Project Deliverable D50 Report on Best Practices ... - ESONET NoE

operate it in a safe and productive way. As a case study, it would be interesting to compare
how an observatory deployed during a demonstration mission (LOOME, MomarD, Lido,
MODOO...?) would be deployed using existing ROVs. At least two cases are to consider.
20 years + lifetime material choice
In the definition of subsea observatories, from the scientific vision to the cost estimates, the
long term durable operation is a key issue and probably a limitation. Any improvement in the
limitation of ageing of materials and components is worth being analysed.
The choice of material and its protection towards corrosion has not yet been addressed
directly inside ESONET. The panel will start from a white paper issued before the Workshop
(from ESONET CA Final report). It will work with the practices of the oceanography partners
but also from offshore oil and gas industry and Navy experience.
Topics intended:
1. corrosion protection of steel - cathodic protection,
2. choices of materials and strength after ageing corrosion due to neighbouring
materials (components such as connectors, actuators, cables),
3. thermoplastics and composites - ageing issues.
ESONET partners already designed equipment for the Demonstration Missions. One or two
of these equipments could be used as a case study for analysis of the material choice, other
possible choices and other practices.
Objectives:
The first meeting of this panel intends to establish an initial reference paper. Whenever
possible, the group will recommend rules or standards, check lists and material ageing test
methods. It will determine the additional work or experiments ESONET could support.
A question: Can all the ESONET-EMSO equipments (infrastructure and instruments) have a
life time of 20 to 30 years with state of the art material design? What attendance/ checking
/maintenance will be needed?
4.4.3.2 White papers
White Paper for the Panel 3-3 – Underwater Intervention
Author: J-F. Drogou (IFREMER)
(Based on a summary of the first version of the D27 deliverable)
Abstract: In the frame of ESONET NoE WP2, the D27 deliverable aims to provide the
scientific users and operators with standard qualified procedures or recommended
practices to operate equipment in a safe and productive way.
The construction and maintenance phases of an underwater observatory follows various steps,
each step calling for specific competences.
- Site surveys
- Module lifting and lowering to seabed
- Cable laying and underwater connections
- Inspection and maintenance works
The document is structured by these various steps, and includes three axes of development:
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