Subsea System Communications Question

[kat6787]

Good morning everyone,

I have been assigned to a companywide project that will eventually become an in-house training program. I’m still new to the industry and my background is not in subsea controls, so when I was assigned to the Subsea Controls module I was excited for the challenge and the opportunity to move more into that side of the industry. I’ve almost completed the section but am stuck on the last question, which refers to communications within the system.

So, finally to my question, can anybody provide me with the more common systems used in subsea control systems (i.e. Half-duplex FSK, etc.)? I’m really looking more for a list that I can use to narrow my research. I’ve made a start and I quickly realized there are a lot of configurations available, but they don’t all apply to subsea systems.

Also, any references you can recommend would be greatly appreciated. Finding books on subsea systems has been a bit of a challenge as well.

Many thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Kat

 

[JLSeagull]

Also consider posting your question in the Marine/Ocean engineering other topics forum.

 

[PNachtwey]

My answer applies to a tethered ROV.

I think the biggest problem is the distance. There are many protocols that would be suitable for controls but the problem is distance between the surface and the ROV below the water. I would first find out how that is done and get the physical layer worked out first. I would look at fiber optics.

I would prefer Ethernet as the protocol because it is fast and can handle video AND controls. Specifically I would use Ethernet/IP or one of the synchronous protocols for the control and streaming video H.264 for the cameras or whatever NetCams use such as these:

http://www.axis.com/products/cam_2100/reviews.htm

Obviously the protocol may vary depending on the vender but there are standard video protocols.

Then I would look at existing systems to see how they compare.