Hydrodynamic characteristics of rovs during deployment through wave-affected zones

Bashir, Musa B., Menon, Mahesh, Benson, Simon D., Eastwood, Rob, Murphy, Alan J., Cunny, Daniel and van Zwanenberg, Michael (2015) Hydrodynamic characteristics of rovs during deployment through wave-affected zones. In Offshore Technology; Offshore Geotechnics. vol. 1, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.. (doi:10.1115/OMAE2015-41940).

Abstract

The prediction of wave-induced loads on Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) during deployment through the splash zone is an important requirement to the design of a launch and recovery system. This paper presents the results of numerical and experimental hydrodynamic analysis of the motion response and wave-induced loads on a subsea trencher ROV during its deployment through the splash zone. The main focus of the study is to determine the maximum wave-induced loads and also to establish the maximum range of sea conditions in which the ROV can be operated safely. The numerical measurement of the hydrodynamic responses is completed using a 3D potential theory-based solver. The results obtained are compared with the predicted experimental responses measured using a 1/12 scale model of the ROV in a wave tank. A further comparison of the numerical responses with a box-shaped model of approximately similar overall dimensions to the ROV is performed in order to establish the validity of using a simplified shape to represent the actual ROV in various modelling scenarios. The result of this comparison shows that using a box-shaped model grossly over-predicts the responses and can lead to overly conservative load prediction.

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