254410FD-E130-4594-AFBD-4E36096A8B42-1.jpeg

large_254410FD-E130-4594-AFBD-4E36096A8B42-1.jpeg

medium_254410FD-E130-4594-AFBD-4E36096A8B42-1.jpeg

small_254410FD-E130-4594-AFBD-4E36096A8B42-1.jpeg

thumbnail_254410FD-E130-4594-AFBD-4E36096A8B42-1.jpeg

ROVULA unveils Nautilus, the world’s first subsea AI-powered pipeline repair robot slated to enhance operational efficiency while reduce time and costs by over 50% Now ready to serve customers and partners, locally and globally 

ROVULA, a developer of end-to-end AI-powered solution platform for subsea inspection, repair, and maintenance (IRM) in offshore oil and gas industry, and a business unit of AI and Robotics Ventures (ARV), announced the commercial launch of Nautilus, the world’s first subsea AI-powered pipeline inspection and repair robotic technology. After its successful pilot trial in subsea IRM services for offshore operations of PTT Group and PTTEP, the advanced robotic platform is ready to serve customers and partners in both public and private sectors of oil and gas exploration and production industry from across the world.  Recognized by two world renowned innovation awards, Nautilus is slated to take oil and gas exploration and production industry to the next level by increasing IRM operational efficiency while significantly reducing time and cost of subsea pipeline maintenance. 

Dr. Thana Slanvetpan, General Manager, ARV, said that “Nautilus is a proud achievement from over four years of joint efforts between Rovula, ARV and our partner Kongsberg Ferrotech, a leading subsea robotic innovation firm from Norway. This state-of-the-art robotic platform aims at increasing operational efficiency, reducing time and costs of subsea IRM operation in oil and gas industry, which usually takes specialized skilled divers to board a pressurized submarine diving deep the sea to perform the tasks. Conventional subsea IRM operation not only puts highly sought-after human divers at life-threatening risks, but also involves high operating costs and can take a prolonged period of 7-14 days for each repair operation, let alone the chance of mistake that can cause accident or cracks and damages to the pipeline leading to chemical leaks that pollute marine ecosystem and nearby communities, and even worst, become an environmental issue of national level.”  

Designed and developed with performance and portability in mind, Nautilus can confirm the spot of abnormalities by performing Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) scan and can also repair the damaged spot immediately. In doing this, the surface preparation of the pipe is done by peeling the 3-Layer Polypropylene (3LPP) coating together with water spraying to remove rock, soil and sediment. The pipe surface is then coated by epoxy in dry condition for not less than 5 hours before having leak-proof cover plate installed with heat, and finally wrapped with CS-NRI Viper-skinTM (first bi-axial, hybrid carbon and glass fiber) in accordance with the SA2.5-3 standard. With Nautilus, subsea IRM operation can be performed with improved accuracy and safety, while minimizing exposure of the human workforce to dangerous weather conditions and sea states, as well as reducing the time required for the operation from 7-14 days to less than 48 hours, and also saving the cost of preparation for subsea pipeline maintenance by more than 50%.

Throughout the four years of development, Nautilus has undergone software and hardware component testing for more than 1,000 hours to ensure system integrity and quality of the product. Nautilus also garnered international recognition by winning the Breakthrough Technological Project of the Year 2020 award at ADIPEC and the Spotlight on New Technology Award in the Offshore Technology Conference Asia (OTC Asia) 2022.

ROVULA and ARV are ready to welcome customers and partners from both the public and private sectors in subsea oil and gas production and exploration industry from around the world. For more information, please get in touch with us. 


D765AFE9-4128-4499-BB70-7465DABBE4DE.jpeg

8F8CAB65-A306-4365-89FB-C67D399FE42E-scaled-1-2048x1363.jpeg

NEWS

ALL