TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 6
U
K-based survey specialist Bibby HydroMap have
announced the successful completion of testing of
‘DriX’, the 8-metre Autonomous Unmanned Survey
Vessel (AUSV) developed by iXblue.
Designed to provide a true extension of survey
capability from shallow and inshore waters to a full
offshore environment, DriX is a new breed of AUSV
that is the first autonomous survey platform to truly
rival the performance of a traditional survey vessel.
The versatile system has the ability to accommo-
date a hydrographic and geophysical survey payload and to aid posi-
tioning of underwater vehicles, facilitating data collection on a variety of
marine projects.
DriX continues to build its successful track record across the hydrograph-
ic and offshore energy markets. Thanks to Bibby HydroMap's commitment
to finding new ways to work faster and better, and to the company’s sharp
knowledge of offshore renewables, we were able to jointly demonstrate
the relevancy of our AUSV in maximising efficiency in an offshore wind
farm environment. This really was a milestone for DriX, proving once again
its versatility, the accuracy of its data gathering and its stability in a range
of sea states. We are excited by the results and the promising prospects for
DriX and Bibby HydroMap.
The key purpose of the trials, covering a 5-day period, was to rigorously
Credits: bibbyhydromap.com
test the performance and survey capabilities of DriX in an ever-demanding
marine environment. Testing took place in and around the Gwynt Y Môr
offshore wind farm, operated by Innogy Renewables UK Ltd. The 576MW
offshore wind farm is in a tidally-challenging area off the North Wales coast
and is the fourth largest operating offshore windfarm in the world.
Specific locations of interest were identified within the wind farm
environment to provide a direct comparison with conventional survey
methodologies. Fitted with a Teledyne RESON Seabat IDH T50 multibeam
echosounder, the system was able to acquire unprecedentedly clean
bathymetry at speeds greater than 8 knots, remaining on the intended
survey line in cross-tides in excess of 1.5 knots.
With a unique hydrodynamic gondola housing the payload DriX, has
been designed to dramatically reduce the amount of aeration around the
multibeam echosounder. During the trials, a significant improvement was
realised when compared to the conventional deployment methods seen
with the majority of vessel mounted multibeam echosounder systems.
During operations QPS’s Qimera Live was running on board DriX, but
controlled by technical staff on the support vessel, enabling the fully-pro-
cessed multibeam echosounder data to be downloaded straight from DriX
at the end of each mission. All data is processed in real-time from the sup-
port vessel with very little need for further processing ashore, shortening
processing timescales and speeding up delivery of critical information.
The overall performance and data collection capability of DriX exceeded
Credits: bibbyhydromap.com
Credits: bibbyhydromap.com
all expectations, providing:
*Exceptional manoeuvrability within the wind farm environment
*Ease of operation and control throughout
*Excellent data quality at increased speed
*Outstanding performance in challenging sea conditions
*Simple and rapid deployment to site
Able to operate at speeds of up to 14 knots, with enhanced manoeu-
vrability leading to line turns of less than one minute, DriX could minimise
time spent in the field compared to conventional vessels. The reduced
profile of DriX both above and below the waterline enabled continuing
operations in conditions that would have been unsafe for conventional
vessels, where sea states and tidal