Tradeoffs between umbilical and battery power in ROV performance

For many existing inspection class ROV designs, a powered umbilical was the obvious choice as a means of providing system power. But advances in battery capability, coupled with the sheer diversity of applications and associated task requirements for which ROVs are now being targeted, has resulted in an interesting tradeoff between the capabilities of umbilical versus battery power. This paper will examine tradeoffs between battery and umbilical power as well practicalities for both custom and off-the-shelf ROV systems.