Addressing the Challenges for ROV Operation in High Flow Environments: Case of the Bay of Fundy

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The high-energy Bay of Fundy marine environment offers a vast relatively untapped source of renewableenergy in the form of tides. In this context, energy conversion technologies that harvest this energy source areincreasingly coming on-line, and dependable tools that can be used to inspect and interact with submergedinfrastructure over sustained periods are increasingly needed. In the past few years, the Nova Scotia tidalcommunity has augmented its marine operational capacity, but some unknowns and risks still exist, and thecost associated with such operations are high. A next step in reducing tidal energy levilized costs is thereforeimproving the performance of key installation tools, such as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).Conventional ROVs generally operate in subsurface currents of up to 1.5 m/s. They are thus a key operatinglimitation in the design (and cost) of the marine operations in high flow tidal environment such as the Bay ofFundy, where subsurface current speeds reach 5 m/s. Dominion Diving Ltd. now seeks the support of NovaScotia Community College (NSCC) to investigate the technical feasibility of deploying an ROV, the CougarXT 1420 in the Bay of Fundy. The company will then have reliable data to optimize ROV performance for aset of different operational scenarios. This will give the company the ability to become a global leader in theuse of ROVs in high flow marine environments. The outcome will contribute to bringing the supply of tidalenergy, a clean, predictable and renewable energy source, in line with other energy supply options in Canada.