Echoscope Used For Sled Installation
Fugro Chance, USA, recently provided surveying services in the Gulf of Mexico for the installation and tie-in of a wye sled subsea structure. The scope of the services included surface navigation, ultra-short baseline (USBL) and long baseline (LBL) positioning, dimensional control survey, acoustic spool piece metrology and real-time 3D visualisation navigation for subsea installations.
The project was separated into three phases: In Phase I, pipeline dredging and concrete coating removal was completed. These activities (along with the shallow depth) disturbed the sediments from the ocean floor to the point of causing near zero visibility for the pile and sled installation of the second phase. Due to the low-visibility environment and the need to precisely set the wye sled, real-time 3D visualisation techniques (Coda Echoscope Dual Frequency 3D Sonar) were employed for the assistance of sled installation on the sea-floor.
Coda Echoscope Dual Frequency 3D Sonar is a sonar device using phased array technology. The Echoscope generates over 16,000 beams simultaneously, producing instantaneous three-dimensional sonar images of both moving and stationary objects and enabling extremely rapid reconnaissance and inspection.
The utilisation of the Echoscope enhanced the safety and efficiency of the project. Fugro Chance’s Echoscope services were able to give the operator an immediate 3D view of the subsea scene in order to mitigate the risk of installation inaccuracy.
