Autonomous UUV inspection — Revolutionizing undersea inspection

Integrity Management of deepwater fields requires routine general inspection of critical infrastructure. To date, the only means of conducting such inspections is through the use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Deepwater ROV spreads are big and heavy, requiring large support vessels with dynamic positioning capability and a significant number of personnel at sea. The capabilities of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been enhanced through developments in autonomous technology progressing to the point that AUVs can now conduct general purpose inspection of subsea facilities. Benefits of autonomous inspection include: · Reduced cost of operations · Faster inspection · Automatic change detection · Geo-registered inspection data · Simultaneous operations from a single support vessel · Large standoff distances from the facility being inspected · Increased operations safety · Reduced environmental impact · Reduced specification requirements on support vessel · Smaller deck footprint · Dynamic positioning not required · Fewer personnel at sea · Reduced mobilization costs · Faster response to emergency inspections Lockheed Martin´s Marlin™ AUV recently completed a series of tests in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, demonstrating autonomous change detection of a fixed offshore platform. Examples of the Martin´s capabilities from these tests are illustrated Deepwater field owners now have a new tool that can bring significant operational and financial benefits to Life of Field Integrity Management.