ROBOTIC UNDERWATER INSPECTION AND CONSTRUCTION

SERVICES USING A ROV- REMOTED OPERATED VEHICLE.

David J. Malak, Fabio Iannotta.

Hibbard Inshore, LLC

2285 N. Opdyke Road – Suite A – Auburn Hills, MI 48326
e-mail: dave.malak@hibbardinshore.com, webpage: www.hibbardinshore.com

Hibbard Inshore Brasil, LTDA

Rua Comendador Miguel Calfat,128 – 4537-080 vila Nova Conceição – São Paulo - SP
e-mail: fabio@hibbardinshore.com, webpage: www.hibbardinshore.com

Keywords: Dam, tailing Dam, Robotic Underwater Inspection, Robotic Underwater

Dredging, Robotic Underwater Bulkhead

Abstract. Robotic underwater inspection and construction services in Tailing Dam using
a ROV – Remoted Operated Vehicle.
This technical article is about an underwater robotic service that Hibbard Inshore
Brasil provided to one of the largest Brazilian mining companies at one of their existing
tailings dams.
The main issue was to understand the general condition of a lower outlet tunnel in
order to plan and design a permanent bulkhead for abandonment of the Dam. The tunnel
was water-filled, and due to the unknown condition, the owner had concerns that if they
were to dewater it, the removal of the water could increase the risk of destabilization or
collapse. Because of this, the owner determined it would reduce risks by first inspecting
the tunnel condition while it remained water-filled.
Hibbard Inshore Brasil was hired for the underwater inspection the tunnel using a
ROV with video and sonar units. The high-water turbidity required the sonar to be used
as the primary inspection tool. During the inspection Hibbard Inshore identified a very
high level of debris and sediment in the tunnel creating a blockage in the tunnel.
As a result of the inspection, the client is pursuing further action to remove the
blockage while the tunnel remains water-filled and to further evaluate the tunnel.
Additionally, the client was able to plan a different method and approach to bulkhead the
tunnel than had originally been devised.

1 INTRODUCTION
This technical article describes the technologies to robotically provide underwater
inspection and remediation activities such as dredging and concrete placement in
underwater structures. The following presents a case where those activities have been
performed for one of the largest Brazilian mining companies at one of their existing
tailings dams.

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The dam owner required an understanding of the general condition of a lower outlet
tunnel in order to plan and design a permanent bulkhead for abandonment.
All of the activities described in this article have been executed using a ROV –
Remoted Operated Vehicle to robotically perform the services.

2 JOB SITE GENERAL DESCRIPTION

For confidentiality reasons it is not possible to expose some information in this article,
but the data declared is sufficient to understand the context of the operation.
The Tailings Dam where the project was executed was built between 1976 and 2006
with a purpose of containing the tailings from mining activities.
In the past, the drainage tunnel was used as a spillway to manage the water level at the
Dam during operation. The upper part of the tunnel is a concrete duct resting on the right
abutment of the original dam, connected to a series of vertical intakes. The lower end of
the tunnel is connected to an open concrete channel, which in 2001 was filled with coarse
material.
The tunnel of the Dam is located under the main dam structure and is approximately
360 meters in length with a diameter of 2.00 m, consisting of reinforced concrete.
The access point to the tunnel is on the upstream end, and the tunnel is dry for the
first130 meters. The second section, starting from 130 meters to the tunnel terminus at
360 meters is completely water-filled. The difference in elevation between the access
point and the water is 50 meters.

Figure 1: Longitudinale profil of the tunnel and canal (in yellow)

3 TUNNEL INSPECTION
The following subsections describe the operation of the ROV for the tunnel inspection.

3.1 Setup operation and ROV lunching

As previously described, the tunnel was divided in two main sections: the first of
approximately 130 meters in dry condition and the second full of water. The first steps
were to ensure the work was being performed in safe conditions: A trained team in NR33
(Brazilian regimentation of working in confined spaces) and equipped with gas meters
and safety tools, was able to verify gas levels and the presence of oxygen along the length
of the dry section. Apart from the gas survey, lights, security ropes, oxygen hose and
other safety equipment was installed along the section.

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 David J. Malak, Fabio Iannotta.

Figure 2: Tunnel access point after safety equipment installed

The atmosphere in the dry section was not found to be saturated with dangerous gases
and the oxygen level was normal. However, it was decided to take safety precautions to
ensure the team responsible for the ROV launching operation was equipped with safety
equipment appropriate for confined entry into the tunnel. The team was equipped with
diving masks, oxygen, lights, video cameras and bidirectional radio communication.
To facilitate the lunching of the ROV, a custom cart was built and controlled by a
standard electrical winch.
Two operational rooms were set up: one inside a trailer to control the ROV operation
and another to control the Dive system supplying the air to the confined entry team.

3.2 Inspection with real time data analysis

After the launching operation, the ROV was able to swim into the water-filled portion
of the tunnel to begin the Inspection. The ROV was equipped with multi sensor array to
collect high quality data on the conditions of the water-filled tunnel. Specifically, the
ROV was equipped with a Forward Looking Imaging Sonar, a Cross-Sectioning Sonar,
and a Video camera with integrated lighting.
The main difficulty to overcome during this inspection was the extremely turbid water
inside the Tunnel. This meant that the onboard video camera would be unable to see
through the water, and therefore, the team had to conduct the inspection using the
onboard sonar and navigation instruments. The sonar was able to “see” through the water
acoustically so that features could be identified and cataloged despite the high turbidity.
The Forward Looking Sonar and the Cross-Sectioning sonar provided the tunnel
dimensions and images in real time which allowed the team to navigate the ROV and

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record features of interest until the ROV arrived at a point in the tunnel where a major
blockage was identified.
The next two images show two cross sections of the Tunnel: the first in a clear area
and the second in the blockage area. In the second image, you will see the reduced cross-
sectional area available in the tunnel due to the blockage.

Figure 3: Tunnel cross-section in a clear area

Figure 4: Tunnel Cross Section in blockage área

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This blockage was of concern to the dam owner because the plan for the tunnel had
been to permanently abandon it through the placement of a concrete bulkhead. With the
blockage present, the planned bulkhead could not be successfully put in place.

3.3 Inspection report

After the inspection, the inspection team delivered to the dam owner a report detailing
the current condition of the Tunnel. The report was supported by Sonar Images and Cross
Sectional measurements. The printed report was accompanied by a software that
synchronized all the collected data by time and tunnel stationing which allowed the
owner and their representatives to review the entire inspection.
The inspection report included recommendations of further actions to remove the
blockage while the tunnel remains water-filled through dredging and then to further
evaluate the tunnel in the blockage area. With the identification of the blockage and
knowledge of robotic capabilities, the client was able to plan a different method and
approach to bulkhead the tunnel than had originally been devised.

Figure 5: ROV after the inspection

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4 REMOTELLY ROBOTIC UNDERWATER DREDGING IN CONFINED SPACE

In cases of underwater tunnels or underwater confined spaces that need to be dredged
without removal of the water, ROV technology can be very useful. Removing sediments in
this manner would be important to this dam owner because they were concerned that the
removal of additional water from the tunnel could lead to a collapse in an area of the tunnel
where the structure might be weakened. Removal of the hydrostatic pressure supporting the
tunnel could cause or exacerbate a collapse in such an area. The remote dredging technique is
briefly described below. The ROV and a special underwater pump are driven into the
underwater structure in the sediment areas. The ROV uses a hose installed on a manipulator
arm to pump the sediment to the surface. Outside the structure the sediment is filtered out of
the water and the separated water is pumped back into the structure maintaining support. The
full sediment blockage is removed in the area to be permanently plugged for tunnel
abandonment.

Figure 5: ROV equipped with dredging system

5 ROBOTIC UNDERWATER TUNNEL BULKHEAD

Using some of the same ROV technology as the remote robotic dredging, a tunnel or
pipeline can also be temporarily or permanently bulkheaded. The temporary bulkhead is
predominantly executed in penstocks or pipes with custom designed bulkhead plugs that have
redundant seals similar to the redundancy provided by a head gate and bulkhead gate. These

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plugs can be inserted into a penstock near the valve to be removed such as a turbine shut-off
valve and allow it to be removed while leaving the remaining tunnel and other penstocks
filled with water to allow operations to continue during the valve replacement. In the case of
this dam, they were interested in permanent abandonment of the tunnel, and in that case, the
bulkhead consists of formwork and concrete to permanently seal the tunnel. The ROV is
instrumental in placing the formwork underwater and also in guiding the concrete placement.

5.1 Temporary bulkhead

The planning of a temporary bulkhead is done by a ROV and a high precision 3D sonar
or laser to record the exact dimensions and cross section of the area where the bulkhead
would be installed. In this initial phase, the ROV also makes an accurate video inspection
in order to observe possible areas of concern or corrosion. Many times, the ROV uses an
ultrasonic thickness gauge to also measure the thickness of the steel to allow the
engineering team to determine if the line is safe for bulkheading. Once the initial
inspection phase is completed, the custom plug is designed, built and tested to the
specific pressures it will encounter during the time it is installed in the field. The plug is
designed with special interfaces to allow the ROV to maneuver the plug into place,
actuate its multiple seals, monitor the pressure at the seals, actuate valves, and remove
the plug at the completion of the project.
Once the Factory acceptance testing is completed, the bulkhead and ROV are shipped
to the jobsite, and the ROV is used to install the bulkhead. Once installed, the turbine
shut off valve is opened to drain the small portion of the penstock downstream of the
temporary bulkhead plug. The plug is monitored during this process to ensure the seals
have properly sealed and proper redundancy is achieved. Once the seals are shown to be
successfully sealed, the valve can then be removed and replaced.

Figure 6: ROV driving a Bulkhead into a penstock

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Figure 7: ROV testing in pool

Figure 8: Bulkhead Plug installed in Penstock

5.2 Permanent bulkhead plugging

The permanent bulkhead is done by the ROV injecting concrete in the selected for
bulkhead areas. This operation is done without dewatering the structure and often without
any manned, confined entry. The ROV is used to place formwork, hoses, and valves to

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allow for the pumping of concrete into the form to create a permanent plug. Thi s is the
type of plugging that is most pertinent to the case in this paper. Because the client desires
to permanently abandon the structure without removing the water from the tunnel for fear
of collapse, the ROV would be used to place forms and move the concrete pumping
equipment into place inside the tunnel. The forms provide a surface for the concrete plug
to be poured against so that the client can select a length or portion of the tunnel where
the plug will be inserted. Often, water is left in the remainder of the tunnel as hydraulic
support. If the client desires the full tunnel length to be filled with concrete, then the
ROV is able to stage the proper pumping equipment in the proper locations to achieve
this. The plugging areas are evaluated with the client, the final plug design is selected, the
concrete mix is selected, and the ROV assists in placing the plug limiting confined entry
and removal of water from the tunnel.

Figure 9 Concrete Pumping to Abandon Coal Plant Intake Tunnels

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Figure 10 ROV Controlled concrete pumping to abandon a valve and shaft in the New York City
aqueduct

6 CONCLUSIONS
In generals, remoted underwater robotic operations are very useful in the cases where
the cost and risk are high for human access and/ or dewatering the structure. The ROV
technology is also a useful tool for inspecting structures as well as performing certain
repairs or remediation work.
In the specific case of this article, the largest Brazilian mining company, had no
options to inspect the structure in total safety condition because the dewatering of the
structure it would have been too risky, and a possible collapse would have been able to
trigger fractures at the tailing dam creating unpleasant situations.

7 REFERENCES
This article has no references because it describes a success case.

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