Visualising the target by camera and INScan
envisage the device being operated at water depths up to 3000m. While the industry has experience in enclosing deep water subsea electronics in high pressure housings, subsea LiDAR is an optical system requires a window enclosure. “It is now important to test such these devices to ensure integrity and develop operating practices. We know its advantages but need to understand any operational shortcomings and how to circumvent them,” said Green. “CDL Engineering’s part of the project has only just begun.” CDL has already carried out trials and are currently building further units to take to take to various projects around the world CDL and 3D at Depth are working on the next generation product which will integrate high resolution scanning onto a moving platform such as an ROV. The research and development has been funded by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for
America (RPSEA) a non-profit organisation dedicated to the acceleration of tools and technologies for deep water oil and gas applications.. Other applications include fresh water applications such as dam and bridge construction and verification as well as environmental monitoring and cultural preservation work. “The speed of scanning and interpretation and the general accuracy makes this tool invaluable in damage inspection resulting from accident or sever a natural disaster such as a tropical storm or tsunami.”
ROV It is useful to look at the target from as many directions as possible in order to build up a comprehensive point cloud. This suits deploying the tool from an ROV. Last year, the device was installed on an FMC Technologies Schilling ROV, where it was able to carry out precision target imaging in the test tank at the Davis headquarters.
17
The target was based on a hot stab panel, around 2.1m wide and mounted on support legs. After comparing the scan with reference measurements, the engineers found it could achieve accuracies better than 3mm at distances of up to 8m. “While the ROV would be parked and thus stationary when making the scan, another option that we are potentially looking at, is to combine the technology with our motion sensors,” said Green. “If we know where and how fast the ROV is moving, we can subtract that information from the images that the INSCAN produces, to get a virtually real time scanning tool.”
Laser beam from an INScan unit
UT3 February 2013