InSTREAM Project Characterizes and Models Turbulence from Tank Test to Tidal Channel

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The recently completed InSTREAM project assessed fundamental differences in turbulent flow measured in the field, generated in a tank and simulated in a numerical model

To mitigate the risk and uncertainty associated with turbulent flows in tidal channels, developers often use tank experiments and numerical simulations to assess the power and loading performance of a turbine. However, it remains unclear if these controlled flows can be accurately scaled up to represent the natural turbulence present in tidal channels.

The InSTREAM project compared numerical simulations (centre) that represented measured turbulent flow regimes in the field (left) and in the laboratory (right).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The difficulty in translating between model, tank and field environments motivated the In-Situ Turbulence Replication, Evaluation And Measurement (InSTREAM) project. The three-year project was conducted by a research consortium comprising six commercial and academic entities in the UK and Canada. The project was given the prestigious EUREKA designation, and was co-funded by the Offshore Energy Research Association and InnovateUK. More information can be found on the Eureka project page

OBJECTIVES
The main goal of the InSTREAM project was to determine the appropriate scaling between the turbulent flow conditions in a tank and in a tidal channel, so that numerical simulations of such
flows can be used to estimate uncertainties on turbine performance. The project included the development of a sensor system that combined acoustic (Doppler), and non-acoustic (electro-magnetic and shear probe) technology to create a system that could be used in both laboratory and field applications. The system was successfully deployed at the FloWaveTT Energy Research Facility and in the Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy. Numerical simulations – representing the measured tank and field conditions – were then performed.

KEY OUTCOMES
As expected, the InSTREAM project found significant differences between the turbulence characteristics in the tank and in the field. The 3D eddies observed in the field were, in relative terms, about three times larger than those generated in the tank, resulting in considerable differences in power and fatigue loading. A scaling method has been developed to allow direct comparison and translation between the two flow regimes. This scaling greatly increases the usefulness of tank testing and numerical modeling, and can be reproduced for other test tanks. It also allows site-specific field measurements to be translated to tank experiments, enabling numerical models (validated by tank experiments) to be used for reliable and realistic estimation of turbine and array performance.

Ocean Microstructure Glider Workshop, OMG 2018, Bermuda, May 28 – June 1, 2018

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OMG 2018 is a specialized training program for Rockland turbulence measurement systems that are integrated with ocean gliders.

OMG 2018 will be hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Glider Initiative & Collaboration (MAGIC) at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. Training will be optimized for both scientists and technicians and facilitated by instrument specialists from Rockland Scientific.

Fees to attend OMG 2018 are $1,650 USD and do not include transportation & accommodation. Please contact jeremy_at_rocklandscientific.com to register. Dormitory room & board at BIOS is also available.

For details click here to see the RSI OMG 2018 Flyer

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
Day 1, May 28
• The Turbulence Mixer Kick-Off
Reception (evening)

Day 2, May 29 Classroom
• Overview of OMG Measurement System
• Ocean Microstructure Measurement Theory & Sensors
• Data Acquisition Software
• Pre-Deployment Checks

Day 3, May 30 Field Day
• Field measurements with OMG
(separation into two groups)
• Group 1 morning
• Group 2 afternoon

Day 4, May 31 Classroom
• Post Cruise Maintenance
• Data Conversion and Processing
• Special Topics Presentation (afternoon)
• Guest Speaker TBD
• OMG Banquet Dinner (evening)

Day 5, June 1 Breakout Rooms
• Advanced Data Processing and Analysis
• For Scientists
• Advanced Troubleshooting
• For Technicians
• Special Topics Presentations (afternoon)
• Guest Speakers TBD

Challenging the Loop: Characterizing of the Loop Current System (LCS) in the Gulf of Mexico

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As part of the Oceans Sciences Meeting 2018, Portland OR, this town hall event will unveil recommendations and next steps towards improving the characterization of the LCS, based on findings from the Committee on Advancing Understanding of Gulf of Mexico Loop Current Dynamics. Rockland Scientific is proudly co-sponsoring this event held at the Portland Convention Center, Oregon Ball Room 201, February 14, 2018 18:00 – 20:00. For details see attached flyer.

LCEA MTS Town Hall and Panel

Ocean Turbulence Workshop : 22 – 26 January 2018

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With support from the ONR-Global  program, the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Lab at UKZN, in collaboration with Rockland Scientific, is organizing a training workshop on Ocean Turbulence in January 2018. Rockland’s Dr Rolf Leuck, a leading international expert on the measurement of ocean microstructure,  will lead the workshop. The course deals with both theoretical and practical aspects of understanding and measuring ocean microstructure associated with turbulent mixing. The attached flyer contains more detailed information and a link to a web site with an on-line registration process.

UKNZ particularly encourages graduate students to attend but all interested researchers are welcome to participate.

Detailed information and registration at: https://katrintirok.github.io/TurbulenceWorkshop/

For more information: UKZN Ocean Turbulence workshop

Rockland Announced as Industry Partner to build 11,000m rated Hadal Water Column Profiler

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On Monday the W.M. Keck Foundation announced USD $1.2M of funding to build a Hadal Water Column Profiler (HWCP) that will permit new exploration and understanding of the ocean’s deepest regions.

This uniquely capable profiling instrument will, for the first time:

• enable high quality physical, chemical, and biological sampling of the water column from the sea surface to the seafloor at 11km (36,000 ft) depth;
• withstand hundreds of cycles in and out of hadal pressures; and
• provide observations needed to illuminate important and vexing problems, such as how the deep ocean trenches are ventilated.

This three-year project will be lead by the University of Hawaií Mānoa, involving a highly qualified team of scientists, engineers and technicians from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.  The UH Mānoa team includes Dr. Glenn Carter, a physical oceanographer who made the first turbulent mixing measurements in the ~5km deep Samoan Passage, the primary flow pathway of Antarctic Bottom Water into the North Pacific; Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, a deep-sea ecologist and a founding member of the Hadal Ecosystems Studies (HADES) program and chief scientist for a hadal cruise to the Mariana Trench; Dr. Bruce Howe, the lead investigator on the Aloha Cabled Observatory, the deepest such observatory in the world; and Dr. Chris Measures, a chemical oceanographer who was one of the authors of the international GEOTRACES Science Plan.

HWCP industry partners include Rockland Scientific Inc., who will provide a custom turbulence sensor payload, and Ron Allum Deepsea Services who will provide the flotation, pressure tolerant batteries and design consulting. Rockland has previously supplied UH Mānoa with a 6000m Deep Ocean Vertical Microstructure Profiler profiler and Ron Allum was lead engineer and co-designer of the Deepsea Challenger, which took James Cameron to the Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench in 2012.

The complete UH Foundation news release can be found here

HWCP Concept Drawing

Well-Attended Inaugural China Ocean Turbulence Workshop (COTW 2017) Comes to a Close

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QINGDAO, CHINA, November 3, 2017 – Rockland Scientific Inc. (Rockland), in cooperation with partners JFE Advantech (JFE) and Ocean Science & Technology Company, Inc. (OST-Qingdao), have successfully concluded the inaugural China Ocean Turbulence Workshop (COTW) in Qingdao this week.  The 2017 COTW, with 45 delegates, brought together a wide range of Rockland instrument users from across China.  A comprehensive functional training course covered the design, operation, maintenance and data processing for VMP-250, VMP-500 and VMP-X, as well as the MicroRider-1000 used on the Petrel-II ocean glider, developed by Tianjin University.  There were four instructors from Rockland Scientific and JFE Advantech, while OST-Qingdao organized and facilitated the large event.

In addition to hands-on training, Rockland Scientific opened a two-week “pop-up” service workshop to perform instrument inspections, maintenance and repair at the OST-Qingdao office.  Rockland’s Chinese customers were eager to take advantage of this new service initiative.  The “pop-up” workshop also provided the opportunity for Rockland to interact with customers directly regarding service issues and further train OST-Qingdao technical staff to increase their service capabilities in-country.

The next China Ocean Turbulence Workshop is scheduled for 2018.  COTW 2018 will be expanded to include scientific presentations and panel discussions from Chinese and international microstructure turbulence researchers.  For more information, or to be notified of details as they become available, please contact info@rocklandscientific.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRECHE Seminar: An EM flow sensor for measuring the axial speed of gliders

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An underwater glider deployed by CRECHE doing fine scale measurements near Sodwana Bay [Photo: Sean Whelan – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute]

Many thanks to the Centre for Research on Environmental, Coastal and Hydrological Engineering (CRECHE) for hosting Dr. Fabian Wolk, the President and co-founder of Rockland Scientific Inc. (Victoria, BC, Canada), a leading developer of scientific instrumentation for ocean microstructure and turbulence measurements. Fabian presented a seminar regarding instrumentation used on robotic autonomous underwater gliders that can be used for long-term ocean deployments that measure mixing and other features of our oceans. CRECHE currently has a project doing such measurements in the Agulhas current off the east coast of KZN – the first such measurements made in this region.
 
TOPIC: An electro-magnetic flow sensor for measuring the axial speed of gliders
ABSTRACT: The axial speed of the glider, U, is an important quantity that affects the flight dynamics of the glider as well as the accuracy of certain oceanographic observations. For example, accurate knowledge of U is required when converting measurement points from time-domain spacing to spatial-domain spacing. Some sensors, e.g. turbulence shear probes, require U for proper scaling of the measured signal. While U can be estimated from hydrodynamic models, a direct measurement of the axial speed is preferred in many applications.  This presentation introduces a small current speed sensor that can be added to gliders to directly measure U to improve glider-borne measurements with shear probes.

Rockland Scientific Hires Staff Scientist

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VICTORIA, BC, CANADA, July 24, 2017 — Rockland Scientific Inc. announced the appointment of Dr. Justine McMillan as Staff Scientist. Dr. McMillan will act as scientific and technical liaison between Rockland’s customer base and the company’s R&D and customer service teams.  
Dr. McMillan recently completed her doctoral degree at Dalhousie University, focussing on the measurement of turbulent flows in energetic tidal channels. Her work has been instrumental in the ongoing tidal energy resource assessments. She has also become an advocate for ocean literacy and scientific communication, and is “excited to join the Rockland team.”
“I’ve used Rockland’s instrumentation in several sea-going campaigns for my research work at Dalhousie, which allowed me to develop extensive experience in the processing, analysis and interpretation of turbulence data sets. My experience enables me to support Rockland’s customers, not only helping them get their data, but also assisting them in turning the data into research-paper-ready information”, says McMillan.
About Rockland Scientific: Rockland Scientific Inc., located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, provides sensors and instrument systems for ocean turbulence measurements. The instruments are either ship-deployed profilers, moored systems, or deployed from autonomous gliders, floats, or AUVs. RSI measurement systems are used worldwide in a multitude of disciplines, such as Climate Research, Renewable Ocean Energy, Coastal Management and Erosion Studies, and Fisheries Research. 

Rockland Scientific Awarded Camosun College Co-op Employer of the Year

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Rockland Scientific has been awarded the Camosun College Co-op Technology Employer of the Year Award for 2016, as well as the overall Co-op Employer of the Year Award for 2016.

The Co-operative Education and Career Services department at Camosun College annually recognizes an outstanding employer in each of the program areas, and one employer across all program areas. The award is given based on the employer’s involvement with co-operative education ranging from assisting in workplace education preparation seminars to providing a co-op student with an enriching work experience. John Wells writes, when nominating Rockland Scientific:

“My time at RSI has been extremely positive and given me highly relevant experience that will be invaluable when seeking full time employment. This co-op has further validated my choice to pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering Technology by demonstrating that I have an aptitude for the work and that this type of work is in fact enjoyable and rewarding for me. Most importantly, I am confident that this co-op has truly initiated my transition from student to practicing technologist.”

Employer partners provide valuable and relevant learning that enhance the students’ success and that of the co-operative education program at Camosun. In particular, their strong mentorship of the students, building upon their strengths and encouraging their career growth throughout the technology world has proved invaluable. The award was presented by Nancy Sly, Director of Applied Learning, Co-operative Education and Career Services at Camosun College.

Rockland Scientific to present at the University of Porto Seminar on Ocean Turbulence

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Rockland’s Dr. Rolf Lueck will be delivering the seminar Ocean Turbulence: Synergy between scientific advancement and technological innovation alongside Dr. Jorge M. Magalhães from FCUP (University of Porto). The seminar, organized by the Underwater Systems and Technology Laboratory (LSTS-FEUP), will take place on June 2nd, 2017, at the University of Porto (FEUP).