The industry's recognized authority for design, engineering and application of equipment and services in the global ocean community
Issue link: http://sea-technology.epubxp.com/i/586584
16 st / October 2015 www.sea-technology.com as a whole are moving fast. Most organizations choose to specialize in one particular area of autonomy, such as craft design or control systems. ASV differs in its ability to deliver all of the elements; design, manufacture and operation. Prior to this project, ASV had experience operating ve- hicles in the GoM. Previous operations have included shallow-water surveys and deepwater seabed transponder calibration. C-Worker is a multipurpose, work-class ASV. The ro- bust design incorporating an aluminum, self-righting hull makes the vehicle suitable for harsh ocean environments. C-Worker has a 30-day endurance at an average speed of 4 kt. and houses fully redundant power propulsion and communication systems. Capable of being launched offshore from a mother vessel or by a shore-side crane, the 6-m-long vehicle is equipped with a modular pay- load bay, making it easy for the user to switch payload between items such as USBL (acoustic tracking) and multibeam sonar. The ability to integrate multiple off- shore payloads is unique to C-Worker. Slightly smaller in size than the C-Worker, the C- Enduro is a 4-m catamaran with the ability to remain at sea for long durations up to three months due to its three-pillar power system comprising solar panels, a wind turbine and a lightweight diesel generator. The high-effciency propulsion system in combination with the optimized wave-piercing hull shape, low- power electronics and a bespoke battery bank allow the system to provide up to 100-W continuous or 500- W bursts of power to payloads weighing up to 25 kg. A variety of sensors can be mounted both above and below the water; on the mast, under the deck and on the retractable keel. In addition to this, the vehicle can be ftted with towed underwater instruments. The ve- hicle's fexible energy and propulsion system cater to the additional drag. Commencing June 23, operations were carried out from the RV Pelican, a LUMCON oceanographic research vessel that acted as the support vessel. C-Worker and C-Enduro were towed out to sea behind the RV Pelican before being deployed. The vehicles were monitored from the support vessel and operated using the ASView control system over Wi-Fi and radio links. Both ASVs ran set lines autonomous- ly, while the Seiche team monitored sounds from the towed arrays in real time to detect, classify and localize marine mammals. Both vehicles ran at an average speed of between 2.5 and 3 kt. C-Worker and C-Enduro travelled at varying distances from the RV Pelican ranging from 500 to 1,000 m, partly to minimize the noise effects from the support ASV Platform for PAM Data Part of the LADC-GEMM consortium research is to ad- vance the technology of collecting PAM data. One such way is the use of autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs). There are many benefts to using autonomous systems over the tra- ditional methods, which would involve towing PAM arrays from larger, manned marine vessels. Autonomous systems can offer considerable reductions in cost, increase in opera- tional fexibility, and reduction in health and safety risks. In many cases, it has been found that tasks are performed more accurately when using an ASV as opposed to conventional methods. Recognized as a key innovator in autonomous surface vehicle technology, ASV provided two vehicles (C-Enduro and C-Worker) for the LADC-GEMM PAM operation that took place in June 2015. ASV has been providing autono- mous surface vehicles to the commercial and defense indus- try since 2010. ASV's expertise lies in all areas of vehicle de- sign, build and operation. The company has an operational base in Broussard, Louisiana, with production and further operations based out of the U.K. Marine autonomous operations are entering a huge growth phase. Several large organizations are beginning to devote resources to the development of maritime autono- mous systems. The technology, the market and the industry (Top) The C-Enduro ASV. (Bottom) Seiche's wireless PAM sys- tem mounted onto the C-Enduro. "The consortium's main goals center on carrying out passive acoustic monitoring."