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Smart-Wire®
Underwater Metrology System
by
Norwegian Geotechnical Institute |
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Smart-Wire®
Metrology is a unique digital taut wire metrology system suitable
for either diver or ROV operation. The Smart-Wire® system replaces
diver’s tape measurements and is used as an alternative to
acoustic metrology. This digital technology avoids all of
the risks and disadvantages of conventional taut wire systems and
the system is not affected by the water and noise conditions
causing problems during acoustic measurements. Smart-Wire®
was first designed in 2000 in collaboration between the Norwegian
Geotechnical Institute and Deep Water Solutions. Statoil hold a
patent for the system. |
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Figure 1. Smart-Wire®
System Components |
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Smart-Wire®, which is already in its
second generation of design and optimization, is field proven to
offer versatility, efficiency and high levels of measurement
accuracy. The system is designed for deep water operations and ROV
handling. The weight of the measuring unit is only 25 kg. |
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Figure 2. Smart-Wire® Measuring Unit |
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Smart-Wire®
technology has taken taut wire metrology into the digital age. The
key innovation of Smart-Wire® is the digital encoding of wire
length and angular measurement. Elevation measurements are
obtained by using high precision
Digiquartz®
Depth Sensors. Digital
encoding enables readings to be taken in real-time, recorded
directly at the seabed and transmitted immediately to the support
vessel via diver or ROV umbilical. (system picture). By means of an
extensive software package, inclination, wire and depth
measurements are used to directly calculate all parameters
required to design and fabricate construction pieces for assembly
such as spools for hub connections. |
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Figure 3. Smart-Wire®
Application |
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High quality
metrology data is obtained with accuracies within 1-3 centimeters
(depends on distance between the measuring points). Maximum range
is presently 100 m and the equipment is rated for 3000 m depth.
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Figure 4.
Digiquartz Depth Sensor is used to Measure Vertical Depth |
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The system is designed and supplied by the Norwegian Geotechnical
Institute in Norway and operated by Century Subsea Ltd (UK) |
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Author: This
article was submitted by the
Norwegian
Geotechnical Institute |
