The industry's recognized authority for design, engineering and application of equipment and services in the global ocean community
Issue link: http://sea-technology.epubxp.com/i/377971
www.sea-technology.com September 2014 / st 27 of anti-fouling device, from mechanical wipers to chemi- cal leachate to UV irradiation. There are positive features to all of these methods, but they are not 100 percent effective all of the time. With optical sensors, such as turbidity, opti- cal backscatter and fuorescence, some form of mechanical I n recent years there has been an increase in the require- ment for subsea engineering works and geophysical ex- ploration due to dredging projects, well drilling and mining activities, renewable energies, port development, fsheries and leisure activities. The monitoring of such sites before, during and after planned works is essential to the successful completion of activities, for regulatory reasons or practical purposes. For example, water quality parameters, such as turbidity, are now part of the specifcation for any planned dredge projects, and sediment distribution and the current fows sur- rounding (and within) a site play a crucial role in the distribution of spoil and the movement of ves- sels or equipment. A considerable advantage of the use of foating platforms for data collection is the ability to col- lect data continuously, in near real time, from both inshore and offshore locations. To collect such a comprehensive dataset, the continuous use of boats is often impractical in terms of logistics and cost. However, there should be no misconceptions as to the level of support necessary in order to main- tain a regular fow of high-quality data from a single buoy or buoy network. When the specifcations are being drawn up, consideration must be given to the installation and ongoing maintenance of all aspects of the system. This includes ship time for deploy- ment and subsequent service visits, trained person- nel to carry out cleaning and service of the sensors on a regular basis, purchase of redundant probes to minimize down time during maintenance, and holding an adequate stock of spares. There are some important considerations to be taken into account when operating a successful data buoy monitoring system. Biofouling This is one of the most common reasons for fail- ure in the supply of data from sensors on the buoy system. Most sensors and sondes carry some form Requirements for Monitoring Subsea Engineering Works Keeping Floating Platforms Functioning at Their Best By Paul Ridout • Becky Childs New buoys and moorings ready for site installation. (Photo Credit: OSIL)