ROV Launch and Recovery System Using Tether Climbing Component
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current launch and recovery systems for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are limited by the need for armored umbilicals and load lines, which restrict excursion distance, increase operational costs, and require complex and costly hydraulic power units, while also being cumbersome and prone to maintenance issues.
Innovation Solution
A pass-through tether management system with a tether climbing component that eliminates the need for load lines and armored umbilicals, allowing for virtually unlimited ROV excursion distance, reduced system weight, and simplified operations by using a continuous umbilical for power and communication, and eliminating hydraulic power units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If armored umbilicals and load lines are used to support the tether management system, then the system can support heavy loads and provide stable power/communication, but the system weight increases, deck space requirements increase, and maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the load line from the system, using only the tether itself to support both the TMS and ROV. The tether is designed to bear the full load without requiring a separate load line, thereby reducing system weight and complexity while maintaining load support capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support as a load-bearing element, transmits power and communication signals as an umbilical, and enables ROV deployment and recovery. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate load lines and armored umbilicals, reducing overall system weight.
2Reliability
If armored umbilicals are used for power and communication, then reliable signal transmission is achieved, but the tether management system becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The tether is designed as a multi-functional element that simultaneously provides mechanical support, electrical power transmission, and communication capabilities. By integrating these functions into a single component rather than using separate armored umbilicals, the system complexity is reduced while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of load lines, power umbilicals, and communication cables into a single integrated tether system. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple separate components and their associated connections, thereby reducing system complexity and cost while maintaining functional reliability.
3Measurement precision
If hydraulic power units are used for active heave compensation, then precise ROV positioning is achieved, but the system becomes more complex, costly, and requires more maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex hydraulic power units with a simplified mechanical system consisting of a winch and tether. The winch provides active heave compensation by paying out or retrieving tether to counteract vessel motion, achieving precise ROV positioning without requiring hydraulic systems, thereby reducing complexity and maintenance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates hydraulic power units from the system, replacing them with a simpler winch-based mechanical system. This removal of complex hydraulic infrastructure reduces system complexity, cost, and maintenance needs while maintaining the capability for active heave compensation and precise positioning.
4Reliability
If a traditional tether management system with garage-like housing is used, then the ROV is protected during lowering, but the system requires more deck space and is more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid garage-like housing with a flexible TMS that can be compactly stored on the vessel deck. The flexible structure provides necessary protection during deployment while requiring minimal deck space when not in use, thereby resolving the contradiction between ROV protection and deck space requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present embodiments relate to launch and recovery systems for a remotely operated vehicle. The embodiments eliminate or minimize the need for load lines, and provide virtually unlimited excursion distances for remotely operated vehicles, limited only by the amount of tether available at the launch point. Further, the embodiments allow for extended deployments of ROVs by allowing recharging of a tether climbing component while submerged. The system can include a launch and recovery assembly, a tether climbing component, and a remotely operated vehicle attached to a remotely operated vehicle tether. The launch and recovery assembly deploys the remotely operated vehicle and the tether climbing component overboard, and the remotely operated vehicle is configured for tethered operation while maintaining the tether climbing component at a desired depth.