Development of an Auxiliary Propulsion Module for an Autonomous Underwater Glider

Abstract

A low-power propeller-based propulsion module has been developed to augment the buoyancy engine of a 200 m Slocum electric glider. This device is introduced to allow new behaviours such as horizontal flight and faster overall speeds to expand the existing operational envelope of underwater gliders. The design of the system is optimized for use at the typical horizontal glider speed of 0.3 m/s. Before integration into the glider the stand-alone propulsion module has been tested in a small flume tank to verify the systems performance. The validity of a previously published hydrodynamic model of the glider at zero angle of attack was verified by conducting drag measurements at various flow velocities at full scale in a larger flume tank. Self-propulsion tests were also performed to establish the performance of the glider with the new propulsion module in the larger flume tank and in the university tow tank. The results from these tests show that the new propulsion module is able to match the performance of the conventional glider for full depth profiles and to exceed it for limited depth profiles.

Keywords

auxiliary propulsion module autonomous underwater glider hydrodynamic model self-propulsion tests

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Rudnick

D. L.

Davis

R. E.

Eriksen

C. C.

Fratantoni

D. M.

Perry

M. J.

, Underwater gliders for ocean research. Mar. Technol. Soc. J. , 2004, 38, 73–84.

Eriksen

C. C.

Osse

T. J.

Light

R. D.

Wen

Lehman

T. W.

Sabin

P. L.

Ballard

J. W.

Chiodi

A. M.

Seaglider: A long-range autonomous underwater vehicle for oceanographic research. IEEE J. Oceanic Engng , 2001, 26(4), 424–436.

Sherman

Davis

R. E.

Owens

W. B.

Valdes

The autonomous underwater glider ‘Spray’. IEEE J. Oceanic Engng , 2001, 26(4), 437–446.

Webb

D. C.

Simonetti

P. J.

Jones

C. P.

, LOCUM: An underwater glider propelled by environmental energy. IEEE J. Oceanic Engng , 2001, 26(4), 447–452.

Bradley

A. M.

, Low power navigation and control for long range autonomous underwater vehicles. In Proceedings of the Second International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, San Francisco, California, USA, 14–19 June 1992, vol. II, pp. 473–478 (International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers, Golden, Colorado).

Bradley

A. M.

Feezor

M. D.

Singh

Sorrell

Yates F.

Power systems for autonomous underwater vehicles. IEEE J. Oceanic Engng , 2001, 26(4), 526–538.

Merckelbach

L. M.

Briggs

R. D.

Smeed

D. A.

Griffiths

Current measurements from autonomous underwater gliders. In Proceedings of the Ninth IEEE/OES Working Conference on Current measurement technology 2008, pp. 61–67 (IEEE, New York).

Page

Y. L.

, Innovative glider technologies. In Proceedings of the Third European Gliding Observatories Workshop and Glider School (EGO 2008), La Spezia, Italy, 27–31 October 2008.

Caffaz

Caiti

Casalino

Turetta

The hybrid glider/AUV Folaga. IEEE Robotics Automn Mag. , 2010, 17(1), 31–44.

10.

Leonard

N. E.

Graver

J. G.

, Model-based feedback control of autonomous underwater gliders. IEEE J. Oceanic Engng , 2001, 26(4), 633–645.

11.

Graver

J. G.

Bachmayer

Leonard

N. E.

Fratantoni

D. M.

, Underwater glider model parameter identification. In Proceedings of the 13th International Symposium on Unmanned untethered submersible technology (UUST ′03), Durham, New Hampshire, USA, 24–27 August 2003.

12.

Alkaline manganese dioxide battery MN 1300, size D (LR20). Data Sheet, Duracell, Bethel, Connecticut, USA, June 2008.

13.

Key information on - Maxon DC motor and Maxon EC motor, Maxon motor, Sachsein, Switzerland, 2005, available from http://test.maxonmotor.com/docsx/Download/catalog_2005/Pdf/05_034_e.pdf.

14.

D'Epagnier

K. P.

Chung

H. L.

Stairway

M. J.

Kimball

R. W.

An open source parametric propeller design tool. In Proceedings of OCEANS 2007, Vancouver, Canada, 29 September-4 October 2007 pp. 1–8 (IEEE, New York).

15.

Lewis

E. V.

Principles of naval architecture, resistance, propulsion, and vibration vol. II, 2005 (Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, Jersey City, New Jersey).

16.

Newman

J. N.

, Marine hydrodynamics , 1977 (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts).

17.

Singh

Yoerger

Bradley

Issues in AUV design and deployment for oceanographic research. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and automation, 1997, Vol. 3, pp. 1857–1862 (IEEE, New York).

18.

Graver

J. G.

Underwater gliders: dynamics, control and design , 2005 (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey).

19.

Williams

C. D.

Bachmayer

de Young

Progress in predicting the performance of ocean gliders from at-sea measurements. In Proceedings of OCEANS 2008, Quebec, Canada, 15–18 September 2008, pp. 1–8 (IEEE, New York).