The Sub-Bottom Imager™

Technology and Recent Operational

Experience

Gary J. Dinn, P.Eng.,

Vice President, Technology Development

July 4, 2012
 The Sub-Bottom ImagerTM (SBI)
ROV Deployment
• Decommissioning surveys
• Buried pipeline/cable surveys
• Pre-engineering surveys
• Unexploded ordnances
/geohazard detection
• Marine archeology
• Boulder detection
AUV Deployment
Vessel Deployment
• Multi platform deployment • Swath 5m wide x 5m depth
• Operates in shallow water to below sea floor,
3m • 3D resolution of 10cm
• Max depth rating 1000m
• Integration with standard
• Simple power/data interface survey software
• Real-time data images
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 Sub-Bottom ImagerTM - Value Proposition

• Survey planned pipeline/cable routes

to identify obstacles
• Map buried pipelines and cables to
confirm cover, monitor movement and
comply with regulations
• Find and map objects in the seabed
for removal re decommissioning
• Locate boulders in complex seabeds
prior to dredging operations for
Excavated Drilling Centers in Arctic
and ice infested waters
• Qualify buried magnetometer targets Step change in mobile seabed survey
for size and shape prior to excavation efficiency and accuracy
and removal
Provides results not achievable with any
other market offering

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 Competitive Comparison

3D Seabed Imaging
Industry Pull to Accurately Survey Buried Infrastructure (SBI)

Innovatum / TSS (Pipe Tracking) Pipe and Cable Imaging

Technology
TSS 440 output (2D information only) Seabed Imaging
Gap
TSS440 Marine Archaeology

Sub-Bottom Imager™ output

Seabed Image

• Unreliable performance
• Limited to 1.5m depth HVDC Cable Buried Cannons
• Requires de-energized cable
• Magnetic signature only • 3D image – full swath • High-resolution imaging
• Up to 5m sub-seabed • Reliable performance
• Measures energized • Images by acoustic
cables contrast - all materials
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 SBI Commercial Track Record

Recent Projects:
• NorNed Cable Survey for Tennet (with
DOF)
- Southern 220km of HVDC cable Test Survey
2010 (Statnet)
- Both single and dual core cable
• Baltic 1 Export Cable for 50Hz (with 13 cm 5 Inch

Boskalis Hirdes)
- Shallow section (3m to 11m DBS)
- Deep section (11m to 45m) 23 cm 9 inch

• Conoco Philips Decommissioning (Subsea7)

- Mosaic survey of Ekofisk field
- Targets located to a burial of 4.5m Commercial Survey
• Odyssey Explorer Archaeological Survey 2011 (TenneT)

- HMS Victory site

- Mosaic survey of debris field

Regulations require re-survey of

many cables annually…..
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 Development to Commercial Timeline

Commercial Work
2012 • Shallow Water
Commercial Work 2011 • HVDC Cable Survey
Commercial Work
2011 • Archaeological Mosaic Survey
Commercial Work
2011 • Decommissioning Area Survey
2010 • Demonstration on HVDC Cables
2009 • Prototype Demonstration on Pipelines
2008 • Proof of Concept verification
2008 • Vehicle Noise Studies
2008 • Physics and concept definition
 Sub-Bottom Imager: Operating Statistics

SBI operational survey record:

• Linear kilometers surveyed: more than 400
• Mosaic 100% area coverage: 1 square kilometer
• Data volume collected: more than 4 Terabytes
• Operational up time: greater than 99.5%
• Deepest target: 4.5 m DBS (excavated, 15cm bundle)
• ROV fitments: Shilling, Zeus, Triton, Millenium
• One pass survey with Multi-Beam integration
 Comparative Technologies for Pipe/Cable Inspection

Conventional sidescan Sub-bottom profiler Magnetometer 3D Sub-Bottom Imager

sonar & multi-beam Edgetech, Innovatum, TSS PanGeo Subsea
Tritech, Kongsberg, Kongsberg, Ixsea,
Reson etc. Innomar etc.
Positional information but Sub-seabed but Field measurement Full 3D image of sub-
surface features only – single 2D line, limited infers position but seabed, able to “see”
no buried pipe imaging. resolution, no requires target details. buried targets. Accurate
Can only track exposed positional May require cables to depth of burial for
pipe. information, cannot be de-energized. Weak energized cables. Non-
remain over pipe. against natural targets. metallic target imaging.

ROV ROV ROV ROV

 Sub-Bottom Imager Sonar Design Considerations

Top-level sonar design parameters:

• Pipelines/cables, 10-100 cm O.D.
• 5 m swath to a depth of 5 m
• Depth of cover: 5 cm accuracy
• Operable from standard WROV
• 0.5 – 2 knot survey speed

SBI implements a fusion of

sonar methods:
• LFM chirp transmit, near field
beam forming
• INS stabilized Synthetic Aperture
Sonar (SAS) processing
 Sub-Bottom Imager™ - Focusing method

• Linear Frequency Modulated chirp transmission,

• Near field beam forming with 40 channel array
• SAS processing in the along-track direction

Direction of Advance

focus-on-reception
SAS
broad swath illumination
Conventional beam former
 Sub-Bottom Imager® Beamforming And Steering

• Array design achieves beam-forming in software

• Resulting “virtual” array 3.5 m X 4 m
• Focusing ability yields 10 cm spatial resolution
 Sub-Bottom Imager Equipment

Parametric Source
INS

Hydrophone Array

Chirp Transmitters

2.3 m

3.5 m

SBI Fully Assembled with ROV Skid

SBI Raw Data Set Showing Ensonified Area
 Online Viewer: ROV Pilot’s Display

Data Interpretation done in real time

Cable position exported for integration with MBE data 15

 SBI Commercial Mobilization

Fall 2011 Cable Survey: MB and SBI mounted

for simultaneous one pass operation
 Experience 2011 NorNed

Data integration

MBE Seabed
model
 Experience 2011 NorNed

Data integration

MBE Seabed
model
+
Manually
picked Cable
position
 Experience 2011 NorNed

Data integration

MBE Seabed
model
+
Manually
picked Cable
position
+
Pipe burial
calculated
 Experience 2011 NorNed

Data integration

MBE Seabed
model
+
Manually picked
Cable position
+
Pipe burial
calculated
+
Add rendered
SBI
 Experience 2011 NorNed

Data integration

MBE Seabed
model
+
Manually picked
Cable position
+
Pipe burial
calculated
+
Add rendered
SBI
+
Count and
above seabed
filtering
 Experience 2011 NorNed

Data integration

MBE Seabed
model
+
Manually picked
Cable position
+
Pipe burial
calculated
+
Add rendered
SBI
+
Count and
above seabed
filtering
+
Horizontal slize

=> QC of
manually picked
data.
 Cable burial depth variation over geo anomaly

1.5 m 2m

100 m

Along Track Section of Buried HVDC Cable

• 450 kV HVDC Cable

• Outer : 4mm polypropylene
• Reinforcement: 2 layers, galvanized
steel wire armor
• Conductor: Twin-core copper wires
• Dimension : 217mm x 136mm
• Weight in air: 824N/m
Geo structure below cable in this area

Cable as it
traverses
shallow burial
arc

Structure in
lower layers
DBS ~1 m
SBI Cable Survey Data showing Boulder

Discrete object
near cable

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SBI Cable Survey Data showing Boulders

Many discrete
objects on cable
route (cable not
visible at this depth)

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SBI Cable Survey Data showing Hard Layers

Hard layers with

buried cable
traversing over
top

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SBI Cable Survey Data showing Small Object

Discrete object
near cable

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SBI Data Integrated with Navimodel

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Ship Wreck: Expanded Buried Debris Field

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 Sub-Bottom Image: Future Plans

Future Plans Include:

•Software enhancements for auto feature detection
• Other platforms for deployment:
- AUV concept development: Memorial University
- Crawler vehicles, drag heads
- Remotely operated surface vehicles

Artist conception:
ISE Explorer AUV
with Sub-Bottom
Imager hydrophone
array in wing mount
Investment, Support & Acknowledgement

, DEMO 2000
Institute for Ocean Technology