Cathodic Protection measurements using AUV

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Subsea infrastructure are prone to corrosion, and a corrosion protection system with sacrificial anodes are being mounted onto the structures to prevent the infrastructure itself to be corroded. The corrosion system emits an electromagnetic field in the water that decreases in strength over time as the anodes are being sacrificed. The anode conditions can be indirectly measured by measuring the electromagnetic field in the water. In the current inspection market these measurements are being performed using large manned surface vessels equipped with ROV. In this project we aim at developing a method to perform measurements of the electromagnetic field using AUVs instead of ROVs and to develop methodologies to process and interpret the data into information about the remaining lifetime of the anodes. A successful development will enable use of AUVs for these inspections, which will significantly reduce the operational time, cost and carbon foot print compared to current ROV operations.