Endurance increase of autonomous underwater vehicles using polymeric coating technology for effective Arctic seabed exploration and monitoring

自主式水下机器人(AUV)在水下测量、探测和监视方面发挥着越来越大的作用。加拿大的情况尤其如此，它拥有20多万公里的海岸线(是其他任何国家的两倍多)，以及北冰洋被冰覆盖的广大地区。因此，加拿大在某种程度上是独一无二的，因为当代AUV的作战能力受到AUV射程的限制，AUV的射程约为数百公里。对北冰洋海底进行水深测量，探索该地区的碳氢化合物储量，并秘密监控这一偏远的国际船只位置，对国家安全至关重要。拟议的研究重点是减少AUV的流体动力阻力，以降低其功率消耗，从而增加其耐力(航程)。减阻策略是基于一种新的减阻聚合物作为溶解表面涂层的实现。聚合物涂层在海水中逐渐溶解，减轻了边界层湍流，减少了表面摩擦。减阻聚合物对环境友好，还用于灌溉水和食品工业。为了最大限度地提高AUV的耐力，还将通过计算和实验研究对AUV的水平面和外部仪器的形状和位置进行优化，以减少压力阻力分量。拟议研究计划的结果还提供了开发专为北极作业而设计的下一代加拿大水下机器人所需的设计、数值和实验知识和专业知识。

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are continually playing an increased role for underwater surveying, exploration, and surveillance. This is particularly true for Canada, which has over 200,000 km of coastline (more than double any other nation), and vast regions of Arctic Ocean covered by ice. As such, Canada is somewhat unique in that operational capabilities of the current generation of AUV's are limited by AUV range, which is on the order of hundreds of kilometers. The ability to conduct bathymetric surveys of the Arctic Ocean floor, explore the region for hydrocarbons reserves, and covertly monitor this remote location for international vessels is critical to national security.The proposed research focuses on reducing the hydrodynamic drag of AUVs to reduce their power consumption and, thus, increases their endurance (range). The drag reduction strategy is based on a novel implementation of drag reducing polymers as a dissolving surface coating. The polymer coating gradually dissolves in seawater, mitigates boundary layer turbulence, and reduces the skin-friction. The drag reducing polymers are environmentally friendly and are also used in irrigation waters and food industry. In order to maximize the AUV endurance, shape and position of the hydroplanes and external instrumentation of the AUV will also be optimized using computational and experimental investigations to also reduce the pressure drag component. The results of the proposed research program also provide design, numerical, and experimental knowledge and expertise required for development of next generation Canadian underwater vehicles specifically designed for operation in the Arctic.