| dc.description.abstract | This bachelor thesis is written in collaboration with the student organization UiS Subsea, a project that requires joint effort between the different engineering disciplines to be able to manufacture a functional end product. The thesis addresses the mechanical aspect of the project, and entails the design, production, and assembly of the ROV frame, electronics enclosure, battery enclosure and the manipulator. Ensuring the functionality of the ROV requires proper sealing of all electronic devices. A new aspect of this year’s project is that the mechanical group were responsible for the design, manufacturing, and assembly of a waterproof battery enclosure. The main purpose behind the idea of utilizing batteries for this year’s project was due to the long term goal which is to run the entire ROV on battery power. A ROV operated on battery power, would enable utilizing a longer tether as the voltage drop issue would have been eliminated.
The objective for this year’s ROV was to manufacture a robust ROV. This also suggest that a heavier vehicle was likely for this year’s project, which in turn would impact its velocity. On the other hand, due its robustness, the vehicle will be well-suited for executing tasks requiring stability and strength. The transition phase that the world is experiencing today’s is a part of revolutionizing the subsea industry. This thesis is highly relevant for the industry nowadays as the market is experiencing significant growth and substantial investments from both private and public sector.
The product development process is highly relevant for this thesis, due to the fact that this thesis deals with manufacturing of a product. Therefore, both the project execution and the thesis are based on this process. Additionally, frequent communication with students from last year’s project were maintained. Their knowledge has been absolute central as the project seek continuous development. Consultations with field expertise were conducted during the design phase. These consultations involved team members from Energy X, Seal Engineering, IKM Industrigravøren, and Djuvik Maskinering. This way of working has presented with the opportunity of looking at problems from new angles, a valuable experience throughout the project. Proper testing of critical components was absolutely crucial for the project. A vacuum test was conducted in order to discover potential water intrusion in both the electronic- and battery enclosure. These tests concluded that both enclosures had passed inspection and therefore ready for further testing in a water environment.
There are room for improvements for future projects. One valuable insight gained was the importance of avoiding focusing on too many details early in the concept generation phase. It is easy to fall into the trap of trying to envision the completion of the concept all the way through, from the design phase to the final product. If, at this stage, determined that it was not feasible, the process would pivot to exploring other concepts. The key lesson learned is that while an overall concept fell short, there may be individual solutions to particular problems that can be used in other concepts.
The chosen product development process was followed strictly during the project. Some steps were left out, as these were not as relevant for a non-commercial product. Without such organized way of structuring the strategy for the 2023/2024 bachelor project, the results would probably not have been adequate, given limited time and resources. The planning phase started as early as fall 2023, with the project management team setting goals and boundaries for the overall project. The product development process played a significant part in accomplishing the main goal of this bachelor thesis, which was developing a fully functional remotely operated vehicle. | |
