MARINE Channel

This movie illustrates a novel new underwater measurement system that combines a new acoustic 3D scanning tool underwater combined with 3D scanning laser above water. Quick to deploy and accurate enough to calculate the required angular and range measurements, the BlueView 3D Scanning Multibeam Sonar creates more than just a table of discrete measurement values. Rather, it produces a rich 3D point cloud with millions of data point measurement. This data can be rendered to provide a clear 3D picture of preinstalled assets and their surrounding topography from which accurate range and angular measurements can be quickly and easily be made. The resulting 3D model can also be used as a full as-built/as-found record beneficial for aiding future intervention based work.

Read more about BlueView Metrology 

A non-intrusive tool, the principle of operation is similar to that of 3D topographic laser scanning, a technology used by the terrestrial survey industry for many years. Now for the first time an acoustic-based counterpart has been developed to carry out similar work underwater. In fact, the data produced by this acoustic system is so similar to optical laser data that it is very successfully processed with optical laser processing software. This enables full access to a wide range of pre-existing software tools as well as unique applications combining laser and acoustic data.

Following a series of dry-dock trials by global subsea electronics supplier, Seatronics to help prove the concept and benchmark accuracies, adoptive support from Technip and input from survey company Star Net Geomaticshave led to this device being quickly moved from the lab to open water operations with several successfully projects now completed with major O&G companies including Total E&P UK Ltd, Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd and Fairfield Energy.