INDUSTRY FOCUS Aerospace & Marine
VideoRay underwater ROVs protect the world’s busiest ports and waterways
Modular design and scaleable, high-density power delivery enables variable payloads and precise maneuverability
P
ort security and surveillance, mine countermeasures and underwater search and rescue are all dangerous missions that should not put lives
or vessels at risk. Where sustained, mission- critical underwater inspection or exploration is required, remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) are the safest and most eff ective way to maintain security, support salvage eff orts and uncover secrets of the ocean. Video-equipped ROVs can reach hard- to-access underwater locations at extreme depths for extended periods. To be eff ective, ROVs require a robust, high-density power delivery network (PDN) that enables the necessary thrust to withstand shifting ocean currents, and provides a steady view of surroundings while having the space for payloads to accomplish mission-specifi c activities. VideoRay tethered underwater ROVs can be deployed for 24/7/365 operation at depths to 305 meters (2000m in fl oat mode), with power supplied from the host platform or vessel. Also in development is a battery-operated ROV that can sustain underwater operational uptime for up to eight hours, and allows for a slimmer, lighter tether devoted purely to video and communications transmission.
Adapting to any mission Among its many innovations, VideoRay off ers an interchangeable, modular component ROV system residing on a single intelligent network. The system provides an
28 May 2021 | Automation
extremely fl exible and customisable platform that can be easily adapted to specifi c missions, markets and payloads. VideoRay ROVs are designed to handle
diffi cult missions that have size, weight and deployment-speed constraints. They are also distinguished by powerful thrust, longer tether lengths, higher resolution video and interchangeable, modular systems. To achieve advanced ROV capabilities,
VideoRay requires a sophisticated power delivery network architecture that allows it to design ever-smaller ROVs with more power and greater maneuverability at greater depths. Among the many design factors at play is the modularity and power density of the onboard power components, key to enabling the VideoRay scaleable ROV portfolio of providing the fl exibility to swap high-performance modules to accommodate evolving requirements, with added agility to quickly and easily customise ROVs for customers.
For rugged missions The highly-modular VideoRay fl agship Defender ROVs have used Vicor DCM series converters to produce lower-voltage power from 400VDC to energise all main thrusters and control electronics inside the subside vehicle. The DCM series of DC-DC converters is ideal candidate for the Defender series because of its high power density in a small footprint that also integrates monitoring and auto-shutdown features. The DCM series accommodates a
wide input voltage range to allow for large voltage drops on longer tethers. The high-effi ciency, fi xed-ratio Vicor BCM bus converter used in the VideoRay Pro 4 main controller converts rectifi ed AC from the host ship to 72VDC compactly, delivered to the ROV via the tether to power it. It uses advanced heat sinking and active cooling for easy thermal management. High- voltage BCM modules in the to-side power converters help generate the tether voltage, with advanced heat sinking and active cooling for easy thermal management in a waterproof enclosure. BCMs use the Vicor proprietary SAC
(Sine Amplitude Converter) topology, an extremely effi cient resonant tank based DC-DC converter architecture, to accomplish bidirectional fi xed-ratio DC-DC conversion. With input voltage ranges from 36V to 800V and transforming voltage by various K factors to support a wide range of applications, some BCMs also feature integrated PMBus telemetry, control and EMI fi ltering. BCMs are able to reach peak effi ciencies of 98% with power densities to 2,400W/in³, and can have their inputs in parallel into high-power arrays,w and outputs connected in series and/or parallel to achieve even higher output voltages/ currents than a single module.
www.VideoRay.com
www.vicorpower.com CONTACT:
VideoRay Vicor
automationmagazine.co.uk
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