The aquatic world is different indeed. Be it the diverse forms of sea life on display, invasive species, or witnessing sea wrecks of ships sunk long ago, we are sure you have been amazed by what the world underneath the water offers.
Yet, have you ever wondered how one could take those photos? Well, they were taken by ROVs. Today, you do not need divers to explore the water world; ROVs do the same. Here, we will talk about ROVs that help in oil and gas exploration.
Table of Contents
What are ROVs?
Unmanned ROVs are often remote-controlled and extend help in providing subsea capabilities. Ever used remote-controlled toy cars as a child? Well, ROVs are nearly the same, except that they do much bigger and more useful things. The characteristics of ROV are multivariate, which renders the design process to be iterative. Some of the subsystems that ROVs usually have are-
- Vehicle
- Tools and sensors
- Control/display consoles
- Electric power distribution
How do they work?
Connected by a cord cable, information is transmitted from the remote controller to the ROV, helping it carry out different tasks. The cable provides the necessary electrical power as well. From picking objects to moving around, ROVs have a number of interesting capabilities. While cyber security for remote robots remains a concern, risk mitigation measures are many.
Benefits of Using Underwater Robots in Oil and Gas Companies
ROV’s have a number of benefits for oil companies. While portability is one of the major plus points, there are other pluses, too. If you are wondering what they are, here is a look at some of them:
- Easy deployment – Yes, the biggest asset is the easy deployment. Vehicles of any size can be deployed easily, and as long as they have AC power, it will work. They can be deployed in a variety of conditions, from docs to sea ice.
- Minimal Support – With only one person usually controlling the ROV, you do not need many manpower resources as well.
- Change and maneuver easily – Yes, be it picking up objects or maneuvering the ROV, it’s pretty easy and simple.
- Time underwater is limited only by operator endurance. Yes, controlling an ROV requires concentration. While the ROV can remain underwater, the driver may not be able to concentrate for more than 4 hours at a stretch!
- Low power consumption – Yes, ROVs require minimal power consumption and requires less power consumption.
How Companies are Using Underwater Vehicles
Companies like Statoil are using ROV technology to visit rigs in the Barents and Norwegian Seas. Statoil has assets ranging from 100 m to 2500 m in depth. Another company TOTAL E&P UK recently used a ROV trial for the Laggan Drilling Project.
The ROV is being used to explore deep water ecology as well. Hurricane Exploration, on the other hand, uses ROVs to investigate the seabed they work on. The use of video rays through ROVs has been on the rise as well, helping companies inspect critical areas underwater.
Perhaps the most interesting use of ROVs in recent times has been done by BP Plc. The company has used ROVs to try to plug in a leaking oil well that has been gushing out oil, amounting to thousands of barrels per day in the Gulf of Mexico.
Not only ROVs but AUVs or Autonomous Underwater Vehicles production has been on the rise too. Liquid Robotics has raised over $45 million in funding and has invented AUVs like the Wave Glider marine robot. The robot can run for months underwater, monitoring different ocean conditions. In fact, the company states that there are 150 of them deployed already today.
Challenges
While things do seem upbeat, there are some challenges as well. The foremost difficulty, perhaps, is the high cost of maintenance. As a company trying to make use of an ROV, you sure are to factor in the cost of maintenance, including electronic maintenance and sometimes even a high level of troubleshooting. Moreover, ROVs can be deterred by sea currents and is severely affected when the current is above two knots.
That’s not all; there is always the fear of a vehicle loss as the vehicle might get entangled and the cord might break as well.
Recent Developments
Mobile solutions bring interesting opportunities for the energy sector. In spite of difficulties, mobile solutions are being designed today. One is the Schilling ROV Explorer, designed by Schilling Robotics, LLC. The company manufactures ROVs and has its own iTunes app as well. Moreover, the company focuses on offering automated solutions to increase productivity in oil and gas operations.
If you are wondering how automation can help, the automation system can notify the users through texts and emails about equipment that may possibly need maintenance. You can also control the product movement from the field to the terminal using mobile-based automated solutions.
Take the instance of a large-scale mobile Underwater Wireless Sensor Network (UWSN); the aqua environment is very different from the terrestrial one. With floating mode mobility, low communication bandwidth, and high error probability, UWSNs are different from other ground network sensors. A mobile app that can control this network can work wonders, mitigating hours of worry for the team.
Other examples
Various other developments, like the smartphone-controlled Aquabotix Hydroview underwater vehicle, have surfaced as well. This vehicle, for instance, can transfer live video feeds easily to an ROV. Moreover, the ROV can even be operated with the help of your tablet or smartphone. Talk about having things easy!
Meanwhile, companies like Schilling Robotics have been making the right noises. The extent of technology and its reliability, though, is for testing. Mobile-based solutions are indeed useful. However, the use of fully automated drones might be a scenario to ponder about.
Conclusion
Overall, ROVs prove to be the best medium for energy companies to maintain their work. They are less expensive and more efficient and do not pose a threat to security and privacy. Automation technology certainly has its merits, and sturdy ROVs that can travel to remote locations do help in exploration work. However, fully automated vehicles are not yet the ideal choice to consider.
