Making Energy Development 

Safer in the Gulf

Ramanan Krishnamoorti

Director, Subsea Systems Institute

Professor, University of Houston

www.subseasystems.institute
Subsea Systems Institute (SSI)

2

A Texas Center of Excellence (RESTORE Act)Overview:A collaboration between the University of Houston, Rice University and NASA-JSC, SSI puand engineering technology development for offshore energy development, including improdevelopment, with a focus on the Gulf of Mexico.

Mission:

To positively impact safety and efficiency of offshore energy development by 1) facilitating engineeringresearch and through third party unbiased validation of technology and practices and 2) increasing skworkforce aligned with the development and deployment of new technologies

Andy Prograkacha713-7

www.subseasystems.institute
Scope of SSI Activities

SSI Research Grants are designed to develop innovative research that can positively impact safe and reliable exploration and energy production from the Gulf of Mexico. Successful applications lead to technology advancement consistent with the mission objectives of the SSI.1. Automation & Robotics2. Asset – Integrity Monitoring3. Power – Management4. Energy Transition in the GoM

5

Faculty M

in S

$28 MM

in Research Funds 

Received

www.subseasystems.institute
SSI - Advisory Board Members

Tom Feutrill

Holger Stibbe

Sudhir Pai Brian Skeels

Paul Hughes France

Nikunj Patel Dave Burns

Diana Grauer

Cheng Tai

Anish Simon 

Aaron Culver

Chuck Reynolds

www.subseasystems.institute
1. Offshore Robotics and Automation for Safer Offshore Energy Systems

A. Robotic Fish Enabled Sensing and InspectionB. Autonomous underwater vehicle navigation through steel scaffoldingC. Monitoring subsea connections using percussion and machine learning

2. Offshore Asset Integrity Monitoring: Environmental Monitoring

A. Development of self-powered distributed sensors/reporters for integrated offsho

environment monitoring

B. Practical implementation of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) for sub

3. Design and Development of Offshore Power Systems

A. Multi-port Energy Router using Intelligent Transformers (MERIT): Energy Manag

Supervisory Control

B. Optimal Sizing of Onsite Generation Resources for Self-Sustainable Offshore L

Current Research Projects (2022 – 2024)

www.subseasystems.institute
Research Activities Just Commenced (Continued):

4. Offshore Energy Transition: Repurposing Gulf of Mexico Asse

A. Characterization of deep-water GoM salt domes and prox

sediments for storage of hydrogen and sequestration of C

B. Developing methods of producing and processing marine 

biocrude

C. Extending the life of offshore oil and gas infrastructure in t

Mexico for profitable new uses in power and hydrogen genpreparation for the energy transition.

Newly Funded Projects (2022 – 2024) Pa

www.subseasystems.institute
Developing Bio-inspired Buoyancy 

Control for Subsea Service AUVsProject Focus:Developing service robotics for subsea system maintenance. Need/Significance:Replacing parts and tools using subsea service robot plays an important role in extending the life time of multi million dollar subsea assets. During the operation, picking up and dropping a tool causes dramatic buoyancy change in service robot, which calls for an efficient and automatic buoyancy control.Relevance to SSI Mission:Replacing tools using subsea service robot will extend the life time of subsea infrastructures, which is relevant to SSI mission. 

Zheng Chen Fathi Ghorbel

Assistant Professor ProfessorMechanical Engineering Dept. Mechanical Engineering Dept.

University of Houston Rice University www.

Motivation: Service robot 

infrastructure (animation f

Challenges in buoyancycontrol in tool delivery

Efioe
Developing Bio-inspired Buoyancy 

Control for Subsea Service AUVsProject Goals:Develop an efficient buoyancy control for subsea service robots to achieve neutral buoyancy state when delivering tools.Approach:• Using IPMC water electrolyzer and fuel cell to transform water to 

gas (reversibly) thus changing the buoyancy of the AUVs.

• Developing a nonlinear control of simultaneous hard and soft 

actuation to achieve fine buoyancy and depth control.

Anticipated Impact:Service robot with efficient buoyancy control will save energy for AUVs to deliver tools to subsea infrastructures.

www.

Zheng Chen Fathi GhorbelAssistant Professor ProfessorMechanical Engineering Dept. Mechanical Engineering Dept.

University of Houston Rice University

Preliminary results: depth con

using BCD enabled by reversib

fuel cells

Buoyancy control device (BC
Experimental and Simulation Results

www.

Zheng Chen Fathi GhorbelMechanical Engineering Dept. Mechanical Engineering Dept.

University of Houston Rice University

Reversible Fuel Cell Enabled Volume‐to‐

Electricity Engine

Buoyancy Control Device Design and

Open‐loop Test

Integration with Blue ROV Open‐loop Swimming Pool Test

6‐DOF Dynamic Model and Control ofService Robot with Simulation Results
Robotic Fish Enabled Pipeline Inspection

Project Focus:• Developing bio-inspired robots for pipeline inspection. Need/Significance:• Pipelines need timely and cost-effective inspections. • UAVs autonomously detect the ruptures of pipeline, interpret 

results through unsupervised ML and edge computing, and communicate with a nearby station through underwater communication; 

• Pipeline anomalies due to seismic activity, offshore drilling, 

turbulence, and ship anchoring may be detected at early stages allowing operators to make informed decisions on maintenance and repairs of the pipeline.

Relevance to SSI Mission:• Pipeline anomalies will protect our environment from oil 

spillage, which is relevant to SSI mission. 

Zheng Chen Xuqing Wu/Jiefu Chen

Assistant Professor Associate ProfessorMechanical Engineering Dept. Technology /Electrical&Comp Dep.

University of Houston University of Houston www.

Motivation: Low cost and time 

Pipeline damage caused 25,000

gallons oil spill in O.C. in 2021.

www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/gulf‐dwww.usatoday.com

Bio‐inspired Robot
Robotic Fish Enabled Pipeline 

InspectionProject Goals:Develop low cost, noiseless, and energy-efficient UAVs for offshore infrastructure monitoring and inspection.Approach:• Bio-inspired robotic fish for pipeline inspection; • Pipeline tracking control for the robotic fish; • ML for pipeline detection;• Develop edge computing for limited bandwidth transmission.Anticipated Impact:• Reduce the cost and time for underwater pipeline inspection;• Enable robots to enter combined space. 

www.

Depth control

3D Maneuverable Robotic

Fish Design

Zheng Chen Xuqing Wu/Jiefu ChenAssistant Professor Associate ProfessorMechanical Engineering Dept. Technology /Electrical&Comp Dep.

University of Houston University of Houston
• Most existing power systems for offshore rig 

platforms rely on diesel and gas generators

• Offshore rigs consume ~16 TWh energy a year to 

power their operations

• Substantial GHG emissions

• Create a hybrid power energy system, using

• Renewables: offshore wind power, tidal power 

and wave power

• Energy Storage: battery and hydrogen storage

• Goal: Design a local sustainable power 

system to ensure continuous power supply to offshore loads in an economic and reliable manner

Optimal Sizing of On-site Generation Resofor Self-Sustainable Offshore Loads

www.subseasystems.institute
Storing Hydrogen from Offshore Wind 

Load-balancing and Carbon Elimi

Mea

Multiple studies predicting key role for hydrogen in low-CI energy mix – 6 to 8 x increase in demand by 2050Demand drivers: process industry fuel switching, power gen, long haul mobility~2000 platforms and >10,000 miles of pipelines potentially available for repurposing when they reach the end of their oil & gas lifeWind speeds in the GOM, sufficient to anchor wind energy projectsMany challenges: structural integrity, remaining life, regulatory requirements, cost of repurposing, low wind speeds in the GOM etc.

Source: Hydrogen Council 2021
SHOWPLACE will develop the engineering and economic models to evaluate the potential for Rep

Infrastructure for Clean Energy (ROICE) projects in the Gulf of Mexico

 Multiple clean energy projects and use cases to be evaluated, such as Power Project Case:

 Install floating wind turbines with existing platforms as hub Transport power to onshore electric grid

 Hydrogen Project Case:

 Utilize wind power to generate freshwater via desalination Generate hydrogen from freshwater via electrolysis Transport hydrogen to shore using existing pipelines

 In consultation with 30‐company Advisory Board

SHOWPLACE: Techno-Economic Feasib

Results: “Heat Map”of Levelized Cost for

a Hydrogen Project
ROICE will devel

framework for c

projectsKickoff Worksho

 Attended by key 

Investors, Opera

Companies

 Held Three deep 

Financial, Techn

 Developed list o

support clean en

 Workgroups def

developed

Next steps: Worthrough issues in roadmaps

ROICE: Regulatory and Financial Frame
Questions?

Andy Chang

Program ManagerSubsea Systems Institute

kachang3@uh.edu713‐743‐5331

Ramanan KrishnamoortiVP Energy & Innovation, University of Houston

Director, Subsea Systems Instituteramanan@uh.edu

713‐743‐4307

www.subsea

John AllenIndustry LiaisonAllen Energy Consultants, john.o.allen1@comcast.ne713‐894‐1102

This project was paid for [in part] with federa

Department of the Treasury through the Statthe Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the 

Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). The statements, f

conclusions, and recommendations are those 

and do not necessarily reflect the views of th

the Department of the Treasury.
TEXAS ONEGULF: PARTNERING IN TOOL DEVELOPMENT 

FOR LOCAL HAZARDS RESILIENCE PLANNING

Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

Dr. Katya Wowk 

Director of Texas OneGulf Center of Excellence 

Chair for Community Resilience 

Dr. James Gibeaut

Endowed Chair for Coastal and Marine Geospatial Sciences

Coastal Bend Council of Governments 

Emily Martinez

Director of Regional Economic Development 
Texas OneGulf

Organization Chart 

2

• Coastal and deltaic sustainability, 

restoration and protection, including 

solutions and technology that allow citizens 

to live in a safe and sustainable manner in a 

coastal delta in the Gulf Coast Region

• Sustainable and resilient growth, economic 

and commercial development in the Gulf 

Coast Region

Dr. Katya 

Wowk,

Director

Christine Hale,

Deputy & TONE 

Manager

Kara Coffey, 

Project 

Coordinator

Dr. Diana Del 

Angel, Research 

Specialist 

Executive Management Team
3

https://www.harteresearch.org/texasonegulf

Following Harvey, Texas OneGulf worked to identify 

linkages between human, socioeconomic and 

environmental impacts to develop decision support 

data while accelerating disaster recovery

5

www.harteresearch.org/texasonegulf
KEY LESSON: COMMUNITY RESILIENCE IS LOCAL

STRENGTHENED CAPACITY IS NEEDED FROM THE 

LOCAL TO REGIONAL LEVEL!

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REGIONAL RESILIENCE PARTNERSHIP INITIATED

2019 COASTAL BEND HURRICANE CONFERENCE

7
REGIONAL RESILIENCE 

PARTNERSHIP

TEXAS COASTAL BEND

8

MOU finalized December 2019 to build 

community capacity to mitigate disaster risk

• RRP Listserv for training and funding 

announcements 

• Develop funding strategies, assist with 

grants applications and administration

• Co-develop feedback to state/federal 

surveys 

• Training sessions (local officials, small 

business, NGOs, students)

• Direct technical support on building and 

implementing recovery, resilience and 

risk mitigation plans

• Technical assistance in data and GIS

Partners: RRP primarily engages communities in 

the Texas Coastal Bend region. Examples include:

• Local government

• Chambers of Commerce

• Economic Development Corporations

• Workforce 

• Independent School Districts

• Non-profit organizations

• Churches 

• Public health entities 

• Industry partners 

• Higher Education 

• State agencies and federal partners 

https://coastalbendcog.org/regional-resilience-partnership
GEOSPATIAL RESILIENT ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT TOOL (GEORED)

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~$1.4M project to build the Texas 

Coastal Bend Platform for Resilient 

Economic Development in seven 

Counties to:

• Provide a common online 

platform to assess 

environmental and economic 

risk in a geospatial framework

• Offer a platform to capture and 

analyze contextualized local data

• Work with local experts to 

understand local needs

2020 Economic 

Development 

Administration 

funded the initial 

phase with focus 

on: Aransas, Bee, 

Refugio, San 

Patricio ($1M)

20201 Texas 

OneGulf provided 

additional 

support for 

Nueces, Kleberg 

and Kenedy

Counties 

(~$430K) 
GEORED: CO

-

PRODUCING 

THE TOOL 

• Worked with local officials to 

integrate, digitize and QA/QC local 

physical data, e.g., parcel level data, 

critical infrastructure, road data, etc. 

• Worked with ECDs and Chambers to 

identify and display economic data 

layers, e.g., supply chains, labor 

market analytics, opportunity zones, 

infrastructure etc. 

• Overlaid environmental and hazard 

information to enhance 

understanding of risk and opportunity 

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GEORED

HTTPS://GEORED.ORG/

11
GEORED

HTTPS://GEORED.ORG/

12
HAZARD IMPACT 

AND PLANNING 

TOOL

• Report/extract features tool: 

user can place a point or draw a 

polygon on the map and a buffer 

radius of, e.g., 1 mile to see the 

results within those bounds

• Data layers are all downloadable 

and shareable without account 

restrictions and free of charge. 

• Users can also add their own 

data layers and create maps to be 

downloaded, shared, or even used 

in grant applications. 

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ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Examples 

Restoration of Texas Natural Resources

• GeoRED can be used to plan for 

restoration of oyster reefs, wetlands, 

mangroves, water quality, and other 

natural assets critical to a functioning 

economy and to resilience as a whole

• Currently planning to use GeoRED to 

design a Nature Based Solution/green 

infrastructure project in partnership with 

Refugio County

Texas Oyster Commercial Mariculture Planning

• Permitting is now under way via Texas 

Parks and Wildlife- Coastal Fisheries 

• While TPWD does provide the public a 

web-based map that shows where 

pending and currently permitted sites are 

located, GeoRED can be used to help 

new oyster farmers explore and identify 

ideal locations

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SOCIAL 

VULNERABILITY 

TOOL

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UPCOMING TOOLS: 

DRAFT DATA 

LAYERS

Environmental Resilience

Historical landmarkers

Public boat ramps

Parks and protected lands

Bike routes

Museums

Trails and walking paths

Protected habitats (wetlands, oysters, rookeries, 

etc.)

Public beaches

Airports

Hotels

Restaurants

Wetlands and waterways

TCRMP Tier 1 sites 

EJ Screen info -pollution

GLO Beachwatch data

TCEQ monitoring data

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Economic Development

Population

Elevation

Proximity to utilities and transporation

Railways

Pipelines

Broadband

Building and parcel footprints

Zoning (commercial v. residential)

City owned properties

Land use/landcover

Future land use

Sewer service areas

Schools

Critical facilities

Major industrial facilities

Wind turbines and solar

Housing availability 

Geology/soil type

Flood layers

Minority owned businesses

Main event locations (conventions, etc)
G E O R E D D ATA I R L : 

C O M M U N I T Y D E V E L O P M E N T 

B L O C K G R A N T – M I T I G AT I O N 

( C D B G- M I T ) F U N D I N G

• Applied data in allocating $179,547,000

in CDBG-MIT funds

• Used data to map: Flood Zones; 

Population; Low-to-Moderate Income; 

Social Vulnerability; FEMA Individual 

Assistance Applications; Critical 

Infrastructure; Land Use/ Landcover

• Received waiver from GLO to use TWDB 

Texas Floodplain Quilt data in the Coastal 

Bend MOD – the only COG to do so 

• Funding being used by local jurisdictions 

to develop strategic, high-impact 

activities to mitigate disaster risks

Maps available at: 

https://coastalbendcog.org/regional-resilience-partnership 17
RRP 

COMMUNICATIONS

18 Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

@CoastalBend.RRP

SIGN UP: RRP@TAMUCC.EDU
OneGulf: 

New 

Projects

Project Title Lead 

Institution/PI

Start 

Date

Evaluating the Fiscal and Social 

Implications of Property Buyouts 

in Flood-prone Communities

TAMUG / 

Davlasheridze 

1/25/23

An Observational Study of Ship 

Channel and Shallow Bay 

Interactions and their Influence 

on Sediment Transport, Mixing, 

and Water Quality in Corpus 

Christi Bay

UTRGV / Brier 1/25/23
Science Driving Solutions to Gulf Problems

katya.wowk@tamucc.edu

This project was paid for in part with federal funding from the Department of the Treasury through the State of Texas 

under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast 

States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). The content, statements, findings, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations 

are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the State of Texas or the Treasury.