Page 65: of Marine Technology Magazine (September 2013)

By Mark Collins, ROV Business Stream Manager SMD has been a leading manufactur- er of subsea robotic systems since the 1980s. In 2003 SMD started manufac- turing Work Class ROVs, a business that has grown steadily. SMD?s ROV division operates from a modern facility named ?i19? in Newcas- tle Upon Tyne, UK. ROV sales, project managers, engineers and technicians are all located within the facility and the company has the ability to manufacture up to 48 Work Class ROV systems per year. SMD also has of ces in Houston, Singapore and Macau. SMD introduced the original Q-Series range of Work Class ROVs in 2005. The range con- sisted of three vehicles - Quantum con- struction class, Quasar general purpose class and Quasar Compact lightweight work class. Through market trends and customer feedback, SMD undertook its  rst range refresh in 2009. The refresh retained three vehicle models - to give customers choice and  exibility when building  eets - and updates focused on key attributes SMD felt were of absolute importance to clients;  Dependability ? Robust construc- tion, stable control system and careful selection of sub components.  Performance ? The ability to op- erate in high currents while remaining composed and offering precise control.  Flexibility ? The ability to con-  gure for any operation. De ned free spaces within the vehicles for tool  t-ment, powerful tooling hydraulics, broad choice of customer interfaces.  Ease of use ? Intuitive control soft- ware. Inclusion of automatic pilot aids. Good access for maintenance. Value ? Use of off shelf compo- nents, low through life costs By 2012 SMD had delivered more than 94 Work Class ROV systems. Four years had passed since the last refresh so SMD deemed it time to revisit the product range again and the decision was made to develop the next generation Quantum, Quasar and Atom (Quasar Compact replacement) for 2013 release. New for 2013 SMD?s new 2013 range of Work Class vehicles builds on the original key attri- butes. All aspects of each system were reviewed and updated with one of the main changes being the introduction of the DVECSII/S control system. First deployed on the i-Tech only SMD manufactured QX Ultra ROV, the SCA- DA/PLC based DVECSII system offers advancements in con gurability, diag- nostics and graphical user feedback. Proven industrial PLC technology is employed to maximize reliability. Pilot aids through dynamic position technology were available on previ- ous generation SMD WROV systems but were limited to relative positioning through sea oor lock technology. The new ROVs have the option of a more advanced dynamic positioning system - relative and absolute - co-developed by SMD and Seebyte. Advanced  ight modes such as auto- position, navigation map trail, cruise- control, advanced waypoint track- ing, chart overlay, auto  y follow and survey are all included with the latest DVECSII/S system. Sea oor lock, mid water positioning and sonar lock and auto follow are available when relevant transducers are  tted to the vehicle. DVECSII/S also sees the introduction of the multiplatform CORE pod which forms the control hub on the new Quan- tum, Quasar and Atom vehicles. SMD?s distributed control architecture remains ,but the  eld maintainable and compact CORE pod offers increased instrument connectivity permitting operators to  t and control the latest HDTV cameras, and high bandwidth sonars, for example Improvements have also been made to the mechanical and hydraulic aspects of the new vehicles. Vehicle construc- tion of previous incarnations employed aluminum alloy section bolted in trian- gulated con gurations to aid stiffness. SMD wanted to lighten, stiffen and free up more space for tooling and access to components on the new range. The 2013 ROV models employ space frame construction that moves away from internal bolted sections. This has resulted in robust, stiff yet light vehicle frames that still retain bolted extremities for damaged section replacement. For the customer, this translates to better collision resilience, improved stability for manipulator work and more space within the frame. SMD design and manufacture all its Work Class hydraulic componen- try under the well-known brand name Curvetech. Many of the Curvetech components  tted to this latest vehicle range have been updated and improved. Quantum is now  tted with a new Cur- vetech HTE 430mm thruster. The thruster uses a unique mono strut design to minimize water  ow disrup- tion. Lighter and more compact hy-draulic power units (HPU) have been developed for the Quasar and Atom and a new range of smaller, lighter and fea- ture-packed Intelligent Hydraulic Con- trol Units (iHCU), are available for cus- tomers to con gure their ideal system. Atom is available in 60hp and 100hp guise, Quasar 125hp and 150hp and Quantum 200hp and 250hp. The  rst new Atoms, Quasars and Quantums en- tered service at the beginning of 2013. The 2013 range share a new topside control console design. Using client feedback and adhering to the latest IMCA and NORSOK standards the lay-out offers an ergonomic environment with space for a surveyor and observers. SMD offers a choice of screen and con- trol desk con guration. The standard control setup can be either 20ft cabin or vessel room installed. SMD Improves 2013 Work Class ROV Range www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 65ROV Pro leMTR #7 (50-65).indd 65MTR #7 (50-65).indd 658/27/2013 3:13:02 PM8/27/2013 3:13:02 PM