ssd activities and updates by paul d. higley specialty devices, inc

October 26, 2010Specialty Devices, Incwww.Specialtydevices.com

SSD Activities and Updates

by Paul D. Higley

Specialty Devices, Inc.

Presented to the 2010 Annual Fall Meeting of the Gas Hydrates Research ConsortiumOxford, Mississippi


SSD Engineering Changes and Activities on the SFO

• Stay on the heave compensator 100% of the time (for the HLA)

• Replacement of the Lift Cable

• Additional Capabilities Cores, Add-on instruments, Ethernet

• Re-Deployment of the IDP

• Modify and test the HLA deployment plan

• Deploy the HLA Pod

• The Spill

SSD Activities for 2010


2010 Cruises

March Engineering Cruise

April SSD Tests and IDP/ HLA Pod Deployment and the Spill

June Dives on the HLA, IDP and test deployments

September Cruise 1 Mapping and Cores

September Cruise 2 Attempted HLA Deployment Mapping and PFA inspection


HLA Deployment Method

HLA Array on Deployment Spool

Hydrophone Breakout on HLA Array Cable



SSD Deploying one HLA Array and DATS Transporter

HLA POD

HLA Array on the SSD Cage

HLA DATS Transporter


SSD Upgrades to aid in HLA Deployment Method

The Plan

Replace the Steel lift cableNew Synthetic one piece cable Replace the Mid-water Weight with added Weights & Floats

Test on Engineering Cruise


SSD Upgrades to Aid in HLA Deployment Method

The NEW Plan

Re-Terminate the Steel lift cable Replace the Mid-water Weight with added Weights & Floats

Test on the April Cruise

Matt Lowe, Brian Noakes, Larry and Andy GossetCreate the floats and weights to make this happen!


April 2010 Cruise

Tested the New SSD Steel Lift Cable ApproachTested the HLA Pod Deployment Tested the HLA DATS Transporter & installed in the HLA PodTested the HLA Array spool deploymentTime, Weather and Oil ended the cruise.


SSD Upgrades to Aid in HLA Deployment Method

April Deployment Tests


June 2010 Cruise

Deployed the HLA Pod

Inspection dive on the IDP and the HLA Pod


September 2010 Cruises

Inspected the Pore Fluid Array

Previous Video

Picked up and moved the CSA sampler from the Rovard

Pictures to be provided by others

No SSD Problems following last September Cruise


SSD Activities and Updates

SSD Upgrades for 2010

HLA Array Deployment ModificationsIncluding Array carrier and DATS Transporter Cage mount

Ethernet link to the surface for payloads

Permanent External Interface

Conversion of remaining lights to new LED lights.

8 core tube Carousel

Water and surface sampler


SDD Status

SSD Transitioned to MMRI Staff

Upgrades Coming:

2000 m working depth

SSD Year in Review

Problems :Nearly all cable and connector based Caused failure of the communications to the ship

ImprovementsReliabilityLarger Equipment Carry CapacitySmoother ride/Rougher Sea CapabilitiesMore CoresAdded Instrument Capabilities

Contros, Mass Spec., FlourometerEthernet, Fiberless Optical link


September 2010 Cruises

Recover Pore Fluid Array


Seafloor Observatory

Funding for the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium provided by: The Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the Department of the Interior, The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the Department of Energy, The National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST) of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the Department of Commerce.

Our Special Thanks to


Station Service Device SSD

End of formal presentation

Additional Information on Design and Build of the SSD


Station Service Device SSD

SSD w/o cage or battery packLength =1.62 m (64”), Width = 1.22 m (48”), Height = 1.09 m (43”)Weight Air 385 kg. (850 lbs.) Sea Water + 4.5 kg. (10 lbs)Operating Depth 1,000 m Could be upgraded to 2000 m

SSD in cage with battery packLength = 2.11m (83”) Width = 2.13m (84”), Height = 1.85m (73”)Weight Air 840 kg. (1850 lbs.) Water 455 kg. (1,000 lbs.)Operating radius from cage 50m Surface Ship radius from cage 300m (1,000 ft.) (water column current dependant)Payload short tether 10 kg. ( 24 lbs.)Payload with drop weight 29 kg. ( 64 lbs.)Bottom time per dive est. 20+ hours Maximum bottom current 0.5m/s (1.0 kts)Interface Power 12, 24, 150, 240 vdc @ 200wInterface communications real time serial to 115kb, Ethernet2 cage baskets8 Push Cores and rack, 2nd Hand w/ cutter water sampler, oil slurper

Specifications

ssd activities and updates by paul d. higley specialty devices, inc

Documents

hla deployment plan

idp hla pod deployment

hla podtested

hla replacement

hla deployment methodthe

hla array cableoctober

higley specialty devices

deployment testsoctober