Offshore Wind Robotics and Autonomous Systems

The Robotics in Offshore Wind course is a comprehensive program that delves into the integration of robotics technologies in the offshore wind industry. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the applications, benefits, and challenges associated with the use of robots in offshore wind farms. This course is designed to equip professionals, engineers, project managers, and researchers with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in this rapidly evolving field.

Who Should Attend:

This course is suitable for a wide range of professionals, including:

- Wind Energy Engineers and Technicians

- Offshore Wind Project Managers

- Renewable Energy Researchers

- Environmental and Regulatory Specialists

- Government Officials and Policymakers

- Robotics and Automation Enthusiasts

- Students and Educators in Renewable Energy and Robotics

The Offshore Robotics in Offshore Wind course provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of offshore robots in the offshore wind industry, making it essential for those seeking to excel in this field.

Course Outline:

Section 1: Key Technical Challenges for Offshore and Underwater Robotics

-       Offshore positioning and underwater positioning

-       Communications from subsea to surface and offshore to onshore

-       Offshore and underwater sensors including vision, acoustics, and others

-       Power solutions for underwater and offshore robotics

-       Discussion of autonomy levels and state of the art for autonomous offshore robotics systems

Section 2: Description of Offshore Robotics Systems

-       Exploration of surface robotics systems including USV/ASV, Aerial Drones, and Buoys

-       Exploration of underwater robotics systems including ROV, AUV, and ROV/AUV Hybrid Systems

-       Evaluation of underwater robotics selection including ROV Classification, Tethered vs. Untethered, and AUV form factors

Section 3: Site Assessment

-       Site survey and assessment (USVs, AUVs, ROVs, and seabed sampling)

-       MetOcean and Marine Mammal Observation (buoys and remote monitoring)

Section 4: Site Clearance

-       Work Class ROVs for site clearance and UXO

-       Specialty Underwater Robotics including boulder grabs and trenching

Section 5: Installation and Field Commissioning

-       Foundation Installation support using ROV

-       Additional hardware installation and ROV tooling

-       Cable installation support including ROV and trenching

Section 6: Operation and Maintenance of Offshore Windfarms

-       Inspection, repair, and maintenance of fixed windfarms using ROVs, AUVs, and USVs

-       Inspection, repair, and maintenance of windfarm cables using ROVs, AUVs, and USVs

-       Key challenges to underwater inspection including cleaning/marine growth removal and sensors

-       Inspection of topsides assets using Aerial Drones

-       The importance of data collection in offshore wind operations.

-       Analyzing and making decisions based on the data collected by offshore robotics.

Section 7: Decommissioning of Offshore Windfarms

-       ROVs and tooling required for removal of offshore structures

-       Clear bottom inspections using ROV or AUV

Section 8: Floating Offshore Windfarms

-       Robotics challenges specific to installation of floating wind farms (hull and mooring, dynamic cables)

-       Robotics challenges for operational of floating wind farms (UWILD inspection, dynamic cable inspection and repair)

Course Instructors:

Nick Rouge

Subsea Robotics Product Manager, Oceaneering  

In his role as Subsea Robotics Product Manager for Oceaneering, Nick is responsible for managing the work class ROV products for Oceaneering with a focus on the next generation of work class ROV service. Nick’s prior experience includes design engineering, installation engineering, systems engineering, project management, and customer service for multiple projects and customers in the Gulf of Mexico and in West Africa. Before joining Oceaneering, Nick previously served as a project engineer, an installation engineer and later a customer service manager at TechnipFMC.  Nick earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University. 

The course outline is subject to change and a detailed agenda will be shared after enrollment.