Hugin AUV - Concept And Operational Experience To Date Available to Purchase

The HUGIN 3000 AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) is intended for detailed seabed surveying in water depths ranging from 100 m to 3000 m. HUGIN 3000 is based on the HUGIN I and II vehicles which have been used in a wide range of seabed surveying operations down to 1200 m. HUGIN 3000 has an extended payload suit and improved navigation and autonomy. The power source is a 40 kWh aluminum-oxygen fuel cell, sufficient for 40-50 hours of operation. A new high torque motor allows direct drive of a single large three bladed propeller, providing a significant improvement in electrical to-hydrodynamic efficiency. Titanium, glass- and carbon fiber laminate material and high performance syntactic foam are used in the vehicle design. The distributed subsystems are placed in separate pressure containers. Emphasis has been put on flexibility in payload sensor configuration and easy maintenance and replacement of components with respect to mechanic, electronic and software. The navigation system is an aided inertial navigation system integrating a number of surface and subsea navigation sensors allowing the vehicle to be run either in autonomous or surface support mode. HUGIN 3000 is currently (September - October 2000) under final qualification for commercial use in the Gulf of Mexico. This paper includes test reports on endurance and navigation accuracy obtained in sea trials in Norway.