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boat” (Figure 1). The duty of a chase-boat is to follow above EdgeTech Chirp Sub-bottom Profiler
the towfish, within the acoustic ranging capability of the Seabird CTD
USBL, and track the towfish position. Acoustically derived Magnetometer (optional)
towfish positions are simultaneously transmitted via radio to Underwater positioning and vehicle attitude are being
the tow-vessel’s navigation computer. provided by a Kalman filter aided Inertial Navigation System
Single-vessel USBL is in effect when the tow vessel also (INS) integrating data from Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU),
provides positioning for the deep-towed fish. Deep-towed Doppler speed log, fiber optic gyro, depth sensor,
systems require cable lengths of at least 2.5 times the water altitude/forward looking sensor, USBL (or optional LBL), and
depth during survey operations and the acoustic ranging DGPS.
capability of the USBL system is generally less than 2,500 Telemetry for vehicle command and control and for the
meters. Consequently, this limits the utility of Single-Vessel reading of sensor data is being provided by two underwater
USBL positioning to about 1,000 meters of water for deep- acoustic telemetry systems. Surface operations employ UHF
towed operations. Under some sea conditions USBL is radio communications.
limited to 1,500 meters, which translates into a tow depth of
about 600 meters. Cost Savings
Efforts to curb deepwater survey costs have spawned the
HUGIN 3000 AUV recent interest in AUV technology. Cost savings result from
Recognizing the need for a more efficient approach to the following:
deepwater surveying, C & C invested more than a year Survey Speed – AUVs operate at 3.5 to 4.0 knots, as
evaluating the available vendors of AUV technology. compared to a deep-towed system’s 2.0 to 2.5 knots, an
Research included meeting with designers and manufacturers improvement of 60% to 75%.
and witnessing AUV demonstrations in the US, Canada, and Line Turn Capability – AUVs turn from one survey line
Norway. and onto the next within a few minutes, as opposed to the 4 to
The majority of the alternatives were academic in nature, 6 hours required by deep-towed systems, an improvement of
providing limited depth capabilities and electrical power 90+%.
sources that were inadequate for the requisite survey sensors. Positioning Efficiency – The deep-towed vehicle is
Kongsberg Simrad’s HUGIN (Figure 2) was the only AUV typically towed many kilometers behind the vessel. This may
that had functioned at appreciable depths, performing result in data being collected hundreds-of-meters offline,
numerous commercial multibeam surveys in hundreds-of- depending on prevailing currents. This will require additional
meters of water and utilized battery technology that provided survey lines (along with corresponding 4 to 6-hour line turns)
reasonable endurance. to rectify.
The HUGIN was also the only AUV integrated with a In contrast, AUVs navigate along a pre-defined survey
comprehensive Launch-and-Recovery system (Figure 3). route with heading adjustments automatically accomplished.
Housed (along with the AUV vehicle) in an air-transportable Procedural Efficiency – Points of Curvature (PCs) along
cargo container, the HUGIN’s Launch-and-Recovery system a survey corridor place staggering restrictions upon deep-
has proven safe and effective in weather conditions up to sea towed systems. Each PC must be treated as an “End-of-Line”,
state 5. precipitating a 4 to 6-hour line turn.
The HUGIN’s survey instrumentation is powered by a AUVs do not have this restriction. Heading changes along
unique aluminum oxygen fuel cell developed in conjunction a survey line become simple mid-course corrections, easily
with the Norwegian Defense Establishment (FFI). An earlier accomplished.
generation HUGIN vehicle is currently in routine use by the Effective Aspect Ratio - Maintaining the correct height
Norwegian Underwater Intervention (NUI) providing high- above the seafloor is crucial to obtaining quality survey data.
precision multibeam mapping to water depths of 600 meters. Surveying an area of varied depth with a deep-towed system
requires a delicate balance between vessel speed and cable-out
HUGIN 3000 specifications include: to meet survey standards.
Depth Rating = 3,000 meters To compensate for this deficiency, some deep-towed
Survey Speed = 4 knots operations employ a chain-drag system. In this scenario, a
Line Turn Duration = ~5 minutes heavy chain is dragged along the bottom and a positively
Mission Endurance = 48 hours depending upon payload, buoyant deep-towed fish is tethered above it. Although this
power load, and vehicle speed approach performs surprisingly well, the environmental risks
Length = 5.3 meters are obvious.
Diameter = 1.0 meters AUVs employ sophisticated echo sounders and can be
programmed to follow existing bottom terrain. Integrated with
HUGIN 3000 Integrated survey sensors include: obstacle-avoidance sonar and precise digiquartz depth sensors,
Simrad EM2000 Multibeam Bathymetry and Imagery an AUV can be instructed to maintain a certain distance above
EdgeTech Chirp Side Scan Sonar the ocean bottom or below the sea surface.
OTC 12004 A High-Resolution Survey AUV 3
Acoustic Communication – In the strictest sense, an AUV an additional survey vessel, or chase-boat, for deepwater
with an acoustic link to the surface is classified as an operations that must be large enough to keep pace with the
Unmanned (or Untethered) Underwater Vehicle (UUV) and tow vessel. A chase-boat smaller than the tow-vessel may
not an AUV, which is fully autonomous. Although the impede deep-towed survey, further exacerbating the cost of
HUGIN 3000 is capable of operating “fully autonomously”, it deep-towed survey operations.
would be foolish to do so except under extreme or unusual Portability – The HUGIN 3000 can be maintained in three
circumstances. Most of us have lost computer files due to 20-foot cargo containers, which may be air freighted
equipment or software malfunction. Losing days of deepwater throughout the world. One container holds the AUV and the
survey data for the sake of “fully autonomous operation” is a launch-and-retrieval system. In this container, the AUV’s
risk C & C is not willing to take. survey data are downloaded by fiber-optic cable and the
For this reason, the HUGIN 3000 was engineered with an vehicle is serviced at the end of each mission. A second
“acoustic tether”, which provides the field engineers not only container acts as a maintenance shop and is utilized for the
with control of data quality, but also control of the survey and storage and transfer of battery fluids and aluminum anodes
ultimately its budget. Sub-sampled data are transmitted to the needed to replenish the AUV’s fuel cells. A third container
surface, providing “supervised autonomy” during each AUV utilized for mission control, data processing, and reporting,
mission. For example, should hazards be located during a can be omitted if a vessel-of-opportunity provides an adequate
pipeline route survey, the mission can immediately be altered alternative.
to interject developmental survey lines. There is no need to Very little of a deep-towed system can be economically air
expend days of surveying to later determine the data were freighted, the towfish and spare parts, perhaps. The storage
collected in an inappropriate area. reel and accompanying cable, with weight in excess of 30,000
As a two-way data link, the acoustic tether provides active lbs (13,000 kgs), cannot be economically air freighted.
mission control to the AUV engineers. Changes can be
effected in the volumetric weighting of the sensor data being Example Survey Cost Comparisons
transmitted from the AUV, and adjustments can interactively AUV vs. deep-tow cost comparisons were performed on the
be made to command-and-control functions to maximize following two proposed surveys. Costs for mobilization,
system performance. Full-density survey data are downloaded demobilization, bottom sampling, weather downtime, and
by fiber-optic cable at the end of each mission. office processing are not included.
Acoustic Incidence-angles – Reliable deep-towed USBL 45–Mile Gulf of Mexico Pipeline Hazard Survey –
positioning in depths of greater than a few hundred meters is Table 1 illustrates the cost savings of this pipeline route that
often the exception, rather than the rule. Complex water includes 15 PCs, each precipitating a 4 to 6 hour line-turn for a
sound velocities, coupled with poor incidence-angles, create deep-towed system. Specifications of this proposed pipeline
“ray-bending”, a major impediment to marine acoustic route survey include:
positioning. Deep-towed fish, typically towed at an angle of Depths = 400 to 2,200 meters
about 30 degrees down from the tow-vessel’s positioning Total line-distance = 600 kilometers
transceiver, are extremely susceptible to the effects of ray Line spacing = 300 meters
bending. 26-Kilometer x 17-kilometer West Africa Survey –
The adverse effects of complex water sound velocities are Table 2 illustrates the savings for a proposal that was
diminished during AUV operations because the acoustic submitted as a regional, high-resolution mapping project.
incidence-angle, approximately 90 degrees, is ideal. This is a Specifications of this proposed regional survey include:
consequence of the support vessel following directly above the Depth = 1,500 meters
AUV during survey operations. Poor acoustic interfaces are Total line-distance = 6,274 kilometers
met “head on”, minimizing the effects of ray-bending errors. Line spacing = 100 meters x 250 meters
Additionally, the AUV relies upon inertial navigation and
Doppler velocity log as its primary positioning source, so Conclusion
occasional USBL updates are adequate to provide accurate C & C recognizes the need for a more efficient and cost-
vehicle positioning. effective approach to high-resolution deepwater surveying.
Support Vessels – AUV operations require only one Kongsberg Simrad, in conjunction with C & C, is developing
vessel to support all processes including vehicle launch-and- the HUGIN 3000 AUV to provide the industry with an
retrieval, navigation and positioning, data collection and alternative to the standard costly and inefficient deep-towed
processing, and system maintenance. systems. Kongsberg Simrad is developing the vehicle and
Deep-towed systems may also employ a single vessel, but vehicle control system. C & C is developing the payload
only for depths of less than approximately 1,000 meters. For system.
greater depths two positioning choices exist: The HUGIN 3000 will provide engineering quality data to
Long Base Line (LBL). aid in the development of deepwater oil leases and be
Two-Vessel Ultra Short Base Line (USBL). employed for Block Surveys and Pipeline Hazard Surveys. It
LBL positioning, as described earlier, is burdened with will be integrated with an “acoustic tether” to monitor data
high cost and dangerous logistics. USBL positioning requires acquisition and optimize system performance.
4 J.G. Northcutt, A.A. Kleiner, T.S. Chance OTC 12004
Figure 1: Two-Vessel USBL deep-towed positioning scenario with chase-boat transmitting towfish
positions to the tow-vessel.
Figure 2: HUGIN vehicle prepares to dive during a routine survey for the Norwegian
Underwater Intervention (NUI).
OTC 12004 A High-Resolution Survey AUV 5