A custom BlueROV2 vehicle powered by six batteries connected using SeaView’s groundbreaking new MBM-150 Multi-Battery Manager recently completed a survey of a restricted access treated water sewer outfall.

24 inch diameter outfall diffusers located 2,400ft from the pipe entry at the treatment plant were the target of the survey, but access was too constricted to allow for the use of a Seaeye Falcon, SeaView’s custom LDROV, or any observation class ROV capable of pulling the amount of tether required to complete the inspection. These sort of requirements are an everyday part of many inspections and often drive SeaView’s innovations in ROV technology, and in this instance the possibility to augment the capabilities of the Blue Robotics BlueROV2 to accomplish the job by powering it with multiple battery packs was the innovation that was needed.

“Connecting Lithium-ion batteries in parallel without a battery manager was not an option,” said SeaView’s Operations Manager Geoff Cook. “At best, the life of the batteries are reduced, and if there is a large difference in the charge of the connected batteries, a fire or explosion could occur.” To address the requirements, SeaView developed their MBM-150 Multi-Battery Manager which enabled connection of six of the standard battery packs typically used by the BR2. The detailed inspection took 5 1/2 hours using only 40% of the total capacity of 108Ah. The fiber optic vehicle’s telemetry for the vehicle’s operating system, Ping 360 Sonar, and Imagenex 881a Profiling Sonar was made possible with SeaView’s SVS-109 Fiber Optic Multiplexer. Using the BlueROV2 also allowed for a much more efficient, streamlined, and low cost mobilization, transport, and demobilization than would ever have been possible with a larger ROV, even without the prohibitive 24″ diameter restriction. “The BlueROV2’s ease of mobilization & deployment makes loading out for a job incredibly efficient, Geoff Cook said. “Also, the extra battery power made possible by the MBM-150 battery manager eliminated the ‘range anxiety’ that’s typical when operating any type of battery operated vehicle. The ability to able to take the time to do a thorough inspection and cover all the bases without having to keep a constant eye on a quickly draining single battery is invaluable.”

For MBM-150 Multi Battery Manager details and ordering info please click HERE.

Contact Seaview at info@seaviewsystems.com for more information on our BlueROV2 packages and specialized ROV services.