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TACOS Tech for Crucial Ocean MeasurementsScientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, in col- laboration with two private industry Þ rms, are developing what they tout as breakthrough technologies to capture information from the oceans. Scripps researchers John Orcutt and Jon Berger have developed a MOU with Horton Wi- son Deepwater (HWD) and John Crane Production Solutions (JCPS) in develop- ing new, stable and long-lasting ocean buoys with sensors moored to the sea- ß oor to measure ground motion, water column pressure, pH, current speed and direction, optical and acoustic backscat-ter, salinity, temperature, and myriad other variables over extended periods of time. Placing sensors on traditional platforms and ships capable of making these measurements is expensive and the sensors themselves tend to lack the necessary stability needed for long term monitoring. The newly designed Ôtaut- moored arrayÕ will be moored to the sea- ß oor, outÞ tted with a renewable energy power supply and Þ ber optics, with data relayed through a surface antenna. The Tendon Anchored Composite Ocean Spar, or (TACOS), designed by HWD and Scripps, has the potential to support a number of deep-water instruments with minimal installation costs. A key to the TACOS design is the re- placement of the currently used multi-legged mooring between the surface and the seaß oor with a single, economi- cal tether, which restricts buoy motions. JCPS specializes in the ÔpultrusionÕof very strong, composite tendons, which involves running a number of glass or carbon Þ bers through a die, where an adhering resin is infused to secure the Þ -bers in a particular orientation. The rod is pulled at such a rate that the adher- ing resin can set during the procedure. The resulting members have enormous strength in tension and are resistant to corrosion and biofouling. The research- ers estimate the total project cost will be $3.7 million, which includes project funding development, system design and fabrication, installation and operation in Southern California waters for one year. MacArtney Upgrades SAAB ROV systemMacArtney Norge has a long standing relationship with ROV manufacturer SAAB Seaeye, working together on nu- merous projects related to the production, maintenance and sale of the versatile Sea Owl 500 observation class ROV system. Now MacArtney and SAAB Seaeye have developed an upgraded XTi. The Sea Owl system was developed by SAAB in the early 90Õs and applications in- clude observation and inspection of sub- sea installations and light work tasks in challenging environments. The primary market for the Sea Owl is Þ rmly rooted on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the XTi has been developed to meet the requirements of operators who perform subsea work on behalf of, for instance, Statoil. Among the new features, the XTi boast a 360 degree control program (6 DOF), a 3000m depth rating and a 400m tether length on the top-hat TMS. In ad- dition, the SAAB Seaeye ICON control system enables easy integration of sen- sors. BMT Delivers Metocean Support for Total Norge BMT ARGOSS (BMT) completed an evaluation of meteorological and ocean- ographic environmental conditions for the Martin Linge Þ eld in the Norwegian sector of the northern North Sea. BMTÕs assessment also included the installa-tion routes of associated subsea assets, a submarine power cable to Kollsnes (Norway) across the Norwegian Trench via the Troll Þ eld, a Þ ber-optic network to Huldra and a pipeline to the TP1 tie-in point. The Martin Linge gas Þ eld (former- ly known as Hild) is situated between Norwegian Licence Blocks 30/4 and 30/7, approximately midway between the Shetland Islands and the Norwegian coast, in approximately 115 m water depth. The Huldra and TP1 sites are in equivalent water depths and a spatial re- view of the western study area was com- pleted to check the validity of using the Martin Linge Criteria at these three sites.News June 2013MTR #5 (1-17).indd 12MTR #5 (1-17).indd 126/3/2013 2:26:13 PM6/3/2013 2:26:13 PM
