Page 572 - The ROV Manual - A User Guide for Remotely Operated Vehicles 2nd edition

21.2 Commercial, scientific, and archeological operations 571
Sea Mine
Projectile
Gun
FIGURE 21.11
K2 concept drawing.
Table 21.2 Task and ROV Size Matching
Tasking Best Size
External pipeline inspection External hull inspection Internal wreck survey Open-water scientific transect Calm-water operations
Large OCROV, MSROV, or WCROV Medium/large OCROV
Small OCROV
Medium/large OCROV or MSROV All sizes
21.2 Commercial, scientific, and archeological operations
Since commercial, scientific, and archeological operations involve a set of how-to tactics, techni- ques, and procedures (TTPs) similar to those in homeland security (Section 21.4), this section will address the development of a list of specific environments and operations peculiar to these applications.
As discussed in Chapter 3, vehicle geometry does not affect the motive performance of an ROV nearly as much as the dimensions of the tether. ROV systems are a tradeoff of a number of factors including cost, size, deployment resources/platform, and operational requirement. The various sizes of observation-class ROV systems (as discussed in Chapter 3) have within them certain inherent performance capabilities. The larger systems usually have a higher payload and thruster capability, allowing better open-water functions. The smaller systems are much more agile in getting into tight places in and around underwater structures, making those more suitable for enclosed structure pene- trations. The challenge is to find the right system for the job. Some examples of tasks, along with the best system size selection, are provided in Table 21.2.
Operational considerations regarding various tasks are discussed throughout this book. The remainder of this section will deal with additional considerations more applicable to commer- cial, scientific, and archeological tasks.