The National Robotarium, in partnership with Fugro, is spearheading the development of electric remotely operated vehicles (eROVs) to carry out maintenance and repair tasks on offshore wind turbines. Through their joint effort in the £1.4m Underwater Intervention for Offshore Renewable Energies (UNITE) project, the companies aim to enhance safety in the offshore wind industry by minimizing the need for hazardous maintenance missions conducted by crewed support vessels.
The deployment of these remotely operated robotic systems will not only address various challenges in the sector but also contribute to reducing carbon emissions, enhancing offshore turbine productivity by minimizing downtime, and streamlining maintenance and repair operations for improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
With over 11,000 offshore wind assets in the UK and plans for thousands more by 2050, the demand for regular maintenance check-ups is on the rise. As wind turbines age, their maintenance requirements increase, necessitating more frequent inspections to ensure optimal functionality.
Conventionally, maintenance methods involve crewed vessels traversing open ocean areas, where trained divers and ship-based teams manually inspect and utilize tele-operated robots for individual wind turbine repairs.
In addition to supporting uncrewed and remotely operated vessels, the research project will focus on developing autonomous and semi-autonomous ROVs capable of performing subsea inspections, maintenance, and repair tasks. These tasks can be monitored onshore while the robots are deployed and operated from anywhere in the world.
One key area of research will concentrate on the development of technologies enabling robots to create accurate maps of the subsea terrain, thereby facilitating better navigation around obstacles and targets.
Moreover, the project aims to explore how robots can autonomously interact with underwater structures, including object manipulation and movement, while withstanding external forces such as changing currents or rough seas.
The UNITE project will be undertaken by researchers from Heriot-Watt University and Imperial College London, collaborating within the National Robotarium, the leading AI and Robotics center in the UK. Fugro will provide vital expertise in the field. The Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, will fund the project.
Yvan Petillot, the academic co-lead at the National Robotarium and principal investigator of the UNITE project, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are committed to meeting our net zero promises by 2050 and 2045 in Scotland. Therefore, we cannot allow the challenges faced by the offshore renewables sector to hinder the construction and operation of crucial green energy assets like wind turbines. Remote inspection and repair using robotic systems deployed in the field and controlled from shore are well within our reach.”
Petillot further added, “Our long-term goal is to enable crewless boats to autonomously carry out these operations, eliminating the need for direct human control based on a predetermined maintenance cycle. This is vital if we want to witness the widespread adoption of robotics in the rapidly expanding offshore wind sector.”
