Sonsub and GRL co-operate over future product development

General Robotics Ltd (GRL), the supplier of subsea simulators, and Saipem UK’s Sonsub division, have signed a framework agreement to co-operate on future product development.

The first bespoke product from the agreement will be a soil mechanics module designed as an add-in to GRL’s DeepSim desktop subsea planning simulator.

GRL is writing the software with scenario input from Sonsub. Sonsub’s contribution is general in terms of its wide experience of seabed conditions, but highly specific where this relates to the behavioural characteristics of the equipment it uses on the seafloor.

The result is a generic, open architecture, seabed soil mechanics simulator which GRL will add to its product line, together with plug-in modules which are specific to Sonsub’s techniques and equipment, and which will remain Sonsub’s property.

Sonsub’s engineers will be able to develop these models further for themselves. GRL can supply soil mechanics simulators to other customers and help them to develop their own modules built around the equipment and methodologies they employ.

“Co-operation between Sonsub and GRL is proving an excellent vehicle for ventures into uncharted engineering and operational areas,” said Giorgio Martelli, Sonsub’s general manager. “The ability to model complex interactions between seabed and offshore equipment in a way that is both intuitive and real-time, will increase the accuracy of our subsea project planning.”

”The importance of this agreement with Sonsub is the high level of commitment on both sides to developing advanced tools to meet the immediate operational needs of both parties,” said Dr Jason Tisdall, General Robotics’ managing director. “Attempting to predict what happens when positioning pipelines and other equipment on the ocean floor is complex and very expensive when anything goes wrong. The significance of the new product will lie in modelling seabed behaviour so as to predict and avoid problems.”OSJ