Meet the ROVs
No matter which task is at hand or claw, one of the
workhorse ROVs used throughout the response effort was
the Triton. The Triton line of ROVs are designed and
manufactured by Perry Slingsby Systems (PSS) which is a
subsidiary of subsea technology and services giant, Triton
Group. Featuring a strong lineup of heavy duty work ROVs,
PSS unveiled a new lightweight Triton system — the Triton
XLR — in late 2009 that was a curious departure from
earlier models.
This departure was explained in a statement released
by Triton Group CEO, Martin Anderson: "The Triton XLR is
the next step in the evolution of subsea systems which
started with the XL. Our aim was to create an innovative
system which offers the utmost in efficiency and reliability
for the lightweight end of the market.
"The industries in which we operate are in a state of
continual change and the requirement for new design and
engineering innovations is constant. Market driven research
and development underlies all of our current and potential
future products, ensuring our expertise is applied to the
areas today which will take our business — and our
customer’s business — to where it needs to be tomorrow.
"PSS has led the industry in all respects and continues
to do so today with advanced, robust, and dependable
ROVs in the world."
Following that 2009 release, there are now three ROV
models in the PSS Triton lineup:
Triton® XLR 100/125
A medium-duty work-class ROV. Described as the "baby
brother" to the heavy-duty Triton XLX, this 125 hp ROV was
designed for undersea drill and light construction tasks with
a state-of-the-art integrated real-time control engine (ICE)
featuring a GUI and ergonomic pilot (operator) control
console with touch screen operation.
NOTE: At press time, no Triton XLR ROVs had been
used in the Deepwater Horizon response.
Vehicle Specifications
Dimensions: 2,780 mm x 1,500 mm x 1,800 mm
Weight in air: 2,850/3,450 kg
Depth rating: 2,000/3,000/4,000 meters
Payload: 150 kg
Horsepower: 100/125 hp
Tooling Packages
Three cameras
Tritech intelligent gyro compass
Digiquartz depth sensor
6 x 250 watt lights
Electric pan/tilt unit
12 Station main manifold
Two Off thruster manifolds
Piloted high-flow tooling manifold
Seven-Function manipulator
Five-Function grabber
Triton® XLS
A heavy-duty work-class ROV. Featuring heavy-lift 750
meter tether management system (TMS) and fitted with a
Schilling seven-function Titan 4 (T4) and five-function
rigmaster manipulators, the XLS is supported with a
specialized Dynacon 6022 launch and recovery system.
Vehicle Specifications
Dimensions: 3,000 mm x 1,850 mm x 1,890 mm
Weight in air: 4,400 kg
Depth rating: 3,000/4,000 meters
Payload: 300 kg
Horsepower: 150 hp
Tooling Packages
Gyro/Fluxgate compass
Pitch/Roll sensor
Digiquartz depth
Doppler velocity
General function valve pack
Lighting system
Left/Right manipulator
Sonar
Hydraulic tool interfaces
The Triton
XLS 12.
[Photo courtesy of Triton Group.]
SERVO 07.2010 61