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3.0 VEHICLE APPLICATIONS 



The categories of tasks performed by all types of ROVs are presented in 

 Table 3.1, and the foregoing sections briefly described the applications 

 of bottom-crawling, towed and untethered vehicles. The following discussion 

 relates to present applications of tethered, free-swimming vehicles. 



The dominant user of tethered, free-swimming ROVs is the offshore oil and 

 natural gas industry. Second is the military and third is the scientific/ 

 research community. The functional performance of ROVs in the industrial 

 sector are arbitrarily placed in one of the following categories: 



Inspection 



Monitoring 



Survey 



Diver Assistance 



Search/Identification 



Installation/Retrieval 



Cleaning 



These categories are not mutually exclusive, since overlapping to some degree 

 occurs. 



Inspection, as opposed to monitoring, consists of determining and documenting 



the location and/or condition of undersea structures. 



Monitoring includes observation and/or measurement of tasks which are underway 



at the time of ROV deployment. 



Survey involves measurement (i.e., mapping) and sampling of natural and 



man-made bottom features. 



Diver Assistance includes tasks in support of diver activities. 



Search/Identification entails locating and identifying objects intentionally 



and unintentionally placed on the ocean floor. 



Installation/Retrieval includes assistance in installation of fixed structures 



and pipelines/cables and assistance in retrieval of hardware. 



3.1 INDUSTRIAL TASKS 



3.1.1 Inspection 



The majority of work conducted at present falls into the inspection/monitoring 

 categories. Operators estimate that ninety percent or more of the work they 

 are called upon to perform are these tasks. The primary work instrument 

 for inspection is the television camera, although more recent tasks include 

 application of conventional non-destructive testing (NOT) equipment. The 

 following list identifies the major inspection tasks: 



Ascertain geometrical configuration and position of pipelines and/or 



cables following installation. 



Determine and document the condition of pipeline concrete coating after 



installation 



Accurate determination of pipeline tie-in positions 



Leak detection 



Wellhead structural integrity checks 



Assure clearance of lowering/guiding lines 



External examination of concrete platforms 



