September 2024, Vol. 251, No. 9
Tech Notes
AUV Pipeline Inspection Pilot Ready for Sub-Marine Deployment
Special to Pipeline & Gas Journal
TotalEnergies and Oceaneering International, Inc., have completed a pipeline inspection industrial pilot, using the Freedom Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and demonstrating its capabilities for sustainable commercial pipeline inspection missions.
The deployment delivered on the desire of TotalEnergies to reduce environmental impact to Net Zero by 2050, while assuring the integrity of sub-marine pipelines. The companies said the application of the technology represents a 50% reduction in time required for use and emissions.
The North Sea pilot resulted in the inspection of over 74 mi (120 km) of sub-marine pipelines, added to 37 mi (60 km) of near-shore pipelines inspected during an earlier demonstration.
The vehicle demonstrated its ability to detect and track the pipeline, while maintaining a defined flight envelope above the pipe. Using the onboard adaptive behaviors — developed to provide additional insights into subsea features — Freedom demonstrated that it is capable of performing high-quality operations, with the required data gathered in a single pass of the pipelines.
The onboard autonomous capabilities, together with high-specification instruments — including a laser scanning system and multibeam sonar technology — result in a detailed external inspection of subsea pipeline features. The autonomous pipeline tracking capability ensured the vehicle remained directly above the pipeline at low altitudes, providing a detailed external view of the pipelines and the surrounding seafloor.
Upon completion of the pipeline inspection missions, onboard automated data processing allowed the assessment of the mission’s effectiveness and the confirmation of pipeline condition.
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