wiredinUSA July 2020

Speedy subsea survey A UK subsea contractor is using an autonomous underwater vehicle to reduce the time it takes to survey an offshore wind farm, while also reducing its carbon footprint. Modus Seabed Intervention has completed a high speed, bathymetric and depth- of-burial survey of the inter-array cable routes for the Gwynt-y-Môr offshore wind farm, utilizing its Modus HAUV-2 (hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle). The challenging site is known for high subsea currents with water depths of between 12m and 28m. The HAUV-2, which has the power and stability to work in high currents, was able to carry out the survey in roughly a quarter of the time it would take a remotely operated vehicle. Nigel Ward, chief commercial officer for Modus, said: “The ability to perform high speed depth-of-burial in high current areas has been an ongoing requirement of the offshore wind industry. “With HAUV we were able to significantly reduce overall survey time at this important offshore wind farm. Going forward, the flexibility of payl oad enables this vehicle to combine various types of survey and inspection to improve efficiency and further reduce vessel days offshore...

“The next phase of development is to remove the need for a dedicated support vessel and to use the autonomous features of the HAUV to perform scopes from vessels or structures already in field.” Gwynt-y-Môr was the first complete offshore wind farm inter-array survey performed by HAUV-2. Safety spool The e-spool flex is the igus edition of a cable drum; it safely moves and stores a single cable or hose whilst retaining an end-to- end connection. A spiral guide allows quick installation of the cable into the reel, and the e-spool flex is ready for use. The e-spool is designed to overcome the hazard of trailing cables and hoses across workshops and production areas.

Cable reels with slip rings offer a solution for power transmission but are often only available as a complete package with a custom cable. S S The e-spool flex from igus

41

wiredInUSA - July 2020

Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software