AUV-150
Encyclopedia
AUV -150 is an unmanned underwater vehicle
(UUV) being developed by Central Mechanical Research Institute (CMERI) scientists in Durgapur in the Indian
state of West Bengal
. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and has technical assistance from IIT-Kharagpur
.
The vehicle was built with the intent of coastal security like mine
counter-measures, coastal monitoring and reconnaissance
.
AUV 150 can be used to study aquatic life, for mapping of sea-floor and mineral
s along with monitoring of environmental parameters, such as current, temperature
, depth and salinity
. It can also be useful in cable and pipeline surveys.
It is built to operate 150 metres under the sea and have cruising speed of up to four knots.
It is embedded with advanced power, propulsion, navigation, and control systems.
The UUV includes a pressurized cabin which is necessary for the diving and flotation system to work properly; this also helps to increase its sealing power against water leakage into the cabin.
The AUV 150 weighs 490 kg, is 4.8 metres long and has a diameter of 50 cm.
, while preventing the vehicle from rolling.
Two arrays of cross-fins have also been fixed at the two ends to provide additional stability to the AUV.
The submarine is equipped with CTD or conductivity-temperature-depth recorder and several sensors that can measure orientation, current and speed.
It was brought in a truck from Durgapur in West Bengal under secrecy inside a container
up to Kulamavu reservoir at Idukki in Kerala and the vehicle was later taken to the middle of the reservoir on a boat.
The choice fell on Idukki Since Kulamavu has a centre associated with Indian Navy and the reservoir being very deep.
(The biggest arch dam of Asia, Idukki reservoir is located about 250 km from Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, and its lake covers an area of 60 km2.) The preliminary test was conducted for seven to eight days and the results was reported to be very satisfactory. The final leg of the still-water trials was conducted in the reservoir between September and October 2010. The vehicle is yet to undergo sea trials they are slated to begin off the Chennai coast during the last week of
January 2011.
Unmanned underwater vehicle
Unmanned underwater vehicles are any vehicles that are able to operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be divided into two categories, Remotely operated underwater vehicles , which are controlled by a remote human operator, and Autonomous underwater vehicles , which...
(UUV) being developed by Central Mechanical Research Institute (CMERI) scientists in Durgapur in the Indian
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and has technical assistance from IIT-Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
.
The vehicle was built with the intent of coastal security like mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
counter-measures, coastal monitoring and reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
.
AUV 150 can be used to study aquatic life, for mapping of sea-floor and mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s along with monitoring of environmental parameters, such as current, temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
, depth and salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
. It can also be useful in cable and pipeline surveys.
It is built to operate 150 metres under the sea and have cruising speed of up to four knots.
Structure
AUV-150 is cylindrical-shaped with streamlined faring to reduce hydrodynamic drag.It is embedded with advanced power, propulsion, navigation, and control systems.
The UUV includes a pressurized cabin which is necessary for the diving and flotation system to work properly; this also helps to increase its sealing power against water leakage into the cabin.
The AUV 150 weighs 490 kg, is 4.8 metres long and has a diameter of 50 cm.
Control system
The UUV is autonomous, that is automatic and self-controlled. It has an onboard computer that can be pre-programmed to dive to preset depths, move along preset trajectories, and return to the base after completing the assigned tasks. A remote control option is provided in order to perform special tasks.Propulsion
It is propelled by water-jet propulsion which comprises thrusters for generating motion in different directions to control surge, sway, heave, pitch, and yawYaw
The word yaw can refer to:* Yaw angle, one of the Tait-Bryan angles, describing the heading of a vehicle or machine, and some other related elements:**Yaw system, component responsible for the orientation of a wind turbine towards the wind....
, while preventing the vehicle from rolling.
Two arrays of cross-fins have also been fixed at the two ends to provide additional stability to the AUV.
Navigation
The autonomous vehicle is equipped with a number of navigational equipment to locates its own geographical position Such as inertial navigation system, depth sonar, altimeter, doppler velocity log, global positioning system through ultra-short baseline system and forward looking sonar to facilitate obstacle evasion and safe passage.Payload
It is equipped with an underwater video camera that can send wireless video pictures from underwater to a monitor above water surface along with side scan sonar.The submarine is equipped with CTD or conductivity-temperature-depth recorder and several sensors that can measure orientation, current and speed.
Communication
For smooth communication and distant intervention, the vehicle is equipped with hybrid communication system: it uses radio frequency while on surface and acoustic under water.Power
The vehicle uses a Lithium polymer battery and can operate up to depths of 150 metres at speeds of 2-4 knots.Test Trial
A full-scale prototype of AUV- 150 was put to freshwater test in January 2010 under tight security.It was brought in a truck from Durgapur in West Bengal under secrecy inside a container
up to Kulamavu reservoir at Idukki in Kerala and the vehicle was later taken to the middle of the reservoir on a boat.
The choice fell on Idukki Since Kulamavu has a centre associated with Indian Navy and the reservoir being very deep.
(The biggest arch dam of Asia, Idukki reservoir is located about 250 km from Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, and its lake covers an area of 60 km2.) The preliminary test was conducted for seven to eight days and the results was reported to be very satisfactory. The final leg of the still-water trials was conducted in the reservoir between September and October 2010. The vehicle is yet to undergo sea trials they are slated to begin off the Chennai coast during the last week of
January 2011.