Thruster Technology
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- Copenhagen Subsea Debuts the Gorilla ROV Marine Technology, Feb 2020 #50
Copenhagen Subsea launched a new powerful Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), specifically developed for the offshore industry. The ROV is based on Copenhagen Subsea’s rim-driven thruster technology and is designed to be robust and reliable in challenging environments – qualities which inspired us to name it the Gorilla.
In fact, reliability has been first and foremost throughout the design and development of the Gorilla. By basing the ROV on industrial components, Copenhagen Subsea was seeking to ensue the utmost operational reliability.
The Gorilla is equipped as standard with an intelligent Dynamic Positioning (DP) system, enabling automatic control of position, depth, altitude, heading, pitch and roll. A lack of thrusters is a common problem in conventional ROV design, which makes it impossible to control the pitch and roll of the vehicle and thus hard for the operator to keep it stable during operations. Even weak currents can cause some ROVs to tilt and the operator to lose control of the vehicle, potentially leading even to the abandonment of the mission and recovery of the ROV.
The Gorilla ROV is based on Copenhagen Subsea’s Rim-driven thruster, technology which, combined with industrial electronics from Japan’s OMRON, gives a high level of reliability.Image: Copenhagen SubseaBy contrast, the Gorilla’s DP system makes it easy to operate the vehicle even in low visibility and strong currents. This is based on an advanced sensor system, which delivers input to the DP system to constantly adjust output of the ROV’s eight thrusters in a fly-by-wire system to keep it stable in the water. The Gorilla can sense the seafloor from up to 70 meters above, enabling the DP system to keep it in the required position, even should the operator take hands off the controls. This solves another common problem during launch of conventional ROVs, when the current can quickly push it away from the vessel, leaving the operator disoriented and without knowledge of its exact location or where to steer to reach its destination. This can often lead to an abandoned mission, necessitating a second attempt or a wait for conditions to improve. Instead, the Gorilla will use its DP system to instantly adjust the output of its eight thrusters to maintain position relative to the seabed, meaning the operator can easily steer to the designated destination. Copenhagen Subsea said the ROV can carry up to 70 kg and it has an easy to understand payload interface with a power supply and separate fiber cable connection, dedicated to the customer specific requirement.
The electrical system of the Gorilla ROV is based on industrial hardware from Japanese industrial electronics company OMRON, meaning that top to bottom Gorilla uses only industrial standard hardware components which are available commercially, a key differentiating factor in the reliability of the Gorilla. Industrial hardware components are cheaper, more reliable and easier to maintain as they are produced in series of hundreds of thousands and deployed worldwide across multiple industries. Such standard components are readily available off-the-shelf anywhere in the world and with significantly shorter delivery times for spare parts, compared to regular waits of 12 weeks or more for proprietary parts from conventional ROV manufacturers. Customers will have access to all electric documentation in the form of wiring diagrams, meaning they can service and maintain the vehicle on their own, as well as a full component list so they can source all parts directly. It means an operating company can simply change the Gorilla’s standard spare parts itself.
These robust industrial components are generally larger, but this means they have the required dimensions to perform reliably in extreme offshore conditions with extended temperature range. These parts also have the capacity to handle overload currents during acceleration and deacceleration and fast shifts of rotational direction. These elements are crucial to keep an ROV stable in challenging offshore conditions. Ideally suited for any task in short, the Gorilla is tough and strong, works reliably in challenging conditions, is simple to maintain with easy access spare parts and is easily controlled thanks to Copenhagen Subsea’s thruster technology.
www.copenhagensubsea.comRead the Full Story in the March 2020 edition of Marine Tchnology Reporter: https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/202003/#page/52
Allan Nygaard Bertelsen, CEO in Copenhagen Subsea -
- New Player in the Rim Thruster Market Marine News, Mar 2015 #56
Rim-driven thruster technology has emerged and demonstrated potential for compact and super-silent maneuvering propulsion. Silentdynamics customized rim-thruster-based propulsion solutions applications include tunnel thrusters, and Silentdynamics ERT thrusters can be configured to be retractable and/or
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- Z-Drive Towboats Marine News, Oct 2014 #40
organization to a level where it was capable to serve clients globally. ZF turned out to be a perfect partner. ZF Group was looking to add marine thruster technology to its ZF Marine family of products, and it already had the established network of sales and service in place, as well as the engineering horsepower
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- ZF Marine Makes a Strong Towboat Thrust Maritime Reporter, Aug 2014 #62
a perfect partner. ZF Group, an industrial behemoth with $22.4 billion in sales and 72,643 employees at the end of 2013, was looking to add marine thruster technology to its ZF Marine family of products, and it already had the established network of sales and service in place, as well as the engineering horsepower
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- Advanced Bow Thruster Efficiency Aided By Stator Screen From Shipwrights Maritime Reporter, Nov 1991 #132
efficiency and power in bow thrusters. Harnessing the power from the water moved by the thruster's twin props is an advancement in bow thruster technology, now exclusive to the Twin Prop system manufactured by Shipwrights, Inc. of Framingham, Mass. Most screens only keep potentially damaging
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- Finnish Innovation Ascends New Heights Maritime Reporter, Feb 2000 #50
from the Finnish maritime cluster of shipbuilders, marine equipment suppliers and technology innovators. The Finns, with a long track record in thruster technology, were the leaders in the podded drive concept, first applied in the form of a 1.5-MW Azipod unit to a Finnish waterway service vessel in
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- Omnithruster Continues To "Lead The Way" Maritime Reporter, Sep 2000 #52
it in a unique position amongst its competitors. The JT Series, and its smaller sibling the HT Series, continue to "lead the way" in waterjet thruster technology
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- Tech & Design Solutions for Modern Workboats Maritime Reporter, May 2016 #50
ZF Group, has been helping owners change the design of their fleets and modernize the propulsion systems they’ve been using for 60 years. “Our thruster technology allows customers to look at using smaller engines but gain better performance than some of their older vessels so they can reduce fuel burn
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- Podded Propulsion Goes Beyond the Cruise Realm Maritime Reporter, Jul 2001 #44
associated with electric pod propulsion give a solid foundation to consideration of the podded options. Building on a long track record in thruster technology, and underscoring a propensity for maritime innovation, the Finns were the leaders in the podded drive concept. The first contractual reference f
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 48Index page MTR MarApr2024:MTR Layouts 4/4/2024 3:19 PM Page 1 Advertiser Index PageCompany Website Phone# 17 . . . . .Airmar Technology Corporation . . . . . . . . . .www.airmar.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(603) 673-9570 9 . . . . . .Birns, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 47PRODUCT, PROFESSIONAL, VESSELS, MTR BARGES & REAL ESTATE FOR SALE Marketplace INNOVATIVE. UNIQUE. PROVEN. ALLAMERICANMARINE.com ???????????????????????????????????????? 9??????????SiC A????????ArC????????????????S???????C?????????9???Ç????????? ????????????????Ý???????S???y???????????????????K???:???? MAR
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 45ronments. The new agreement will address speci? c techni- cal gaps in the UUV defense and offshore energy markets especially for long duration, multi-payload mission opera- tions where communications are often denied or restricted. As part of the new alliance, Metron’s Resilient Mission Autonomy portfolio
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 43Image courtesy Kongsberg Discovery Image courtesy Teledyne Marine New Products Teledyne Marine had its traditional mega-booth at Oi, busy start to ? nish. Image courtesy Greg Trauthwein offers quality sub-bottom pro? ling capability without the need tion of offshore windfarms. GeoPulse 2 introduces new
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 42line. The Meridian line, a robust, custom engineered dry-mate connector series is open face rated to 6km, and is well-suited for battery packs and thrusters for crewed and uncrewed subsea vehicles that re- quire high amperage power transfer. Select sizes are already being DNV type-approved for 6km rated
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 41Image courtesy Outland Technology Image courtesy Exail Image courtesy Submaris and EvoLogics Vehicles The ROV-1500 from Outland Technology represents a leap forward in underwater robotics, a compact remotely operated vehicle (ROV) weighing in at less than 40 lbs (19kg) the ROV- 1500 is easy to transport
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 40NEW TECH OCEANOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2024 All photos courtesy MTR unless otherwise noted NEW TECH, PARTNERSHIPS LAUNCH IN LONDON With Oceanology International now one month in the rear-view mirror, MTR takes a look at some of the interesting technologies launched before, during and after the London event.
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 36to the left, the keel is to the right. The starboard side PBOF LiPo battery packs are located behind a clear polycarbonate panel mid- body above the thrusters. A second identical set of batteries is located on the port side of the vehicle. Individual battery packs are held in separate pockets machined
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 33regulated industry in the world.” How- ever, commercial success depends on many factors, not least a predictable OPEX. Over the past four years, SMD has worked with Oil States Industries to calculate cost per tonne ? gures for prospective customers. Patania II uses jet water pumps to Oil States’
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 32FEATURE SEABED MINING by a sea? oor plume from its pilot collection system test. pact, nodule collection system that utilizes mechanical and The Metals Company recently signed a binding MoU with hydraulic technology. Paci? c Metals Corporation of Japan for a feasibility study on The company’s SMD
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 30FEATURE SEABED MINING bilical. It has passive heave compensation which nulli? es the necott. “The focus since then has been on scaling while en- wave, current and vessel motions that in? uence loads in the suring the lightest environmental impact,” says The Metals power umbilical. The LARS can
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 29n January, Norway said “yes” to sea- bed mining, adding its weight to the momentum that is likely to override the calls for a moratorium by over 20 countries and companies such as I Google, BMW, Volvo and Samsung. Those against mining aim to protect the unique and largely unknown ecology of the sea?
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 27SEA-KIT USV Maxlimer returning from HT-HH caldera in Tonga. © SEA-KIT International data and further assess ecosystem recov- ery. What is known, noted Caplan-Auer- bach, is that the impact of submarine vol- canoes on humans is rare. “The HT-HH eruption was a tragedy, but it was very unusual. It let us
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 26FEATURE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTATION & SENSORS Kevin Mackay, TESMaP voyage leader and Center head of the South and West Paci? c Regional Centre of Seabed 2030. Kevin in the seismic lab at Greta Point looking at the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano 3D map completed with data from the TESMaP voyage
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 25Auerbach explained that ideally, “one ? ed layers of geothermal activity,” noted changes over an area of 8,000 km2. They would have both instruments: seismom- Skett, “and the change in salinity and dis- found up to seven km3 of displaced ma- eters to detect and locate subsurface ac- solved particles for
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 23elatively inactive since 2014, the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai (HT-HH) submarine volcano began erupting on December 20, 2021, reaching peak intensity on January 15, 2022. This triggered tsunamis throughout the Pa- R ci? c, destroyed lives and infrastructure, and generated the largest explosion recorded
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 202024 Editorial Calendar January/Februay 2024 February 2024 March/April 2024 Ad close Jan.31 Ad close March 21 Ad close Feb. 4 Underwater Vehicle Annual Offshore Energy Digital Edition ?2?VKRUH:LQG$)ORDWLQJ)XWXUH ?2FHDQRJUDSKLF?QVWUXPHQWDWLRQ 6HQVRUV ?6XEVHD'HIHQVH ?6XEVHD'HIHQVH7KH+XQWIRU ?0DQLS
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 19About the Author vey with the pipe tracker is not required, resulting in signi? - Svenn Magen Wigen is a Cathodic Protection and corrosion control cant cost savings, mainly related to vessel charter. expert having worked across The major advantage of using FiGS on any type of subsea engineering, design
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 18TECH FEATURE IMR There are also weaknesses in terms of accuracy because of FiGS Operations and Bene? ts signal noise and the ability to detect small ? eld gradients. In Conventional approaches to evaluating cathodic protection this process there is a risk that possible issues like coating (CP)
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 17• Integrity assessment, and otherwise covered, e.g., by rock dump. As for depletion of • Mitigation, intervention and repair. sacri? cial anodes, this can be dif? cult or even impossible to Selecting the best method for collecting the data these work- estimate due to poor visibility, the presence of
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 16TECH FEATURE IMR Image courtesy FORCE Technology OPTIMIZING CATHODIC PROTECTION SURVEY USING NON-CONTACT SENSORS By Svenn Magen Wigen, FORCE Technology he principle behind sacri? cial anodes, which are water structures, reducing the need for frequent repairs and used to safeguard underwater pipelines
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 15Project tions – such as the Gulf of Mexico or the Indian Ocean – the Management from Cornell University. Sentinel’s large buoyancy engine and optional thruster capa- bility will keep the glider on track. It is expected that the Slocum Sentinel Glider will con- MARINE tinue the upward trajectory of glider
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 14TECH FEATURE TELEDYNE SLOCUM GLIDERS to hold over 3.5 times as many lithium primary batteries as the the water column and its thrusters give it the ability to stay standard Slocum Glider, and to physically accommodate up to on track in strong currents or other dif? cult ocean condi- 8 different sensor
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March 2024 - Marine Technology Reporter page: 13nyone familiar with glider hardware options integrated for a broad Glider answers that need,” said Shea autonomous underwater ve- range of missions. Quinn, Slocum Glider Product Line hicles (AUVs) is certainly “As the use of Slocum Gliders grew, Manager at TWR. A familiar with the popular- so did