Use of Unma nned / Autonomous survey systems

–a n opera tor’s perspective

THS in Scotland“Subsea Resident Robotics”

23 October 20 19

Tom Gla ncy: Equinor GMS

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«…..an operator’s perspective »

• Swire Seabed

• Sea-Kit

• Kongsberg

• 4D Ocean

• XOCEAN

But a ll the credit to out contra ctors a nd the ir sub-contra ctorsfor developing/enha ncing the technology to ma ke it ha ppen:

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A story in 3 parts:

PAST

PRESENT

FUTURE

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PAST: 1983 - 2019

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1983

British Oceanics Ltd

This submersible now on displa y a tPortsmouth Historic Dockya rd

In the beginning……..for me

ATTRIBUTES

• Ma nned subsea vehicle• Battery powered• Recover to recha rge• Untethered• Ma nned surfa ce vesse l• Wea ther sensitive

recovery: requires «swimmer» in the wa ter

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Then…. ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) no one in the wa ter – a qua ntum lea p improvement in sa fe ty! Scorpio ROV

onboa rd«Ra gno Due»

Tra ns Mediterra nea n Pipeline Inspection

Mid 1980’s

ATTRIBUTES

• Unma nned subsea vehicle• Powered from vessel• Tethered• Ma nned surfa ce vesse l• Hs 2-3m recovery limit

(in the 80 s)~1 km/hr survey speed

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1996/7 …. UUVs

(Note : not AUVs)

For exa mple , Hugin onMV Sea wa y Comma nder

SOURCE: resea rchga te .ne t

ATTRIBUTES• Unma nned subsea vehicle• Ba ttery powered• Recover to recha rge• Untethered• Ma nned surfa ce vesse l• Hs ~2m recovery limit• 4 knots survey speed!

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2013 «Resident» capability

This ima ge from 20 15

Saab Sabertooth

Subsea7 AIV

ATTRIBUTES• Unma nned subsea vehicle• Autonomous functionality*• Ba ttery powered• Untethered• Docking to cage• Recover ca ge to recha rge• Ma nned surfa ce vesse l

ATTRIBUTES• Unma nned subsea vehicle• Autonomous functionality*• Ba ttery powered• Untethered or te thered• Resident docking capability• Recover to recha rge• (in 20 13)

« Hover » capability

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2015: Survey ROVs (SROV)MMT’s Survey Interceptor

Later…….Deep Ocean’s Superior

ATTRIBUTES• Unma nned subsea vehicles• Powered from vesse l• Tethered• Ma nned surfa ce vesse l• Hs ~3.5m recovery limit*• ~4 knots survey speed!

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2017: IKM Subsea Resident ROVRemotely operated from onshore base

But a n IMR tool: Not intended or suita ble for survey due to limited excursion from ba se sta tion

Much more a bout this from Ha ns Fje lla nger soon………………………..Pla tform power & comms from a perma nent offshore insta lla tion a re run down by a n umbilica l to the subsea ga ra ge

Then: «mobile resident» Oceaneering eROV

Power from a la rge ba ttery pa ck integra ted within the subsea ga ra geComms via a surfa ce buoy te thered to the ga ra ge

More on this la ter…..

ATTRIBUTES• Unma nned subsea vehicle• Powered from insta lla tion• Tethered• Remotely opera ted from shore• No recovery! No weather limit!!

ATTRIBUTES• Unma nned subsea vehicle• Ba ttery powered• Finite docking station recharge• Tethered• Remotely opera ted from shore• No surfa ce vesse l• No recovery! No weather limit!!

But a n IMR tool: Not intended or suita ble for survey due to limited excursion from ba se sta tion

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PRESENT: 2019

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The present: Offshore North Sea, July 2019

No one under the wa terNo one on the wa terNo one………..

ATTRIBUTES• Unmanned subsea vehicles• Ba ttery powered• Recover to recha rge• Untethered• Unmanned surface vessel• Hs ~2m recovery limit

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EQUINOR CORPORATE STRATEGY

Objectives: can we:

• Reduce the number of personnel offshore?

• Perform subsea activities in more cost-effective manner?

• Reduce our carbon footprint?

What can we in survey do to contribute?

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WHAT WAS ACHIEVED?Always Safe / High Value / Low Carbon

OFFSHORE CAMPAIGN 20 19

Conventional(2019)

Unmanned(Pilot2 2019)

Ultimate Goal(< 5years)

~50 POBConventiona l ROV-support vesse l (performing pipeline inspection for Equinor)

0 POB

100% improvement

Zero offshore personnel(unma nned vesse l or no vesse l)

X M NOK(conventional means)

Y M NOK(unmanned means)

Continuous ma ximisa tion of sa vings (ie , not time-limited)

I ca nnot quote the figures but:X > Y (significa ntly)

12.0 m3 / 24 hoursTypica l LCV fuel consumption

0.15 m3 / 24 hoursTypica l USV fuel consumption

~99% improvement

Towa rds zero offshore emissions(ie , where pra ctica ble , no vesse l)

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RISKS

With the a doption of this technology the risk picture cha nges ra dica lly:

Amongst the top risks now:

• Drivingmarine / subsea operations?Yes, driving!

• ReputationalWill come back to this

One of the 9x IOGP Life Sa ving Rules

SOURCE: Norwegian Maritime Authority

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LoA (Short name Name HRI (Human-Robot Interaction) level

1 Opera ted The robot is huma n opera ted (eg ROV) Teleopera tion

2 Assista nce The robot is huma n a ssisted Media ted te leopera tion

3 Delega ted The robot is huma n delega ted Supervisory control (function level)

4 Supervised The robot is huma n supervised Supervisory control (ta sk level)

5 Colla bora tive The robot a nd the huma n sha re mixed-initia tive Colla bora tive control

6 Full a utonomy The robot ha s full a utonomy Peer- to-peer colla bora tion

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Source : Fra ncesco Scibilia s presenta tion a t, NTNU Trondheim, 27-28 Ma y 20 19

We now need to be more careful with our terminology……….• Autonomy is not a bina ry issue: a utonomous or not• There a re degrees of a utonomy• Be wa ry of cla ims of “Autonomous” for systems with very low levels of a utonomy

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We a chieve a lot of benefits by going unma nned, with no, or very low levels of, a utonomy

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UNMANNED vs AUTONOMOUS

USV• For ma ny a pplica tions the USV ca n continue to ha ve very low levels of a utonomy (huma n-a ssisted)

AUV• For submersibles a high degree of a utonomy is difficult to a chieve

But……A high level of a utonomy is needed if:• to be resident subsea (a nd opera te a wa y from docking sta tion infra structure)• to opera te subsea without the presence of a supervising vesse l

(unless we ha ve some other mea ns of communica ting with the vehicle)

For both USV & AUV• True a utonomy would be required to fully mitiga te the issue of

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2019 OFFSHORE

Survey Sensors:AUV-mounted:• MBES• SAS• Ca thX ca mera

Deliverables:• DTM • Observa tion listings • Stills

2019 SCOPE• Low volume

• Non time-critica l

• Scope was notoptimised for USV/AUV work

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2019 NEARSHORE

Survey Sensors:Hull-mounted• MBES

Deliverables:• DTM • Observa tion listings • DOC a na lysis

2019 SCOPE• Low volume• Non time-critica l• Cha llenging a rea s

(sha llows wa ters, TSS, OWF, e tc)• Remote from Norwa y

(long tra nsits for conventiona l vesse ls)

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USV/AUV• USV provides a mea ns of tra nsporting the AUV to/from survey site• USV provides a mea ns of communica tion with AUV (ie , a mea ns of re la y, control centre vehicle)• USV provides na viga tiona l a ugmenta tion to AUV onboa rd systems (ie , GNSS/USBL)• USV ca n tra ck AUV

• Limited rea l- time da ta QC options • Complete da ta se ts not a va ila ble until physica l recovery from USV / AUV

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Best to a sk the compa nies offering these services a bout the deta ilI will concentra te on other a spects…………………..

However, to summa rise in the most simplistic te rms:

USV• The USVs a re pre-progra mmed with a «mission»; a series of wa ypoints• Mission ca n be overridden/upda ted a t a ny time by the controllers via a comms link between from control centre to vesse l• USV’s survey pa yloa d ca n a lso be controlled via comms link• Comms link is 2-wa y: a lso feeds ba ck info to control centre ; situa tiona l a wa reness; pa yloa d; dia gnostics, e tc

AUV• AUV is a lso pre-progra mmed with a «mission»; a series of wa ypoints• AUV ha s a utonomous functiona lity (collision a voida nce , pipeline tra cking, e tc) but not a ll a spects a re fully a utonomous (eg,

recovery)

How does this technology work?

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WHAT WAS ACHIEVED? Offshore resultsSurvey specifica tion a nd a ccepta nce crite ria identica l to conventiona l, ma nned methods

Visual Bathymetrical Sonar

Equinor Tra nsport Net (interna l customer): “results as good as from conventional inspection methods…..”

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ISSUE Conventional Unmanned MITIGATIONIn-field supervision of USV

Not re leva nt Use of supervising vesse ls

• In/out of ha rbour: proba bly a n ongoing need (but ca n be done inexpensively; eg RIB, ha rbour ma ster cra ft, e tc)

• Ops in conjunction with AUVs: more complex opera tions; some form of contingency needed a t lea st in medium term (eg sta ndby a rra ngement)

• Sta nd-a lone USV ops in open wa ters : limited or no need for supervision (unless a uthority requirements sta te otherwise)

Control Communications

Not re leva nt Loss of situa tiona l a wa reness

Loss of a bility to ma noeuvre

• Utilise reliable communica tions systems• Ha ve multiple la yers of redundancy, eg: different comms

systems• Ha ve contingencies: eg, virtua l a nchor mode• Future : Increa se the levels of autonomy of the vesse l

Reliability Ca n ca rry la rge spa res inventory

Ha s personnel in-situ to perform (simple) repa irs

No possibility for onboa rd repa irs

• Fa il-sa fe design• Redunda ncy• Appropria te procedures ba sed on loca tion / a pplica tion

(eg supervisory vesse l; sta nd-by vesse l, e tc)• All USVs equipped with a pre- insta lled towline (just in

ca se)

Weather / Environmental

La rge offshore vesse l is opera tiona l in ~5m Hs

Sma ller cra ft (ma nned or unma nned) a re much more wea ther-sensitive

• Shorter term : Non-time critica l surveys & inspections only • Medium term: (offshore) Use of la rger USVs • Longer term : (offshore): use of resident systems (ie no

vesse l)

SOME CHALLENGES WHEN USING USVs

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USV CHALLENGES (cont.): Legislative Issues

«It {legal use of unmanned ships} would require a complete overhaul of the regulatory regime.»

Simon Bennett, a spokesman for the International Chamber of Shipping, an industry representing more than 80% of the global fleet.

Source: BBC News, 5 March 2014https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26438661

«The elephant in the room»

…...of course , this is not a universa l interpre ta tion of the la w

«Unmanned ships are currently illegal under international law.»

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26438661

Open31 januar 201824 Classification: Internal © Statoil ASA

COLREGS“Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means…..”

USV CHALLENGES: Legislative Issues (cont.)

ISSUE Conventional Unmanned MITIGATIONLegislative COLREGS for ma nned

surfa ce cra ft well understood

COLREGS not written with unma nned / a utonomous ops in mind

• Shorter te rm: re- interpre ta tion of existing rules• Medium term: Responsible use of USVs• Longer term: New rules specifica lly for unma nned vesse ls

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ISSUE Conventional UnmannedDeployment of spread to site La rger numbers of people to tra vel to

vesse l (a nd crew cha nge on a regula r ba sis)

La rger vesse l ha ve to tra nsit (often long dista nces) to site• Sa fety• Cost• Environment

Sma ller (

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CHALLENGE SOLUTION?

AUV «Emergency Ascent»

“Robust error handling is vital to achieve sustainability and survivability of the vehicle. A conservative approach is to make the vehicle perform an emergency ascent when encountering any severe error or abnormal situation. This will ensure that the vehicle can be recovered, even though the result is mission failure.”Making AUVs Truly Autonomous; KM / FFI paper 2008

An Emergency Ascent is a situa tion in which the AUV opera tors (a ssuming supervised mode) a re not in control

This ca n ha ppen a nywhere / a nytime

We experienced a n Emergency Ascent in 20 19 with less tha n 10 divesNo dra ma on this occa sion but food for thought…..

Possible Mitigation?

In hea vily tra fficked a rea s:Perform«Emergency Descent» instea d?

(for vehicle recovery by suita ble vesse l a t a convenient time)

CHALLENGES WHEN USING AUVs

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USV / AUV CHALLENGES

Unmanned Recovery

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“Eagle rendezvoused with Columbia, July 21 1969, and the two docked at 21:35 UTC……..”

50 yea rs la ter, a lmost to the hour……………………

Not quite a moon la nding, but a significa nt a chievement: The concept works!

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CHALLENGE SOLUTION?ROV recovery on ma nned sprea ds, a lthough re la tive ly sa fe , still exposes people to risks……….How can we have a more robust AUV recovery to USV?AUV recovery to USV is not truly a utonomous

These people ca n be very busy during recovery opera tions:

• Any form of remote ma nua l control necessita tes re lia ble comms; control centre AUV

• Ma inta ining robust comms to AUV is much more cha llenging tha n ma inta ining comms to USV a nd requires presence of supervising vesse l or other mea ns of re la y to control centre

• Refinement of concepts for docking / recovery (eg use of homing a ids, la tching below spla sh zone, e tc)?

• La rger, more sta ble USVs?

• Better integra tion between USV a nd AUV controls?

• Higher levels of AUV a utonomy (coming?)

• Alterna tive mea ns of communica ting with AUV?

• Use, where a ppropria te , of docking sta tions?

USV AUV

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USV / UUV OPERATIONS: When things go wrong: need for human intervention

This is not a fa voura ble situa tion……..the HSE goa l is to remove people from vesse ls, especia lly sma ll vesse lsAllowing huma n intervention ha s to be ma na ged properly

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NUI Explorer 2001

Large manned vessel recovery of untethered vehicles: When things go wrong

But, to put USV/AUV challenges in perspective………..

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FUTURE: >2019

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Equinor UID™

The unma nned offshore ca mpa igns a re pa rt of a n Equinor-wide initia tive to ma ximise benefits from use ofUnderwater Intervention Drones (UID).

Equinor UID Strategy Executive Summa ry

“The UID strategy shows the direction Statoil (now Equinor) needs to take regarding future use of remotely operated, semi-autonomous (partly operated from shore) and autonomous underwater vehicles for subsea operations in order to be aligned with the Corporate Technology Strategy.The impact for Statoil will be lower HSE risk, lower carbon footprint, lower OPEX and higher PE for new and existing subsea fields..”

Roadmap: Underwater Intervention Drone (UID)

eROV, Eelume, others

First Subsea Docking Station

Semi-autonomous resident light WROV

Network of Subsea Docking Stations

Reduced OPEX, POB, CO2 footprint, reduced HSE risk, increase PEU

ID in

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Onshore Pilot centre

Roadmap: Underwater Intervention Drone (UID)

eROV, Eelume, others

First Subsea Docking Station

Semi-autonomous resident light WROV

Network of Subsea Docking Stations

Reduced OPEX, POB, CO2 footprint, reduced HSE risk, increase PE

UID intervention capability and complexity

Onshore Pilot centre

1

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• Less HSE risk exposure offshore

• Increa sed opera tiona l flexibility

• Whenever fea sible , utilise the Emergency Prepa redness vesse ls for deployment, recovery a nd cha rging. They a re a lrea dy pa id for

Cost-e ffective E-ROV opera tions:

E-ROV:

• Reduce cost

• Reduce CO2 / NOx emission

• Increa se the opera tiona l flexibility

• Deployed by vesse l cra ne , The vesse l ma y then continue with other opera tions

• The E-ROV communica tes through it’s own 4G buoy

• Is se lf sufficient with its own ba ttery pa cka ge

• Remotely controlled from a n onshore control room

• Ma y ca rry out a ll types of ROV opera tions where vesse l support is not ma nda tory

• The E-ROV wlll a lso ca rry a fly-out (miniROV) with a pp. 75m a dditiona l ra dius

E-ROV a nima tion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdLSBTlHkU0&feature=youtu.be

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Universal Subsea Docking Station testing, Trondheimsfjord, 2019

ATTRIBUTES• Unmanned subsea vehicle• Battery powered• Unlimited docking station recharge• Untethered• Remotely operated from shore• No surface vessel• Docking station to docking station

transits• Vendor independent• No recovery! No weather limit!!

The Holy Grail for survey / inspection

In the future this will permit:

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• Wireless interfa ces in SWiG• Ha rmonise interfa ce towa rds ma jor drone suppliers • Forma lise a nd ha rmonise with DeepStar into API

36 | Underwa ter Intervention Drone (UID™) stra tegy

UID™ g e n e r ic s u b s e a d o c kin g s t a t io n

https://www.equinor.com/en/news/20 19-10 -wire less-subsea -drone.html

https://www.equinor.com/en/news/2019-10-wireless-subsea-drone.html

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AruCo & Cha RuCo

• AruCo ma rkers pla ced a t va rious loca tions on the docking sta tion to provide visua l guida nce .

• Using ma chine vision a single AruCo ma rker provides 6 DoF informa tion to a vehicle

• Severa l AruCos provides a more robust solution, in pa rticula r with respect to poor visibility

• Combining AruCo within a Chess pa ttern gives ChAruCowhich ca n be used to ca libra te ma chine vision ca mera s for optica l distortion

• Ea ch unique AruCo refers to a lookup ta ble conta ining informa tion such a s position, function e tc.

38 | Underwa ter Intervention Drone (UID™) stra tegy

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Inte ropera bility

STANDARD INTERFACE

39 | Underwa ter Intervention Drone (UID™) stra tegy

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Eelume

https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=plOqk-n9B20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plOqk-n9B20

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OffshoreWhen? Vessel AUV

future Unma nned(USV)

la unched & recoveredUnma nnedWe look fa voura blyupon this concept…..(like ly with la rger USV a nd some refinements)

future None “Resident”

CONCLUSIONSReflecting on 20 18/9 unma nned ca mpa igns offshore & nea rshoreIt ha s not a ll been pla in sa iling…….But, “Equinor survey” is more convinced tha n ever a bout the benefits (now) a nd potentia l benefits (future) of this technology

Nearshore• Concept perha ps a lso suited to other «sha llow wa ter» survey a pplica tions, not necessa rily close to la nd, eg, offshore wind• We will look more close ly a t wha t other sensors ca n be deployed from sma ll USVs

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QUESTIONS?

“Dogleg” turn at 4+ knots……

Last word is a “ thank you ” to all involved contractors & sub -contractors for innovative and safely performed work…..

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������Use of Unmanned / Autonomous survey systems���–an operator’s perspectiveSlide Number 2Slide Number 3Slide Number 4Slide Number 5Slide Number 6Slide Number 7Slide Number 8Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11Slide Number 12Slide Number 13Slide Number 14Slide Number 15Slide Number 16Slide Number 17Slide Number 18Slide Number 19Slide Number 20Slide Number 21Slide Number 22Slide Number 23Slide Number 24Slide Number 25Slide Number 26Slide Number 27Slide Number 28Slide Number 29Slide Number 30Slide Number 31Slide Number 32Slide Number 33Cost-effective E-ROV operations:Slide Number 35Slide Number 36Slide Number 37AruCo & ChaRuCoInteroperabilitySlide Number 40Slide Number 41Slide Number 42Slide Number 43