Oceangate

[johnb2713]

From some of the later reports it sounds like they have recovered some large chunks of the sub with presumed human remains.
It certainly looks like they are going to recover as much as the can and investigate the failings of this experimental submersible

From the photographs so far, there doesnt look to be many big bits other than the bulkheads and the frame. No chunky carbon fibre pressure vessel bits.

 

[Geoff1946]

Even if the carbon fibre remains are in large pieces they could still be hard to detect on the ocean floor. I guess that metal detection plays a part in what is found.

 

[UNG]

From the photographs so far, there doesnt look to be many big bits other than the bulkheads and the frame. No chunky carbon fibre pressure vessel bits.

A news report showed a video and that showed what looked like large chunks of carbon fibre that certainly could be part of the tube of the sub

 

[johnb2713]

Even if the carbon fibre remains are in large pieces they could still be hard to detect on the ocean floor. I guess that metal detection plays a part in what is found.

A few options, most likely sonar, probable blueview 3D sonar if it can work at those depths. like this:

 

[apprentice87]

LOL, believe me, $1,000,000 ROV, a multi million dollar blow out preventer and you're in the hot seat placing gaskets on wellheads the pressure is unbelievable, especially when you find out everybody is watching the operation - on the vessel, on the beach at HQ etc etc, it was horrific. When it went well it was brilliant, a real feeling of elation. I'm glad I had the experience at the end of working life, looking back it was amazing and I'm privileged to have been part of it.

I think that anyone would have thought it a privilege to have done that!!! I can well believe the pressure would have been terrible.. Amazing thing to have been involved with though!!

Is there any current down there?? Does this make things difficult??

Wnen you are trying to place and postion things, is the ROV sitting on the seabed or are you flying the thing at the same time??

Do they have simulators so you can practice things first??

john..

 

[johnb2713]

I think that anyone would have thought it a privilege to have done that!!! I can well believe the pressure would have been terrible.. Amazing thing to have been involved with though!!

Thank you.

Is there any current down there??

Oh yes, sometimes it's pretty wild.

Does this make things difficult??

At times yes

Wnen you are trying to place and postion things, is the ROV sitting on the seabed or are you flying the thing at the same time??

Yes you fly at the same time as doing work with the arms, the pilot flys the ROV and operates a 5 function arm, another operator can operate the Schilling arm (a real precision, very powerful arm), operated from a master arm (you hold the hand of the master arm and the sub sea slave arm mimics what you do.

Heres an example installing a ring gasket onto a wellhead, this was all done by me, second crew not needed for this bit.
View attachment Install VX Ring - Pilot John Bridgett.mp4

Depth perception is the most difficult aspect of operations like this.

Do they have simulators so you can practice things first??

There are some but rarely used, you learn on the job as it were. My baptism of fire was surveying the Nordstream 2 pipeline all the way from Vyborg, Russia to the exit point in Lubmin, Germany. It took 14 months in total and involved flying the ROV .5 metre above the pipe with 4 cameras on arms around the pipe viewing 4 quadrants. It was incredibly difficult to keep in position and to keep speed down, all of the flying was manual, it's almost like hovering a helicopter above a point for hours and hours. Being new to the job I was allowed to fly as much as I wanted, the experienced crew were bored to tears, I typically spent 8 hrs per day on the sticks honing my skills which paid dividends later when precision flying was needed on other jobs.

 

[apprentice87]

Thank you.


Oh yes, sometimes it's pretty wild.


At times yes


Yes you fly at the same time as doing work with the arms, the pilot flys the ROV and operates a 5 function arm, another operator can operate the Schilling arm (a real precision, very powerful arm), operated from a master arm (you hold the hand of the master arm and the sub sea slave arm mimics what you do.

Heres an example installing a ring gasket onto a wellhead, this was all done by me, second crew not needed for this bit.
View attachment 15698

Depth perception is the most difficult aspect of operations like this.


There are some but rarely used, you learn on the job as it were. My baptism of fire was surveying the Nordstream 2 pipeline all the way from Vyborg, Russia to the exit point in Lubmin, Germany. It took 14 months in total and involved flying the ROV .5 metre above the pipe with 4 cameras on arms around the pipe viewing 4 quadrants. It was incredibly difficult to keep in position and to keep speed down, all of the flying was manual, it's almost like hovering a helicopter above a point for hours and hours. Being new to the job I was allowed to fly as much as I wanted, the experienced crew were bored to tears, I typically spent 8 hrs per day on the sticks honing my skills which paid dividends later when precision flying was needed on other jobs.

Wow! that is amazing!! I would imagine depth perception is difficult as you do not have binocular vision.

What is that just down from the top of the pipe?? Looks like a huge buttress thread??

God knows how you fly the thing and operate the arm. Must be like operating an excavator, only you have to hover the thing at the same time??

What are the white dangly things??

john..

 

[johnb2713]

Wow! that is amazing!! I would imagine depth perception is difficult as you do not have binocular vision.

We had one setup with 3D HD Camera and goggles, it worked really well for arm work but some pilots suffered vertigo and when fish swam towards us you were ducking out of the way.

What is that just down from the top of the pipe?? Looks like a huge buttress thread??

On top of the wellhead is a blow out preventer. Theres a danger that a well can kick with high pressure and you need to be able to close the port rapidly. Deepwater Horizon and Piper Alpha were both BOP fails. These $40,000,000 devices sit on the wellhead, have huge shear rams that cut the drill string (a huge drive shaft turning the drill bit several miles down, pumping mud through it and recovering cuttings). Once theyve cut the drill string it selas the well.

This is what a blowout preventer looks like, around 200 tonnes and it has to be docked onto the wellhead. The thread type part at the top of the wellhead is what the BOP clamps on to.

What are the white dangly things??

The white dangly things are weighted bottles around the periphery of the BOP socket. The BOP is lowered from the surface and has to be in perfect alignment when lowered onto the wellhead. The problem is the BOP is lowered from the floating platform above, its hanging from a 200 metre long drill string, it is affected by the heave of the platform and from subsea currents so it can swing around. As you can see the tolerances are pretty tight and we have to visually look around at 90 deg quadrants, move the rig above to get the BOP in the right place. Only when we say NOW on the comms do they drop the BOP. If we get it wrong it can write off the wellhead and cause extensive damage to the BOP. The weighted bottle we use to align the BOP 2 metres or so above the wellhead, it gives a visual indication how near we are. This is the highest pressure part of the job, everybody watching, easy to destroy the well that has taken 4 months to drill and the rig alone cost $1,000,000 per day. The drillers want the BOP installed so they can crack on everybody is pushing really hard to get it landed out and youre the one on the sticks of the ROV holding the job up.

View attachment BOP Landing Out.mp4

God knows how you fly the thing and operate the arm. Must be like operating an excavator, only you have to hover the thing at the same time??

It gets to the point where you dont have to think about it, like driving a car or van, you need to think about finding the biting point of the clutch or changing gear, you just do it, ROV piloting is the same.

Give it a go if you fancy it, electrical background is favoured for pilots (you have to maintain and repair the ROV). Rates of pay are good.

 

[Sharpend]

Would love to give it a go, but where is the nearest flying school for ROV’s!
Just how do you get into something like this?

 

[johnb2713]

Would love to give it a go, but where is the nearest flying school for ROV’s!
Just how do you get into something like this?

I did my training at The Underwater Centre at Fort William, they are no longer though. Most ROV companys will train you, they dont expect to be able to recruit ROV pilots. Fugro, Technip, Oceaneering, Subsea7 are some the big players, it's worth sending your CV and keep pestering them every month to show youre keen. During training expect around £60k, once you can do the job and youre a Pilot Tech rather than a trainee expect around £400 per day rising to £750 when you move up the ranks - senior tech - Supervisor. I hit Supervisor in just over 3 years. Work pattern in North Sea is 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off, 12 hour shifts 7 days per week. Other areas 6 weeks on, 6 weeks off, same work pattern. You can end up offshore at Christmas and New Year, premiums arent paid for such trips, just straight day rate. Food and conditions onboard ships or rigs is pretty good, cinema, gym, games room etc.

 

[apprentice87]

We had one setup with 3D HD Camera and goggles, it worked really well for arm work but some pilots suffered vertigo and when fish swam towards us you were ducking out of the way.


On top of the wellhead is a blow out preventer. Theres a danger that a well can kick with high pressure and you need to be able to close the port rapidly. Deepwater Horizon and Piper Alpha were both BOP fails. These $40,000,000 devices sit on the wellhead, have huge shear rams that cut the drill string (a huge drive shaft turning the drill bit several miles down, pumping mud through it and recovering cuttings). Once theyve cut the drill string it selas the well.
View attachment 15703
This is what a blowout preventer looks like, around 200 tonnes and it has to be docked onto the wellhead. The thread type part at the top of the wellhead is what the BOP clamps on to.

The white dangly things are weighted bottles around the periphery of the BOP socket. The BOP is lowered from the surface and has to be in perfect alignment when lowered onto the wellhead. The problem is the BOP is lowered from the floating platform above, its hanging from a 200 metre long drill string, it is affected by the heave of the platform and from subsea currents so it can swing around. As you can see the tolerances are pretty tight and we have to visually look around at 90 deg quadrants, move the rig above to get the BOP in the right place. Only when we say NOW on the comms do they drop the BOP. If we get it wrong it can write off the wellhead and cause extensive damage to the BOP. The weighted bottle we use to align the BOP 2 metres or so above the wellhead, it gives a visual indication how near we are. This is the highest pressure part of the job, everybody watching, easy to destroy the well that has taken 4 months to drill and the rig alone cost $1,000,000 per day. The drillers want the BOP installed so they can crack on everybody is pushing really hard to get it landed out and youre the one on the sticks of the ROV holding the job up.

View attachment 15704


It gets to the point where you dont have to think about it, like driving a car or van, you need to think about finding the biting point of the clutch or changing gear, you just do it, ROV piloting is the same.

Give it a go if you fancy it, electrical background is favoured for pilots (you have to maintain and repair the ROV). Rates of pay are good.

If the blowout preventer is needed to operate. Is the well then useless, or does the pressure subside, take off the BOP and pull the drill out and start again, or are things not that simple??

john..

 

[johnb2713]

Its amazin technology involved in drilling. Youre typically drilling a 20" hole through rock, as you approach the oil reserve the pressure in hole increases. Fed into the hole via the drill bit is drilling mud which flows down and returns up to the surface bring all of the cuttings with it. The other purpose of the mud is to hold back pressure, obviously the deeper you go the greater the pressure presented by the mud. They can change the weight of the mud to deal with higher pressures and it is a complex balancing act, too high a pressure cracks the rocks, to low gas escapes and the well can blow. If the BOP is operated, it's bad news, they have to use another port to pump concrete or very heavy mud to seal the well, remove the BOP, attempt recovery of drill string or abandon the well.
The amazing thing is the drill bits are steerable, they can hit the top of an oil barrel 6 miles down, the technology is staggering.