Pipeline inspection with AUV

This paper shows the preliminary perceptions of pipeline inspection with AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) in oil and gas fields. The intent of this new technology is to increase productivity and reduce costs related to facilities inspection. The AUV used is a Kongsberg HUGIN 1000 equiped with Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS), Multibeam echosounder, Doppler Velocity Long (DVL), Differential Global Navigation Satellite Systems (DGNSS), Hydrocarbon sensor, Inertial Navigation System (INS), high definition camera and a turbidity sensor. In the inspection, it is possible to identify the integrity level of the pipeline as well as the environmental conditions of its surroundings, such as: damage, wreckage, buried or partially buried sectors, free-spans, carbonate sediments, pipeline crossings and buckling. The classic inspection is made with manually operated ROV (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle). In this case, the survey with AUV consist of three steps. First is the identification of pipelines and its location in the company´s database, followed by a survey with SAS aiming the precise location of the pipeline. The third step consists of a survey with high definition camera, hydrocarbon sensor and Multibeam system. The preliminary results are very interesting, because the product of sensors are of very good quality, resolution and high precision.