Autonomous Inspection of Subsea Facilities-Gulf of Mexico Trials

Abstract

Lockheed Martin Corporation is conducting a multi-year technology developmentprogram to advance the state of the art of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)inspection technologies for the offshore oil & gas industry. The scope ofthis project is to develop and demonstrate AUV technologies for conductingautonomous structural survey and inspection of subsea facilities for a widerange of applications, including pre/post-hurricane inspection of offshoreplatforms, pre/post-decommissioning structural survey, and deepwater facility /riser inspection. This paper will describe the results of Lockheed Martin'srecently completed technology demonstration project, Autonomous Inspection ofSubsea Facilities, including laboratory simulation, local offshore trials, andtechnology validation trials in the Gulf of Mexico against offshore productionplatforms. This project was jointly funded by the Research Partnership toSecure Energy for America (RPSEA), Lockheed Martin and sea trials weresupported by Chevron Energy Technology Company Capabilities demonstrated duringoffshore trials included (1) autonomous real-time three-dimensional (3D)imaging and modeling of an underwater facility, (2) detection and highlightingof changes to the facility in real time, and (3) feature-based navigation, theaiding of the AUV's navigation along its path based on feature detection andrecognition. The paper will describe the results achieved, and will highlightthe performance improvements over current platform inspection methods, including significant improvements in operating efficiencies, and thedevelopment of highly accurate 3D models for use in structural integritymanagement. Finally, the paper will outline the potential benefits of evolvingAUV and sensor technologies for applications such as structural survey, pipeline inspection, subsea facility inspection, and light intervention, including potentially game changing improvements in cost, performance, safetyand reliability that will enable more cost-effective operations in deepwaterand/or remote subsea fields. Introduction Subsea Integrity Management is defined by the Energy Institute Guidelines forthe Management of Integrity of Subsea Facilities as " the management of a subseasystem or asset to ensure that it delivers the design requirements, and doesnot harm life, health or the environment, through the required life." A keyelement in any integrity management program is regular in-service inspections. As the industry moves into deeper and harsher environments, challenges faced byoperators include the high cost of subsea inspection and the limited inspectionintervals available. Inspections provide a snapshot of the structural health ofthe system. Integrity management practices in deepwater fields rely heavily ongeneral visual inspection of subsea equipment. Remotely operated vehicles(ROVs) and divers are the primary means used today to conduct inspections -ROVs exclusively in deepwater (greater than 100-meter water depth) and diversgenerally limited to less than100-meter water depth. In both cases supportvessels larger than 70 to 100 meters with support crews numbering more than 30and with 100+ tons of equipment are required to collect the simplest visualinspection record. The quality and usefulness of the records are highlydependent on the seawater's visual clarity, illumination, camera and recordingequipment, and ROV or diver stability. An ROV inspection of a deepwaterfacility can provide visual evidence of structural degradation, impact damage, corrosion, valve damage, leaks, vibration, and other structural damage (Figure 1). Benchmarking the condition of subsea equipment following installation andtracking its status over time can provide a history of the deterioration rate. Video inspections include: well heads, valve positions, pipeline endterminations (PLETs), pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs), underwater terminationmanifolds (UTMs), flowlines, jumpers, moorings, risers, and associated cablingand equipment on the sea bed. This equipment is often spread over many squarekilometers requiring the support vessel to maneuver in DP mode for days. Inspection speed is totally dependent on the coordinated movement of the ROVand support vessel and the skill of the ROV pilot.

AUV-Based 3D Laser Inspection for Structural Integrity Management in Deepwater Fields

“…This same approach was used successfully in the development of the AUV-based Acoustic 3D imaging system using the Marlin® with the Coda Octopus Echoscope® 3D SONAR [5]. • Identify items of concern on pipelines and mooring chain such as insulation damage, denting, and linkage wear • Demonstrate volumetric measurements of spoils (drilling applications) • Demonstrate pipeline inspection in subsea field • Demonstrate anode volumetric measurements and insulation damage/distortion • Demonstrate measurement of flaws and elongation of submerged mooring chain • Demonstrate improved platform inspection capabilities comparing LiDAR vs. SONAR In order to perform these tasks, a high fidelity simulation was developed for 3D Laser mission planning.…”

Applicability of Current Remotely Operated Vehicle Standards and Guidelines to Autonomous Subsea IMR Operations

“…While tools for primary intervention during module replacement need to specify operational issues, environmental attributes, access to subsea facility, frequency of intervention, and physical limits of the module to be replaced (e.g., mass, dimensions). Functional requirements and recommendations with respect to deployment and landing, surface equipment, control system, tie-in operations, and module replacement are extensively listed [4][page [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

“…Demonstrations of underwater vehicles capable of performing autonomous IMR operations are steadily increasing with added functionalities [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Research projects are experimenting with manipulator arms installed on AUVs to perform IMR operations and have been successful in their early trials [19,20].…”

A Bayesian approach to risk modeling of autonomous subsea intervention operations

“…Currently, autonomous IMR systems are still in the conceptual or testing stages of development. A number of research projects have or are currently investigating development and implementation of autonomous functionalities and shared control in underwater vehicles [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. As observed in the literature, the underwater vehicle development trend is to merge abilities of human controlled Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).…”