TFH Berlin

Deployment technologies of seafloor observatories

Hans W. GerberDept. Mechanical Engineering

TFH Berlin, University of Applied Sciences, Germany

feasible and reasonable

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MARINE SCIENCES MARINE TECHNOLOGY

OCEANOGRAPHY ENGINEERING SCIENCES

EQUIPMENT – PROCEDURES - DESIGNS

MAN AT SEAROV / AUV

SUBMERSIBLES AND - … SYSTEMS

EXPLORATION EXPLOITATION AND PROTECTION

OBSERVATION MEASUREMENT

INSPECTIONMAINTENANCE

REPAIR

Technology at sea

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• Arctic - water exiting into the Atlantic ocean • Norwegian margin - slope instabilities - slides • North of the Faroes oceanic fluxes of heat, salt …. • Porcupine Seabight/Abyssal Plain bio-geochemical flux, fisheries and oil-gas exploration• Azores Mid-Atlantic Ridge habitats with hydrothermal vents and sea floor morphology - crust spreading

• Gulf of Cadiz - Iberian margin. complexity with the junction of the Eurasian and African plates • Ligurian Sea Existing cables installed for the ANTARES neutrino detector experiment • Eastern Sicily near Etna, multidisciplinary observatory recently completed its first mission - existing

cable• Hellenic Area characterized by significant seismicity, special habitats in deep basins• Black Sea anoxic conditions in the deep, invasive species and high sediment loads

Proposed deep sea observatories

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MODUS

Bottom Station

Moored Buoy for Near-Real-Time Communication

Combined systems: mooring and observatory

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0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

0 45 90 135 180 225 270 315 360

Time [d]

ma

ss [k

g]

Data link related to the amount storage, nrtcs, rtcs, cable (band width)

BENTHICSTATIONand/or

MOORING

LANDER

RO

V

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A-Frame - Ship motion and collision force during operation

Wind ForceWave Slam

Current induced DragWave particle drag; Intertial Force

Umbilical Slack cond.Heave DragInertial force

UmbilicalAdded mass

Heave,Roll, ...

Impact forces, DeploymentRecovery docking

system definition

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7From concept to operation

Interventionat 4000 meter

Concept

Design

Analysis

Manufac. + Tests

operation

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horizontal

CFD Simulation

deployment

recovery

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9CAD, FEM, CFD, RPT -> Product

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10Environmental conditions

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11MABEL - Multidisciplinary Antarctic BEnthic Laboratory

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12BIODEEP

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13aboard

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14Flow around an observatory: velocity magnitude

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15Observatory with standard interface and open frame

Robust frame for long term operation and heavy equipment

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Satellite Node(host)

Gateway Station

SatelliteLink

Acoustic Links

Sea floor

On-shore Networks (Internet)BUOY

Sea surface

Satellite Node(host)

c

GEOSTAR as gateway stationplus

satellites (incl. most demanding sensors)

6-8 month experiment NW of the Marsili volcanic seamount at 3260 m w.d.

ORION

ORION: Networking

Satellite Node(host)

Gateway Station

SatelliteLink

Acoustic Links

Sea floor

On-shore Networks (Internet)BUOY

Sea surface

Satellite Node(host)

c

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18Latch Device

TopofBS

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19Intervention systems

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Operation viaOperation via

AUVAUV((LLaunch aunch AAnd nd

RRecovery ecovery SSystem)ystem)

ROVROV(A-Frame)(A-Frame)

Cable-Cable-systemsystem(A-Frame)(A-Frame)

Operation Operation depth 4000 depth 4000

m?m?few availablefew available some some

availableavailablesome some

availableavailable

ultimate ultimate payloadpayload <10 KN<10 KN <10 KN<10 KN ~30 KN~30 KN

Handling Handling PeoplePeople >=3>=3 >=3>=3 22

Duration of Duration of Underwater Underwater OperationOperation

<= 48h<= 48h TheoreticTheoretical infiniteal infinite

TheoreticTheoretical infiniteal infinite

Sea State Sea State limitationslimitations

DuringDuringLaunch & Launch & RecoveryRecovery

During During Launch &Launch &RecoveryRecovery

During During whole whole Oper.Oper.

Different field for operation

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21Cable connected systems like MODUS

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22Cable connected systems like MODUS

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23End