Development of an autonomous OBEM measurement vehicle for offshore resources exploration

An autonomous underwater glider which equips an OBEM (Ocean Bottom Electromagnetometer) for the ocean bottom resources explorations is proposed. The vehicle is composed of a main wing for gliding and tail wings for motion control of the vehicle. Buoyancy and center of gravity control systems, a buttery, sensors and electric devices are contained in water tight vessels under the main wing. This autonomous vehicle has an ability to achieve a long term continuous resources exploration using OBEM. The buoyancy and attitude control mechanism enables the vehicle to move to the next measurement point by gliding. The landing point for the measurement is precisely controlled by the motion control system. In this report, numerical calculations based on CFD are carried out to design a suitable main wing shape and these results are confirmed in comparison with tank experiments. The gliding performance of the vehicle which has a blended wing shape is discussed based on the calculations and the development of a prototype vehicle is also shown.