ONE of the greatest challenges that traditionally faces the subsea contractor is unequivocally convincing the client that he has the solution to the challenge.
It may be a new project – installing and commissioning subsea hardware – or it may be a repair to existing production infrastructure that must be done expeditiously. Either way, the work has to be executed in an accurate and timely manner.
Simulating a task is commonplace and the degree of sophistication of that modelling process has increased over the years. It is an aspect in which Fugro has a deep interest – witness the development of the Eng-Sim solution.
Three years of work have gone into Eng-Sim which, in a nutshell, provides Fugro with the ability to take a construction or repair concept to a client and provide him with an ability to quickly understand that concept by demonstrating it onscreen in a manner that takes into account actual onsite conditions – perhaps in several thousand metres of water.
The Fugro Eng-Sim is an engineering tool that accurately simulates the hostile underwater environment and brings that to bear from the conceptual design stage through to procedural development.
Depending on data feeds used, it will take into account the full range of conditions that might prevail in a particular location and for a specific task – tidal and current velocities and direction, sea-floor characteristics, geophysical and geotechnical conditions, relevant engineering design drawings, and so forth. Even bolt torques can be replicated.
Fugro Eng-Sim is designed to use real-world data on top of FEAs (Finite Element Analysis), CFDs (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and RAOs (Response Amplitude Operator) to produce 3D models with real-world physical characteristics. It combines this with electrical and hydraulic circuit simulation for an unparalleled level of realism.
In essence, every step of the task can be tested against such parameters as it is being progressed. It means that, by the time the proposed solution developed reaches the client, it possess a powerful reality – mirroring the real world.
That way, it becomes possible to maximise the time available to carry out front-end engineering design.
Fugro Eng-Sim is compatible with every mainstream CAD package, survey suite and tracking system used by the subsea industry to precisely represent the job site and every onsite asset with a navigable 3D representation.
It then allows the addition of ROVs, ships and any other functional equipment required for an operation to simulate this job-specific scenario in real time.
In the early stages of a new or brownfield development, the Fugro Eng-Sim allows engineers to rapidly assess new ideas without ever cutting metal. Later in development, it is used for clash checks and accessibility studies, essentially a virtual SIT in a situation representative of actual environmental conditions.
Nearer completion, it can be used to help develop and refine procedures; further, the navigable 3D replay can be integrated into the procedural documents for distribution.
This comprehensive digital deliverable is unmatched in familiarising crew with the work site and equipment, as well as historic and impending works.
In addition, the Fugro Eng-Sim can be used onsite with the use of GPS, DVL, Inertial Nav, USBL and ROV telemetry strings. This data is used to display, in real time, an accurate representation of the scene subsea, to be used as a piloting aid or streamed, along with video, over the internet to onshore experts.
The Fugro Eng-Sim aids in every aspect of the engineering process; it clarifies every facet of a job; it mitigates risk at a fraction of the cost, and is invaluable in the training of ROV pilots.