The DeepView 66: A Brief Technical Description - U.S. Submarines

The DeepView 66: A Brief Technical Description
INTRODUCTION
The DeepView 66 is a fourth generation
autonomous acrylic-hulled tourist submarine
designed and built by U.S. Submarines, Inc. of Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. The submarine is 32-meters in
overall length and weighs approximately 160,000
kg. The submarine is designed to ✠A1 Manned
Submersible classification of the American Bureau
of Shipping (ABS) with the pressure hull designed
in accordance with American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) Code for Pressure Vessels for
Human Occupancy 1 (PVHO-1). The submarine is
capable of transporting 66 passengers and three
crew members to depths of 100 meters. It is the
largest and most advanced tourist submarine
currently available.
PRESSURE HULL & EXTERNAL FRAME
The pressure hull resists the hydrostatic
forces imposed by seawater and isolates the
occupants from the external environment. The
pressure hull is comprised of eight cylindrical
acrylic sections mated to a forward steel hemisphere
with integrated spherical sector viewport,
and also joined to an aft hemispherical steel section.
The pressure hull is composed of transparent
polymethyl methacrylate with an internal diameter
of 2700 mm, a length of 2500 mm and a shell
thickness of 100 mm. Ring joining frames are
placed between the cylindrical sections and serve to
stiffen the hull, while eight 60 mm diameter high
tensile tie rods pre-load the structure in the axial
direction.
The DeepView 66 is based on the acrylic hull concept where maximum visibility is a principal design parameter. The 66-passenger size
makes the DeepView 66 the world's largest tourist submarine as well, thus optimizing potential profit.
Copyright 1997-2001 by L. Bruce Jones. All rights reserved.
L. Bruce Jones
U.S. Submarines, Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
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The DeepView's rated design depth is 100
meters. The forward 120° hemispherical sector
viewport for the pilot is also composed of transparent
polymethyl methacrylate (acrylic plastic) and is
2000 mm in diameter, with a thickness of 80 mm.
The aft hemisphere is composed of ASTM 537 steel.
Two entrance trunk and hatch combinations, one
forward and one aft, are 1000 mm in diameter.
The DeepView has a metallic framework
attached to the pressure hull that provides support
for the fiberglass deck and superstructure as well as
attachment points for high pressure air and oxygen
bottles, main ballast tanks, etc. Main structural
support for the acrylic pressure hull is provided by
two steel one-atmosphere battery pods with a steel
skid assembly that provides a base that protects the
bottom of the pressure hull and is used for securing
hard ballast tanks, the drop weight assembly,
thrusters and other components. A pipework frame
provides collision protection for the forward
viewport.
INTERNAL ARRANGEMENT
The DeepView was designed to provide
passengers with a comfortable environment from
which to view the subsea world, and the degree of
comfort and the quality of the view are obviously
critical to passenger acceptance of the vehicle and
the experience as a whole. The 66-passengers sit in
luxurious, high-backed cinema style seats situated
back to back along the center line of the vehicle.
Passengers enjoy an unsurpassed floor to ceiling
panoramic view with no discernable distortion as
well as the most comfortable seating ever installed
in a tourist submarine. Moreover, the DeepView,
with a 2500 mm passenger compartment diameter is
considerably more spacious than any tourist submarine.
The overall effect is one of spacious comfort.
The passenger cabin is further characterized
by two wide aisles providing easy access to the
passenger seats.
Aft of the passenger space is a non-structural
bulkhead divider with two hinged doors that provide
access to the machinery compartment.
Forward of the passenger space is the pilot’s
compartment situated behind a large spherical sector
acrylic viewport located in the forward portion of
the pressure hull. All control and navigation functions
are carried out from this area.
BALLAST & TRIM SYSTEMS
The DeepView has a main ballast tank (MBT)
system composed of port and starboard rectangular
soft tanks in groups fitted to rigid longitudinal
frames connecting the fore and aft sections. Twelve
tanks in total provide 24 m 3 of buoyancy and are
vented to seawater at the base. The twelve vents are
air actuated cone valves with their outlets
manifolded together in two fore and aft groups and
fed through a pair of powerful centrifugal air fans.
The fans are driven by high speed axial piston
hydraulic motors run off the thruster power pack.
The fans provide low pressure air to blow down the
MBTs when surfaced. The purpose of the main
ballast tanks is to provide the vehicle with the
necessary freeboard, stability and buoyancy while in
the surfaced condition. Main ballast tanks can also
be blown at depth with high pressure air in an
emergency, resulting in a rapid, uncontrolled ascent.
The variable water ballast tank (VBT) system,
sometimes referred to as hard ballast, is designed to
allow the vehicle to be neutrally buoyant regardless
of passenger load. The VBT capacity is equivalent
to the weight of the rated maximum number of
passengers. This will allow the submarine to
operate with a total of only two crew on board, in
which case the variable ballast tanks would be full,
or with a full load of passengers and empty VBTs.
The VBTs are one-atmosphere, pressure
resistant tanks, located in the center of the port and
starboard main ballast tank groups. Water freefloods
into the tanks when the requisite valves are
actuated, and the tanks are emptied by the introduction
of air at 200 psi over ambient. Differential
longitudinal trim is effected by filling or venting
either the bow tanks or the stern tanks to compensate
for passenger movement within the pressure
hull.
The high pressure air system for the MBTs
and VBTs is composed of cylinders with a total
capacity of 2400 liters at 200 bar. The cylinders are
divided into independent main and reserve systems
of 1200 liters each. Pressure reducing valves allow
for a reduction in pressure to 200 psi.
The DeepView also has a provision for lead
ballast that can be varied to compensate for differences
in water salinity or additions or deletions of
equipment.
An emergency lead drop weight is located
between the skids. The weight is released by the
actuation of two hydraulic cylinders powered by a
manual pump mounted in the pilot's compartment.
Releasing the drop weight will allow the submarine
to surface with a full load of passengers and crew in
the event of a subsea entanglement or other emergency.
ELECTRICAL POWER & DISTRIBUTION
The DeepView derives power from lead acid
storage batteries. The batteries are contained in two
exernal one-atmosphere battery pods with each pod
containing two 240V groups of cells and two 24V
groups. The cells are 720 Ah and produce a total of
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608 kWH at 80% discharge. The main hydraulic
motors and other large consumers use 240V power
with the control and communication instrumentation
requiring 24 V. Power is sufficient for 24 hours of
submerged travel at the average rate of consumption.
Battery selection and systems design is critical
to a safe and successful vehicle. The batteries
chosen are an advanced lead acid traction type
battery equipped with autofill and air bubble
recirculation. The system reduces outgassing and
water consumption yet retains a capacity equal to the
best tubular plate traction cell. The batteries were
selected to last a minimum of 1000 deep cycle
charges or five years. Recharging time is approximately
9 hours.
The batteries are grouped in eight 60V cases
2.0 m long and one 2 x 12V case, 1.2 m long. These
cases, weighing 1,320 kg each are mounted on
flanged wheels running on rails inside the pod. The
foremost case is fitted with a 24V motor and control
system geared to the axles. For inspection, a length
of rail is positioned in front of the pod and the self
powered vehicle contiaing the batteries motors out.
The DeepView has well designed electrical
systems with extensive circuit protection and ground
fault detection capability.
PROPULSION & MANEUVERING CONTROL
Tourist submarines generally have considerable
parasitic drag as a result of the externally
mounted components, including thrusters, main and
variable ballast tanks, exostructure, high pressure air
and oxygen bottles, external frames and other
equipment. Speeds are quite low, with a typical
maximum of 3.0 knots. Actual operating speeds are
in the region of 0.5 – 1.0 knot, as faster speeds tend
to be the enemy of observation.
The DeepView 66 uses a safe, low-maintenance
and above all, reliable, hydraulic power
system proven in subsea applications. Two identical
power packs are installed in the aft end of each
battery pod. The location minimizes any noise that
might be heard by the passengers.
Driving each power pack is a 40kW industrial
square frame motor running at constant speed and
designed for a 20 year service life. Two axial piston
displacement pumps are mounted in tandem on each
motor. One pump which is either displacement or
pressure controlled drives the main prop and the
other pressure controlled motor drives the thrusters.
One power pack alone is sufficient for normal
operations. The pumps are housed in a pressure
vessel maintained at ambient pressure with an
external reservoir fitted with a diaphragm. The
motor shaft is sealed by a Crane type mechanical
seal fitted to the inside of the pressure vessel.
The six maneuvering thrusters and LP blowers
are connected to a hydraulic main ring through
groups of oil-filled solenoid valves while the main
prop motor is connected to its main through a single
large bore valve for reverse capability. No hydraulic
pipework enters the main pressure hull, which
reduces the fire hazard.
The main thruster has been designed to lesson
the effect of efficiency losses inherent in hydrostatic
transmission systems. The propeller is a large 1.3
meter five-bladed unit turning at a maximum speed
of 310 rpm. The motor is a crank type five cylinder
radial piston hydraulic unit fitted with an extension
housing for thrust bearings and a PTFE shaft seal.
The prop is fitted in a fixed Kort nozzle with a pair
of vertical eyelid deflectors used to maintain track
and undertake large radius turns with main steering
control coming from bow and stern lateral hydraulic
thrusters of 38 kW and 22 kW respectively.
Four vertical hydraulic thrusters have a
combined thrust of 1300 kilograms.
Maneuvering is intuitively accomplished
through a single proportional joystick control.
Course changes to port and starboard are caused by
moving the joystick to the left or right which
activates the bow thruster. Forward or reverse thrust
is caused by pushing the joystick forward or pulling
it aft. The joystick is also used to actuate the vertical
thrusters.
LIFE SUPPORT & SAFETY SYSTEMS
In a tourist submarine the cabin pressure is
always maintained at very close to one atmosphere,
regardless of the depth of the vessel. Life support is
effected by injecting pure oxygen into the cabin to
maintain 19%-22% by volume, while the carbon
dioxide is absorbed by a chemical compound in a
scrubber system.
High pressure oxygen is stored in individual
bottles located outside the pressure hull. The main
oxygen system consists of 100 liters at 205 bar. A
second, independent emergency oxygen system
consists of two banks of 450 liters at 205 bar and
provides a minimum of 96 hours of life support for a
full complement of passengers and crew.
The oxygen supply, reduced in pressure by a
regulator, is injected into the cabin and is controlled
automatically.
The carbon dioxide component of the air in
the passenger cabin is removed through adsorbtion
by circulation through a porous bed of soda-lime. A
high volume blower forces the air through the
scrubber cannisters. Carbon dioxide levels are thus
maintained at levels below 0.5% by volume. Aboard
DeepView there are two electrically powered
scrubbers, each with 240V fan units for normal
operation and 24V units for use in an emergency.
Each scrubber is capable of absorbing the CO 2
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produced by 66 people over a 12-hour period.
Emergency scrubber compound is stored in
accessible sealed containers within the pressure hull.
In the event of emergency the scrubber compound
can be replaced periodically. Carbon dioxide is
monitored by the atmospheric monitor system and a
manual gas monitor is also included in the emergency
supplies.
The DeepView also has an air conditioning
system to cool and dehumidify the cabin air. The
system consists of two individual units located under
the floor of the passenger cabin. One unit cools the
forward portion of the main cabin, the other the aft
portion. Cool air flow is directed downward over the
acrylic to prevent misting.
Fire protection includes both active and
passive fire systems. Passive systems include flame
retardant materials, while the active systems include
high temperature alarms and two portable 6 kg
Halon 1301 fire suppression extinguishers. Individual
closed circuit emergency breathing systems
with two hour capability are provided for each
passenger for use in the event of atmospheric
contamination by fire.
Emergency food and water rations, inflatable
life preservers and first aid kits are included in the
submarine emergency equipment.
COMMUNICATIONS, NAVIGATION & MONI-
TORING
During tourist submarine operations a Surface
Officer aboard a tender vessel tracks the submarine
and remains in constant contact with the submarine
pilot through an underwater telephone (UWT). It is
the responsibility of the Surface Officer to make
sure there are no vessel traffic conflicts when the
submarine surfaces.
The UWT for the DeepView operates on two
frequencies (8.8 kHz and 27 kHz), the appropriate
frequency being condition dependent. A 37 kHz
emergency pinger locator is also integrated into the
UWT system. In addition to the UWT there is a pilot
controlled VHF radio for surface communications,
and an internal intercom system and an AM-FM
radio and tape deck as well.
Navigation is typically accomplished by
reference to submerged objects and dead reckoning.
Virtually all tourist submarines are constrained to
one or two dive sites, and the pilots quickly become
familiar with the subsea route which is usually less
than one nautical mile in length. A fluxgate electronic
compass provides heading information on a
digital display located on the pilot's console. A
Bourdon tube style depth gauge provides depth
information while a color depth sounder provides
altitude data, the bottom profile and also has an
adjustable proximity alarm. In addition, a front
facing depth sounder will provide a profile of any
obstacles ahead along with distance information.
A gyroscope provides an inertial attitude
reference to the horizontal plane and course information
with a maximum drift of one degree per
hour.
A color video camera mounted above the sail
provides external viewing to the pilot through a
monitor located on the pilot's console. Passengers
are equipped with monitors as well, and a video
cassette deck is also available.
Other instrumentation includes an alarm
system for water egress, atmospheric monitors for
O 2 , CO 2 and H 2 , motor over-temperatures, etc. In
addition there are electrical voltage and amperage
monitors, oxygen and high pressure air pressure
readouts, battery amp-hour metering, as well as a
wide variety of control valves, electrical switches
and circuit breakers. However, unlike other tourist
submarines the DeepView has a sophisticaed
computer controlled control and monitoring system
which reduces panel clutter and increases pilot
visibility while decreasing the pilot workload.
Normal operation relies on color flat screen monitors
with touch screen controls and animated graphic
displays. The fully redundant CPUs are able to
compute ballast levels against the passenger
manifest, integrate vertical speed, vertical acceleration
and navigation data; monitor AH%, average
total energy consumption rate, etc. All data with
alarms is monitored at a single point. Manual
backup systems are provided as necessary.
IN SUMMARY
The DeepView represents a state-of-the-art
autonomous tourist submarine built to the highest
possible safety standards by a leading subsea
technology company noted for the exceptional
experience and technical competence of its management
team.
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The Comex Seabus is an all acrylic tourist submarine that seats 44-passengers. The submarine was built in Marseille, France in the early 1990s and operated in
Monaco and then Freeport, Bahamas. The Seabus was the first acrylic tourist submarine ever built.
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DeepView 66 Technical Specifications
General
Classification: ABS ✠A1 Manned Submersible
Maximum certified depth: 110 meters
Test depth: 138 meters
Passengers: 66
Crew: 3 or 4
Length overall: 32.0 meters
Pressure hull 25.0 meters
Height overall: 6.0 meters
Beam: 3.5 meters
Pressure hull diameter: 2.7 meters
Draft: 3.2 meters
Weight in air: 160,000 kilograms
Autonomy: 80 hours
Mission time: 24 hours
Maximum speed: 4 knots
Electrical power: 240VDC/24VDC
Forward/reverse thrust: 1 x 75 kW
Lateral bow thrust: 1 x 38 kW
Lateral stern thrust: 1 x 22 kW
Vertical thrust: 4 x 22 kW
Acrylic Components
Cylinder diameter: 2.7 meters
Internal diameter: 2.5 meters
Cylinder thickness: 100 mm
Cylinder length: 2.45 meters
Short term critical pressure: 10 N/mm2 Maximum operating temperature: 38° C
Bow dome diameter: 2.0 meters
Thickness: 80 mm
Angle: 120°
Short term critical pressure: 10 N/mm2 Maximum operating temperature: 38° C
Battery
240V: 4 banks, 553 kWh total at 80% discharge
Cell type: Varta 10PzS720 H
24V service: 4 banks, 55 kWh total at 80% discharge
Cell type: Varta 10PzS720 H
24V emergency (internal): 2 banks, 53 kWh total at C5 rate
Cell type: Varta 11PzS1100 H
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Hydraulic Power Packs (2)
Motors: 180 frame 240VDC, 40kW at 2,000 rpm
Compound field winding for load regulation
Control unit: Three contact resistor soft start with field loss relay
Main Prop pumps: Mannesman Rexroth A4VSO-63, 63cc/rev, 215 bar
Thruster pumps: Mannesman Rexroth A4VSO-40, 40cc/rev, 215 bar
Main Propeller
Type: 5-blade in Kort nozzle
Diameter: 1.3 meter
Motor:
Thrusters (Mannesmann Rexroth Hydromarine)
Mannesmann Rexroth MRP 800, 800 cc/rev, 75kW
at 215 bar and 310 rpm.
Bow: 1, size 05/06, 450 mm dia., 38 kW, 5.8 kN thrust
Stern: 1, size 05, 380 mm dia., 22kW, 3.3 kN thrust
Vertical: 4, size 05, 380 mm dia., 22kW, 3.3 kN thrust
Ballast System
Main ballast tanks: 12, 24,000 liters total
Passenger compensating tanks: 5,000 liters total
Variable tanks: 1,500 liters total
High Pressure Air System
Main: 1200 liters at 200 bar
Reserve: 1200 liters at 200 bar
Air Conditioning & Life Support
Total life support capacity:
Scrubber:
12 hours plus 96 hours reserve for 70 persons
Absorbent capacity: 40 kg
Absorbent type: Sofnolime 1025
Total reserve storage capacity: 600 kg, 6700 man hours
Bed depth: 330 mm
Cross section area: 0.13m2 (360 x 360)
Air flow speed: 0.4 m/sec
Residence time: 0.825 sec
Air flow rate: 190 m3 /hr
Proportion of A/C flow 24%
Fan pressure: 50 mm H 0 (forward incline)
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Fan power:
Air conditioning:
300 W, 120 VDC, 24V emergency, 300W
Heat reject rate: 10 kW (33,000 BTU/hr)
Compressor: Motorcoach type axial piston with open shaft
Compressor motor: 3.3 kW, 240VDC
Evaporator: 500mm x 500mm x 100mm
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Condenser: Tungum trombone, 12mm bore
Expansion valve: Thermostatic, duct temperature sensing
Fan type: Forward incline, variable speed
Fan capacity: 800m3 /hr
Pressure: 50 mm H 0 2
Power: 1000W 240VDC compound wound motor
Speed control: +/- 10% with field control from cabin thermostat
Air changes: 12/hr
Oxygen System
Day: 100 liters at 205 bar
Reserve 1: 450 liters at 205 bar
Reserve 2: 450 liters at 205 bar
This document includes confidential proprietary data belonging to
U.S. Submarines, Inc., and all rights regarding the same are expressly
reserved. It is submitted under a confidential relationship for a
specified purpose and the recipient, by accepting this document
assumes custody and control and agrees that this document will not
be reproduced in whole or in part, nor its contents revealed in any
manner or to any person except to meet the purpose for which it
was intended.
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Tel: 954/467-9028 • Fax: 954/467-9584 • E-mail: ussubs@ussubs.com
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