Autonomous Vehicle Qualification Demonstrates Potential for a Game Change
Authors: Mair John A. , Jamieson James , Tena Ioseba , Evans Jonathan 
Published: July 2010

Ongoing development work by Subsea 7 and SeeByte has further demonstrated that the use of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) as an inspection and intervention tool for the offshore oil and gas industry will soon become a reality. The paper will describe the development work to-date, in particular the physical form of the Autonomous Inspection Vehicle (AIV) under development, which differs greatly from the more common torpedo profiles. The modes of operation for the AIV will be highlighted including the operation of numerous systems deployed simultaneously.

The paper will outline how the AIV concept can be applied in a number of Life of Field operational scenarios as a viable tool capable of making a positive contribution to the industry. Integration of the AIV with other ongoing technology developments will also provide a thought provoking view of what may lie ahead.

Finally the paper will draw a parallel with the evolution of the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) demonstrate how the AIV's introduction and full potential should be considered with confidence.

Introduction

Subsea 7 is a major engineering and construction company supplying a range of services and technologies primarily into the offshore oil and gas industry. The company operates a worldwide fleet of high specification subsea construction and survey vessels together with over 100 ROVs. Over the past ten years Subsea 7 has been actively involved in the development of autonomous underwater technologies.

SeeByte is a cutting-edge software company with a track record in delivering solutions to both military and industry customers helping them automate and de-risk their processes. Through its involvement in key programs of work, SeeByte has been at the forefront of AUV development.

As offshore oil and gas exploration and production has evolved over the last decades more and more infrastructure is being installed on the seabed, of increasing complexity, in deeper water and of increased criticality to successful operations. Installation, support & maintenance of this equipment is currently carried out using specialized vessel based ROVs and/or diving operations. Subsea 7's and SeeByte's vision is to use our know-how in offshore operations and autonomous technology to provide this type of service using a hover-capable inspection AUV operating from a host facility. The ability to operate directly from the host facility provides significant advantages as routine or unplanned inspections can be easily and frequently carried out without a dedicated infield support vessel.

Initial development was based on a torpedo shaped AUV to help develop intelligent payload systems such as SeeByte's " Autotracker??. This payload is used to analyze the side-scan and multibeam data in real time to detect and track pipelines. The output from the tracker is fused with the legacy data and is used to plan an optimal route for the AUV to survey the pipeline. Subsea 7's engineering know-how was also of service to SeeByte when developing the SpiNav program, a payload for AUV riser inspection. Through these programs it became evident that the technology was ready for transition to a hover-capable AUV capable of carrying out inspection and eventually light intervention work. This paper is focused on inspection and intervention by means of a hover capable AUV, the AIV.