Page 81 - The ROV Manual - A User Guide for Remotely Operated Vehicles 2nd edition

c. Class III—work-class vehicles (vehicles large enough to carry additional sensors and/or manipulators)
d. Class IV—towed and bottom-crawling vehicles (vehicles pulled through the water by a surface craft or winch, and bottom-crawling vehicles using a wheel or track system to move across the seafloor)
e. Class V—prototype or development vehicles (those still being developed and those regarded as prototypes).
This naming convention has been in effect for quite some time (mostly with the European
operators, but also with the US-based ADCI (Association of Diving Contractors International)). However, due to the rapid development of the technology, a much more robust naming convention is necessary to fully define the full range of vehicle options.
As discussed in Chapter 1, ROVs break into three broad categories based upon their vehicle weight:
1. OCROV—from the smallest vehicles to submersible weights up to 200 lb (91 kg)
2. MSROV—submersible weights from 200 lb (91 kg) to 2000 lb (907 kg)
3. WCROV—submersible weights in excess of 2000 lb (907 kg)
With the dynamic expansion of this technology, further delineation is required to fully define
each category.
OCROV categories
Within the OCROV category fall three subcategories based upon vehicle weight:
a. Micro (or small) OCROVs—those vehicles with a basic weight of less than 10 lb (4.5 kg) (e.g., VideoRay, GNOM, and AC-ROV)
b. Mini (or medium) OCROVs—vehicles with submersible weight between 10 lb (4.5 kg) and 70 lb (32 kg), i.e., the limit of single-person hand deployment (e.g., SeaBotix LBV, Outland 1000, JW Fisher SeaLion/SeaOtter, and Seamor)
c. Large OCROV—vehicles with weights between 70 lb (32 kg) and 200 lb (90 kg) (e.g., Benthos StingRay, SeaEye Falcon, Sub-Atlantic Mohave, and Seatronics Predator).
MSROV categories
Within the MSROV category fall three subcategories based upon vehicle performance and depth
capability:
a. Shallow MSROV: These vehicles are typically low-power vehicles with copper (or fiber) telemetry and ,3300 ft (1000 m) depth capability (e.g., Benthos SeaRover, Sub-Atlantic Mohawk, DOE S5N, and SeaEye Falcon DR).
b. Deepwater MSROV: These vehicles are typically deepwater versions of the shallow vehicles and may run single or dual light manipulator systems along with high-voltage power, light-duty electric and hydraulic manipulator systems (Hydro-Lek or similar), and fiber-optic telemetry (e.g., SeaEye Tiger or Cougar, Sub-Atlantic Super Mohawk or Mohican, and Argus Rover).
c. Heavy MSROV: These are often named “light work class” and typically have electric thrusters, dual medium-duty hydraulic manipulator systems (Schilling Orion or similar), and a hydraulic power unit for operation of medium-duty hydraulic tooling (e.g., Sub-Atlantic Comanche and Seaeye Jaguar).
3.4 Vehicle classifications 69