CRD100 First Cruise Support Mission

Cellula Robotics Ltd. (Cellula) has successfully completed a cruise support mission on the Japanese research vessel Kaimei. This was the first drilling cruise for the JAMSTEC owned CRD100.

The primary goal of the cruise was to provide a hands-on training session for drill operations, the second was to recover any cores possible from the pillow lava rock found on the seafloor 1000 meters below the surface. The drilling took place at in Sagami Bay, Japan, where the sea bed was relatively flat and firm.

During the cruise the drill completed two dives, each to about 1000msw from which multiple high-quality H-size and 146T size core samples were recovered.

Image courtesy of JAMSTEC

Cellula Featured in UT3 Magazine

Cellula Robotics has been featured in UT3’s first 2017 issue.  

The article examines the benefits, features, and new developments of the CRD100 Seafloor Drill upon the delivery of Cellula’s third such drilling system. The article can be found here on pages 44-46.

UT3 is the online magazine of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT), which brings together organisations and individuals with an interest in underwater technology, ocean science and offshore engineering.

Don Clarke Presenting Cetor3000 at IEEE OES Vancouver

Cellula Robotics has developed a system for autonomously sampling organisms and sediments from seawater.

Designed for deployment across multiple platforms, the sampler opens up new possibilities for investigation in previously unexplored areas. In addition to plankton, the sampler also extends its capability to bacteria-grade sampling.

The Vancouver Branch of IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society will host Cellula engineer, Don Clarke. He will discuss the challenges of meeting the stringent requirements for this system, including large sample quantity, size classification of samples, compactness, zero cross contamination and long deployment durations.

Cetor3000 – Development of a Subsea Biological Sampler

Date: March 15, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: BCIT Burnaby Campus Room SW01-2019
RSVP:  IEEE Website

Cellula Receives NRC-IRAP Funding for SLAM

Cellula Robotics Ltd. (Cellula) has been successfully awarded grant funding from the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). 

The funding will go towards the development of a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) payload capabilities for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) operating in confined spaces.

Third CRD100 Successfully Completes Sea Trials

Cellula Robotics Ltd. has successfully completed sea trials of its third CRD100 seafloor drill. 

This drill was supplied to the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). During sea trials, the CRD100 completed two dives to 2800m off the coast of Japan.

The CRD100 is a fourth generation seafloor drill designed to operate in waters down to 3000m depth for geotechnical surveys, mineral exploration and methane gas hydrates sampling.

Built on proven subsystems, the CRD100 is self-contained with a 100 HP power pack.   The CRD100 provides an unprecedented level of intelligent control that facilitates efficient core sampling and CPT pushes.  A wireline tool system further enhances the speed of operation.  The JAMSTEC CRD100, known as the BMS includes H-size and 146T tools and a custom 450mm diameter casing system.

Cellula is pleased to continue supporting JAMSTEC with offshore personnel for the first drilling cruise onboard the research vessel Kaimei in April, 2017.

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) is an independent administrative institution whose main objective is to contribute to the advancement of academic research in addition to the improvement of marine science and technology. For more information, please visit the JAMSTEC website.

Cellula Celebrates 15 Years of Zero Lost-Time Injuries

Cellula Robotics Ltd. (Cellula) recently celebrated 15 consecutive years of zero lost-time injuries.

Achieving a milestone such as this is only achievable through the commitment and participation from all employees. The commitment from all workers and management to embrace Health and Safety as a top priority continues to further improve the program.

In spite of this impressive record, Cellula strives to raise the bar through continual improvement of its safety program. November 30, 2016, marks the successful completion of the most recent external audit of our Health and Safety Management System, and the Certificate of Recognition award by WorkSafeBC.

Cellula President, Eric Jackson, says, building an innovative health and safety management system that not only protects the well-being of employees and partners but also continues to open new markets and attract new customers is an on-going goal. A continually improving OHSMS fitted to the context of the business and designed to comply with future OHSMS standards represents a key competitive advantage for Cellula.

Congratulations to the entire team at Cellula!

Completion of Geotechnical Package for CRD100

Cellula Robotics Ltd. (Cellula) has completed a Cone Penetrometer Test (CPT) system with outrigger legs for Fukada Salvage & Marine Works Co., Ltd. to be used with the CRD100 seafloor drill delivered in 2014.

The CRD100 standard landing legs are designed for hard ground, which is typically found in areas for mineral exploration.  Geotechnical CPT work is typically done in softer ground conditions, so the current leveling legs and feet will not provide sufficient force to level the drill.  Two concepts have been developed for different ground conditions:

• For medium strength soil, larger feet can be added to the current landing legs to increase the surface area
• For soft ground conditions, Cellula has developed a set of hydraulic outrigger legs that are fitted in place of the current landing legs. A water injection system is also included on the underside of each outrigger pad.  Water injection is used to break suction under the pads when the drill is recovered.

The CPT package uses an acoustic modem to transmit data from the CPT cone to the CRD100 in real-time.  The data is then processed with the depth of push information is added.  This data is transmitted up the fiber optic umbilical to the operator in the control van and displayed using a dedicated CPT software package.

Fukada Salvage and Marine Works Co., Ltd. (FSM), headquartered in Osaka, Japan is involved in marine salvage, steel structure installation, offshore engineering, and other infrastructural improvement projects. FSM is currently introducing deep-sea research equipment and other cutting-edge assets to a fleet of six offshore support vessels to aggressively tackle ocean development projects. For more information, please visit the FSM website.

CRD100 Delivered After Successful Factory Acceptance Testing

Cellula Robotics Ltd. successfully completed factory acceptance testing of its third CRD100 seafloor drill, which is for Fukada Salvage & Marine Works Ltd. Co. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

The CRD100 is a fourth generation seafloor drill designed to operate in waters down to 3000m depth for geotechnical surveys, mineral exploration and methane gas hydrates sampling.

Built on proven subsystems, the CRD100 is self-contained with a 100 HP power pack.   The CRD100 provides an unprecedented level of intelligent control that facilitates efficient core sampling and CPT pushes.  A wireline tool system further enhances the speed of operation.  The JAMSTEC CRD100 includes “size H” tooling and also supports optional tools for surface sampling (T146) and large cased boreholes.

The drill underwent factory acceptance testing at Cellula’s Burnaby facility as well as in local waters. Sea trials will take place in February, 2017.

Fukada Salvage and Marine Works Co., Ltd. (FSM), headquartered in Osaka, Japan is involved marine salvage, steel structure installation, offshore engineering, and other infrastructural improvement projects. FSM is currently introducing deep-sea research equipment and other cutting-edge assets to a fleet of six offshore support vessels to aggressively tackle ocean development projects. For more information, please visit the FSM website.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world’s leading heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 3,349.5 billion yen in fiscal 2013, the year ended March 31, 2014. MHI’s diverse lineup of products and services encompasses four business domains, “Energy & Environment”, “Commercial Aviation & Transportation Systems”, “Integrated Defense & Space Systems” and “Machinery, Equipment & Infrastructure.” For more information, please visit the MHI website.

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) is an independent administrative institution whose main objective is to contribute to the advancement of academic research in addition to the improvement of marine science and technology. For more information, please visit the JAMSTEC website. 

Cellula at Underwater Mining Conference 2016

Cellula’s Hydraulic Systems Engineer, Reuben Meikle, will be attending the 45th Underwater Mining Conference along with our international agent, Oceantech, from October 9 through 13, 2016.

This conference will explore resource and environmental assessments for seafloor mineral development, with a focus on deep-sea projects. For more information, please visit the Underwater Mining Conference website. 

Cellula Featured in Sea Technology Magazine

Cellula Robotics is featured in the September issue of Sea Technology!

Check out the article, “CRD100 Seafloor Geotechnical Drill: Designing an Integrated System Beyond ROV ‘Tooling Package” on pages 10-14. Authors, Eric Jackson (Cellula President), Derek White (General Manager of SGSI) and Allan Spencer (Managing Director of Cellula U.K.) talk about the exciting advantages of deep water exploration using the CRD100.