.2. How the AUV is Configured & Operated
The AUV operation includes:
 simultaneous multibeam, side-scan and sub-bottom profiling

 time for diving to depth and resurfacing
 battery change out and data download on deck
Typically, the type of survey that could be achieved for oil and gas activities in a deep water about
2000m, 10 km by 10 km block which comprises a total of 520 survey line km, figure 9. By conventional
methods, the total time for the project is 21 days. Figure 10, is of a simple 200 km by 800m wide cable
or pipeline route corridor in an average water depth of 300 m and having one change of direction which
comprises a total of 665 survey km. In this instance, the conventional survey ship is operating at 2.0 m/s.
In addition to the geophysical survey, an allowance of 150 h has been made for geotechnical sampling, a
very typical offshore survey activity. These activities show how the AUV are usually operated.
Page 34 of 40
Figure 10: Comparison of survey time for a 10 km by 10 km block
Figure 11: Comparison of survey time for a 200 km route survey in 300 m
Page 35 of 40
AUV Mode
In this mode, the operator does not have real-time supervision of the vehicle. The navigation system
position drift is bounded by DGPS fixes at the surface at regular intervals (for shallow water operations)
or operation within a pre-calibrated transponder array (LBL navigation system).
During a mission, survey sensor and navigation sensor data is stored on the vehicle hard disk, while
DGPS, SSBL, sea level recorder, CTD, sound velocity and atmospheric pressure data is stored on the
survey vessel. All data is time-tagged to GPS UTC. Proper time tagging is ensured by synchronization of
the AUV with GPS UTC prior to a mission. A low-drift clock in the AUV maintains an accurate time
reference for the whole mission.
In the post-processing, all data logged in the survey vessel is combined with the data logged in the AUV
to produce the final Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and to give an accurate geo-reference for the survey
sensor data. Data post-processing can take different routes and are normally under the control of a
survey processing specialist.
Take for example, on the HUGIN 3000 AUV, HUGIN 3000 is characterized by a high degree of flexibility,
high quality sensors and an accurate AINS. HUGIN 3000 can go as deep as 3000m. The external hull is
made from titanium or glass. Glass and carbon fiber laminate material and syntactic foam are used in
the vehicle design. The complete propulsion system is installed in an oil-filled pressure compensated
section.
The distributed sub-systems are placed in separate pressure containers for easy maintenance and
replacement. Mechanical flexibility is obtained by dividing the vehicle into separate sections with an
open internal structure, allowing payload reconfiguration either by replacing individual electronic
containers and transducers or complete electronic containers and transducer bays.
The HUGIN 3000 payload system consists of the Payload Processor, the Payload Network, the Payload
Power Distribution and the different payload sensors (figure 11). The payload sensor interface software
is written as separate software modules for each type of payload sensor, implementing all sensor
specific functions. The communication between a surface Payload Operator Station and its subsea
payload sensor is “generic”, that is the data transfer is transparent and common for all sensor types.
This ensures that new payload sensors can be added without the need to change the basic system
software. Signal interfacing of payload sensors is either Ethernet 10/ 100 MBit or serial line RS232 or
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RS422. Payload sensor power on/off is controlled from the Payload Processor. Connectors for
distributing signal and power from the Payload System Container to the individual payloads are
standardized. Subsets of the payload sensor data and/or QC parameters are transferred in real-time to
the surface and displayed on the Payload Operator Station.
Figure 12: HUGIN 3000 modular concept
HUGIN 3000 can be equipped with a range of payload sensors depending on application and user needs,
including:
 MBE
 side scan sonar
 sub-bottom profiler
 CTD sensor
 magnetometer
 fishery research echo sounder
Page 37 of 40
3.3. How Data Is Retrieved
In the earlier development of the AUVs, the data is retrieved when the AUV is then recovered after its
mission and returned onto the parent ship. The data is then uploaded. Tethys, a long-range AUV, can
send information when it surfaces but the data are highly compressed.
All data can be viewed in a variety of graphical structures through the program.
In today’s world, dependence on real time data during the mission trip is crucial and be efficient.
Wave Glider as mentioned earlier is a mobile data-gathering platform. This is to alleviate data-retrieval
issues. The Wave Glider to rendezvous with an AUV and serve as a hotspot to better communicate live
data to scientists onshore. The hotspot transferred high-resolution data from a long-range AUV and
buried seafloor instruments to shore.
The following data are collected and displayed on a typical mission playback:
 ADCP
 Side Scan Sonar Images
 Heading, Pitch and Roll
 Mission Progress
 Conductivity and Temperature
 Bathymetry
 Sound Speed
 System Status
 Navigation data including like LBL, USBL, and dead reckoning accuracies
Page 38 of 40
References
D. Richard Blidberg, The Development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV); A Brief Summary
Wikipedia (17 September 2017), Autonomous underwater vehicle,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_underwater_vehicle
Wikipedia (13 July 2017), Intervention AUV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_underwater_vehicle
Wikipedia (15 June 2017), Underwater glider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_glider
Kongsberg,
https://www.km.kongsberg.com/ks/web/nokbg0240.nsf/AllWeb/481519DA1B0207CDC12574B0002A84
51?OpenDocument
Gwyn Griffiths (2003), Technology and Applications of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles by Gwyn
Griffiths
B. K. Sahu and B. Subudhi (2014), The state of art of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles in current and
future decades, 2014 First International Conference on Automation, Control, Energy and Systems
(ACES), Hooghy
R. L. Wernli (2002) AUVs a technology whose time has come Proceedings of the 2002 International
Symposium on Underwater Technology
J. C. Kinsey, D. R. Yoerger, M. V. Jakuba, R. Camilli, C. R. Fisher and C. R. German (2011), Assessing the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill with the sentry autonomous underwater vehicle," 2011 IEEE/RSJ
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, San Francisco, CA, 2011, pp. 261-267.
Norihide Wakita, Kiyoshi Hirokawa, Takuji Ichikawa, Yoshiaki Yamauchi (September 2010), Development
of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for Exploring Deep Sea Marine Mineral Resources. Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries Technical Review Vol. 47 No. 3
Pere Ridao, Marc Carreras, David Ribas, Pedro J. Sanz, Gabriel Oliver (August 2014), Intervention AUVs:
The Next Challenge
Blanca Viviana Martínez Carvajal, Daniel Alfonso Sierra Bueno, Rodolfo Villamizar Mejía (December
2013) Recent advances in navigation of underwater remotely operated vehicles
Page 39 of 40
Fredrik Jonsson Ruud (June 2016), Autonomous Homing and Docking of AUV REMUS 100
https://www.oedigital.com/regions/south-america/item/11558-for-auv-eyes-only
Page 40 of 40

Ot5304 Subsea Construction & Operational Support Assignment 1 Research of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Technologies

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OT5304 – RESEARCH OF AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES TECHNOLOGIES

OT5304 SUBSEA CONSTRUCTION & OPERATIONAL SUPPORT

RESEARCH OF AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES TECHNOLOGIES

A/PROF LOH WAI LAM

Figure 1: Slocum Battery View

Solar Powered AUVs

Multiple AUV System

1.2. Basic Operating Principles

Autonomy, Energy and Navigation

Flywheel Electromechanical Batteries

Semi Fuel Cells

Solar Powered Energy

Mission Duration Limitation

Docking System Limitation

1.4. How AUV Navigate

Dead Reckoning and Inertial Navigation

1.5. Depth Capabilities

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, REMUS 6000

Figure 2: REMUS 6000

1.6. Surveying Sensors Normally Deployed on Offshore Missions

Common Payload Sensors

 Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP)

Figure 3: One of the most popular ADCPs on the market

 Conductivity Temperature Depth Sensors (CTD)

 Side Scan Sonar (SSS)

 Environmental Characterization Optics (ECO)

Figure 4: Wet Labs ECO Triplet Puck (WetLabs, 2015).

 Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS)

Common Navigation Sensors

 Acoustic Baseline sensors

Figure 5: LBL, SBL and USBL (Kongsberg Maritime, 2015).

 Doppler Velocity Log

 Heading and Inertial Sensors

Offshore Survey Sensor

2. Current and Possible Use for AUV Technology

Figure 6: The sectors that comprise the offshore industry (2001)

2.1. Types of Survey Work Undertaken By AUV

 HUGIN 3000 Field Experience

 Aqua Explorer line of AUV

 Girona 500 I-AUV

The GIRONA 500 system architecture is shown here.

Figure 7: GIRONA 500’s System Architecture

 Deepwater Horizon Case Study

2.2. Other Uses AUV Could Be Adapted For

Long-term cruise AUV

Multiple AUV system

Figure 9: Concept of multiple AUV system

2.3. Current Limitation

3. Deployment, Operating and Recovery Method

3.2. How the AUV is Configured & Operated

The AUV operation includes:

 simultaneous multibeam, side-scan and sub-bottom profiling

Figure 10: Comparison of survey time for a 10 km by 10 km block

Figure 12: HUGIN 3000 modular concept

3.3. How Data Is Retrieved

Wikipedia (17 September 2017), Autonomous underwater vehicle,

Wikipedia (13 July 2017), Intervention AUV

Wikipedia (15 June 2017), Underwater glider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_glider

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