DP Operator Manual

Section 10 Hydro acoustic Position Reference Systems (HPR)

Systems
There are three main types of system, Super short baseline (SSBL) (also known as
Ultra short baseline (USBL)), Short base line, and long baseline. Position is
measured by using either, range and bearing, or range only. There are also systems
that use combinations of methods such as combined long and short baseline
systems, or combined long, and SSBL.

Components
Operating station allows the operator to configure the system, and turn
beacons on, and off.
Transceiver manipulates signals between different modes
Signal processing unit (SPU)
Transducer (pole) transmits and receives, the acoustic signal
Beacons can be either, transponder, responder, or pinger, there
are other beacon types but these are usually special
function.
Deployment system can be on a wire from ship, with an acoustic release, by
diver or ROV.

Mode of Operation

SSBL USBL (The base line is the few cm between the receiver elements)
1. The transducer and beacon are deployed
2. The operator configures the system and commences interrogation of the
beacon(s)
3. A command is sent to the SPU, this is transformed into a signal for the
transducer
4. The transducer transmits an acoustic signal for that beacon through the water
5. At the beacon the acoustic signal is recognised, turned around and an
acoustic reply pulse generated. That is transmitted through the water
6. The reply is received at the transducer receiver elements
7. The round trip time is used to calculate the range (allowing for the known turn
around time inside the beacon).
8. Bearing is derived from the difference in phase of the acoustic signals at the
various receiver elements.
9. This give a slant range and bearing from which depth, X, and Y offsets can be
calculated.

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SSBL/USBL (baseline is the distance between the receiver elements, a few cm)

Short baseline (The base line is the distance between the hydrophones 15m)
The system has at least 3 or 4 transducers, which listen only and may be called
hydrophones, these are about 15metres apart

1. A single beacon called a pinger which transmits a pulsed acoustic signal.

2. The beacon, and poles are deployed, and the operator turns system on
3. This system, has to be told the depth
4. The distance between hydrophones are known and by measuring the
difference in reception times at the hydrophones. A slant range and bearing is
derived, and then X, and Y offsets calculated.

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Long base line (The base line is the distance between the beacons)
1. An array of 3 or 4 beacons is laid (3 is minimum, 4 gives some redundancy).
2. The beacons are about 500m apart this distance varies with water depth and
system
3. The position of all the beacons is calculated, this is called Calibration.
4. Calibration method varies from system to system. It may take several hours,
consult makers brochures.
5. If a dual system is used, then the best set of calibrated beacon positions can
be used in both HPR operating stations
6. The system is switched to operation.
7. A common interrogation pulse is sent to all beacons.
8. Each beacons replies on a different frequency, at different times, to avoid
interference.
9. Ranges are calculated from the round trip time and the known turn round time
inside the beacon.
10. These ranges are plotted from the known beacon position.
11. The ships position can either be relative to the beacons, or if the beacons are
plotted in lat and long, or UTM, a geographic position can be derived.

Long Baseline

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Beacon information.
The main types of beacons are

Transponders
1. these are beacons that act as a stand alone unit
2. The beacon is interrogated by a pulse sent through the water
3. a reply pulse is generated internally, and transmitted back through the water
to the ship, and received at the transducer pole

Responders
1. This type is used in situations, where there is an umbilical connection.
Between vessel, and sub-sea
2. Triggers are fitted at the surface, the interrogation command travels via the
triggers and the umbilical which is hard wired to the beacon on the sub-sea
unit.
3. The beacon then generates a reply which is transmitted back to the vessel
through the water, and the transducer.
4. Using the hardwired link reduces the errors as there is only one path through
the water.
5. The battery may also have a trickle charge.
6. This type of beacon will normally reply as a transponder if interrogated in that
mode

Pingers
1. These beacons are not interrogated.
2. Once they are switched on they transmit a pulse at a preset interval

Telemetry
1. these beacons transmit information such as depth, temperature, etc

Inclinometers
1. Specialised beacons that measure angles, they are used for drilling for
measuring flex-joint angles.
2. They can be used for construction (ensuring lift lowered to seabed are
upright)

Batteries
Two main types, whichever type is used, you need to log battery use to avoid
sending a dead battery sub-sea.
Re-chargeable
1. Usually Nickel Cadmium
2. Unless a discharger is fitted ensure battery is used before recharging, or a
charge memory can build up.
3. The more often you interrogate the quicker the battery runs out

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Lithium
1. A replaceable battery pack.
2. Once used whole pack is replaced.
3. Pack lasts X amount of hours at say 1 interrogation every 4 seconds, or a
set number of pings
4. The more often you interrogate the quicker the battery runs out

Operational notes
1. Beacons are depth rated, and may implode if you send them below rated
depth, if they dont implode they may explode when recovered
2. Beacons have a reception cone either 45, 60 0r 90 degrees, either side of
upright.
3. The shallower the operating depth the larger the reception cone needs to be.
4. Accuracy varies from 0.2% slant range on a Hi Pap system with 2 beacons to
3% of slant range with an older fixed head system.

Beacon deployment, and recovery

Beacons can be deployed in many ways, the beacon needs a stand or a anchor,
with a line to the beacon which is supported by a flotation collar. The following are
some examples of methods that can be used
1. Put on the seabed by a diver or an ROV
2. Having an acoustic release that can be commanded to open and allow the
beacon to float to the surface
3. By a wire from a winch on the ship, the beacon is connected to the ship by
the wire, so sufficient slack must be deployed so the beacon is not dragged
as the ship moves.
4. With a wire to a buoy on the surface, which can be used to recover the
beacon at the end of the operation

Sources of error
Multipath
The acoustic signals are reflected off nearby object(s) and interfere with the main
signal, can cause loss of accuracy or total loss of signal.

Noise
This can be acoustic noise, from other beacons, ships, wind on the water, and can
cause weakening of signal, and so reduce operating range of system.
It can also be onboard electronic, or electrical noise that interferes with the operation
of the system.

Aeration
Bubbles in the water caused by thrusters or main engine wash, ROV wash, Diver
operations such as grout bagging. The acoustic signals cannot travel through
bubbles, and can be blocked, causing loss of signal.

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Ray bending
As acoustic signals travel through the water, they are bent, the amount of bending
depends on temperature and salinity (TS), which affects velocity of sound in water.
For DP positioning this is not critical, unless the TS is constantly changing. For
survey operations it is critical as we are now concerned with absolute positioning.
Ray Bending
To deal with this a TS dip is taken, a probe is lowered to the seabed which
measures depth, temperature, and salinity. With this information the velocity at
various depths can be calculated. This can then be applied to beacon signals to
correct for differing velocities.
This information can be used in the HPR system, what information is input depends
on the system. On older systems, a surface, seabed, and average reading are input.
On newer systems it may be possible to input a sound profile, and/or ray diagrams.

Absorbtion
Not so much an error as a source of interference, that can cause weakening, or loss
of signals. As acoustic signals travel through water they expend energy. The higher
the frequency the greater the energy expended. Low frequency signals travel further
through water than higher frequency signals. Lower frequency beacons would be
larger in size.

Advantages
1. Independence of a fixed station
2. The system is under the ships control
3. Beacons can be pre-deployed, and left at work site
4. Can be deployed so that there is no physical link to seabed.
5. Reasonable accuracy
6. Lots of different uses

Disadvantages
1. Suffers from interference from, refraction, noise, absorbtion.
2. Affected by multipath
3. Some systems have beacons that operate on the same frequencies, and will
interfere with each other.
4. There are reports, that equipment made by different manufacturers interferes
with other systems.
5. Batteries run out
6. Beacons need to be deployed

New ways forward

Nautronix
There is a system called Nasnet that is an omni-directional system that can be
installed in an oilfield, and anyone with the correct equipment can get positioning
signals

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Sonardyne
Sonardyne are making combined Long, Short, and Ultra-short baseline systems.
They are also developing a combined system that will operate in water depths of
between 4000, and 7000 metres. Multiple time stamped pulses are transmitted so
that you do not have to wait 5 to 10 seconds between fixes
There is an Ultra long baseline system where calibrated sub-sea beacons send
signals to a surface buoy that transmits the positioning signals, via radio frequencies.

GIB (GPS Intelligent Buoy)

A system consisting of buoys on the sea surface have DGPS positioning capability,
radio equipment, and acoustic receivers, and transmitters, a set of synchronised
30khz pinger type beacons, onboard receiving, and transmitting equipment, a DPGS
unit, and processing equipment.
The ship unit generates the DGPS corrections, the beacons generate positions of
sub devices relative to each buoy using the pinger units, this is transmitted to the
vessel which can then use the multiple position lines to generate a single position for
each sub-sea device.
The buoys can be anchored if water depth allows, drifting, or self propelled. This is
mainly for use as a survey tool.

Other sources of information

1. Makers manuals
2. Imca book M151 principles and use of HPR in offshore environment.

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