Development of Overhead Launch and Recovery System

Abstract

A market demand for a launch and recovery system for remotely operated vehicles, ROV, is identified and current thesis describes the development of a conceptual system, involving both concept generation as well as verification with calculations. The suggested solution operates the remotely operated vehicle from the hangar of the vessel, out over the ship side, lowering it to the operational depth and then recovers it back into the hangar. Launch and recovery systems must be adaptable to a wide variety of vessels and the environment is different on each vessel. A calculation tool is presented that can quickly give the main dimensions of a product at an early stage of the development process. This tool that makes it possible to input the build-in dimensions of the system and the desired classification society. The tool gives the main dimensions such as the size, weight, hydraulic cylinder dimensions and reaction forces. Secondary output such as relative positions of cylinder attachment points etc. is also available. Calculations are primarily made in MATLAB, and geometric models are created in Autodesk Inventor. To provide an easy way of inputting variable parameters, an input sheet is constructed in Microsoft Excel. The developed concept in combination with the calculation tool provides a concept that can be installed on a wide variety of vessels by only changing a small number of input variables.