TIDAL TESTING FACILITIES


TIDAL TESTING FACILITIES


EC-OG SWITCH ON SUBSEA POWER HUB UNIT


EC-OG switched on the Subsea Power Hub (SPH) for the first time earlier this year. The ocean current energy conversion system was successfully installed and is now fully operational


INCREASED DEMAND


FOR TIDE GAUGES Valeport has reported a surge in sales of tide gauge equipment in its most recent quarter


The UK’s leading manufacturer of oceanographic, hydrographic and hydrometric instrumentation said that sales of tide gauge equipment rose 22% over the same period in 2016. Valeport’s performance and reliability in tide gauges is well renowned and the firm confirm that sales across the portfolio of tide gauge instrumentation including TideMasters, Radar sensors and the TideStation are significantly ahead of forecast.


OBSERVATION HUB Valeport’s tidal observation hub, TideStation, optimises performance of instrumentation and is designed to be flexible in its configuration and has Valeport’s industry leading tide gauge


10 www.wavetidalenergynetwork.co.uk


system at its core. The compact and robust TideStation unit offers pressure, radar and hybrid tidal observation techniques coupled with interfaces to other meteorological, telemetry and third party systems.


The Valeport TideMaster provides an accurate, versatile and easily deployed tide gauge for use in short or long term survey operations. TideMaster is compatible with a wide range of hydrographic software and tools. A control/display panel, Bluetooth, SD card memory and an optional weather sensor provide unrivalled functionality. Low power consumption and a user selectable sampling regime allow for up to a year of autonomous


operation, whilst optional telemetry packages extend the capabilities for real time operations.


WORKING SEAMLESSLY Radar sensors developed by Valeport such as the VRS-20, which is a pulsed k-band radar level sensor, are designed to work seamlessly with the TideMaster tide logger and to operate standalone with optional integrated GPRS telemetry or interface to a third party data logger. Versatile and simple to install, the VRS-20 addresses a number of the issues traditionally associated with water level measurement. The non-contact technology removes the installation, corrosion and fouling issues of submerged sensors, while


simplifying datum control. Accuracy and performance are unaffected by changes in water density and atmospheric conditions.


POSITIVE PERFORMANCE


The positive sales performance for the tide gauge portfolio follows a similar rosy picture across all Valeport product sectors as Kevin Edwards, Valeport Sales and Marketing Manager, commented: “We’re at the half way mark in our financial year and we’re delighted to see such an acceleration in sales, we’re ahead of target and production is extremely busy. Not only are we seeing our tide gauge products being incredibly popular at the moment, with us working at full capacity to meet deliveries, but we’ve also seen a significant step change in sales to the oil & gas sector – with SVX2s, IPS and Altimeters reporting strong sales.”


Valeport Ltd


The unit, which is being tested at the European Marine Energy Centre’s (EMEC’s) Shapinsay Sound test site, is currently performing in line with technical predications. The next step is to leave the SPH running 100% autonomously with wireless data monitoring over the summer months.


This testing validates the technical capability of the system which has been designed to fulfil the need for cost-effective and reliable subsea power. This ground- breaking subsea hybrid drive system uses a combination of a marine energy convertor coupled directly to a lithium based energy storage system.


Robert Cowman, Engineering Director at EC-OG said: “Although the weather was not on our side, we were still able to successfully complete the installation and commence testing ahead of schedule. The system is performing very well and I’m pleased at how quickly the results are correlating with the theoretical basis for the test. Having a vertical axis turbine, means that the SPH is operating effectively in these unpredictable, sporadic flow conditions.


“Thanks go to the EC-OG team as well as those who have helped us at EMEC, Leask Marine, Castle View and Scottish Enterprise.”


European Marine Energy Centre www.wavetidalenergynetwork.co.uk 11


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