Deepglider Reliability Development

Deepglider 可靠性开发

• 批准号: 1153983
• 负责人: Charles Eriksen
• 金额: $ 89.9万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-06-01 至 2016-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1153983&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Deepglider; Reliability; Development

This project will carry out further development and testing to bring the advanced prototype for a full ocean depth capable glider to the stage that it can be used for scientific investigation. Deepgliders are designed to dive to as deep as 6 km and return to the sea surface about 250 times in a single mission lasting as long as 18 months and traveling as far as 10,000 km through the ocean. They sample temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen along sawtooth paths through the ocean and communicate them to shore via satellite telemetry. Two-way communication allows commands to be transmitted so that autonomous behavior can be controlled remotely from a pilot anywhere with an internet connection. The projected operational cost of each slanting full depth profile is ~$120, almost two orders of magnitude less than what a deep ocean hydrographic cast costs (although deep casts generally measure many more variables). Deepgliders offer sampling persistence and frequency that is unmatched by ships. Their mobility and remote control enables spatial description of the ocean's internal structure that would require an underwater forest of moored sensors to match. Their economy can be exploited to observe the deep ocean far more intensively and extensively than is possible with conventional methods so as to answer fundamental questions about ocean circulation, the role of the ocean in climate, boundary current systems, and omnipresent mesoscale eddies.Three Deepgliders capable of diving to 6 km depth have been constructed to date, two of which have been lost in a total of 5 trial deployments in the tropical Atlantic in the past year. One was adrift at the sea surface with communication difficulties when lost in a mission that had sampled only the upper ocean, while effects of high pressure may not be ruled out in the other loss. Deepglider has reached 5920 m depth, executed a 275 km section to 5250 m depth, used energy at a rate that implies 18 month missions are feasible, and measured temperature and salinity with resolution and stability comparable to what is attained with CTD casts. The purpose of this project is to improve the reliability of Deepglider so that it can achieve design mission endurance and range goals, evaluate the stability and accuracy of its measurements, and develop it into a credible tool for oceanographic research. Several new Deepgliders are to be constructed and used in an extensive program of both laboratory and field tests. Results from a staggered sequence of tests on the currently available Deepglider and the first of the new units will be used to modify the design of the subsequent units. Laboratory tests will include intensive pressure cycle tests of hull integrity and buoyancy engine performance. Field tests will take place at a deep ocean time series site for logistic convenience and the availability of regular high quality shipboard and moored measurements for comparison, most likely the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Study (HOTS) site or the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site.Intellectual Merit: This project will bring to readiness a technique that will extend autonomous underwater glider depth range to the water column entirety in nearly the entire ice-free open deep ocean, endurance to more than one year, and horizontal range to 10,000 km. These improvements by factors of 2-6 over present technology are projected to accompany reductions in glider usage cost and only a modest (~25%) increase in glider fabrication cost.Broader Impact: The transition of Deepglider from advanced prototype to reliable oceanographic tool will enable extensive, relatively frequent sampling of the deep ocean?s temperature, salinity, oxygen, and current structure. Affordable means to sample the water column will advance knowledge of ocean circulation and the ocean?s role in climate. The technology will invite the development and addition of other sensors to Deepglider as a versatile platform for ocean observation. It will also lead to commercialization and widespread use of such vehicles.

该项目将进行进一步的开发和测试，使全海洋深度滑翔机的先进原型达到可用于科学研究的阶段。深度滑翔机的设计目的是在长达 18 个月的单次任务中潜入 6 公里深处并返回海面约 250 次，并在海洋中飞行最远 10,000 公里。他们沿着穿过海洋的锯齿路径对温度、盐度和溶解氧进行采样，并通过卫星遥测将它们传送到海岸。双向通信允许传输命令，以便飞行员可以在任何有互联网连接的地方远程控制自主行为。每个倾斜全深度剖面的预计运营成本约为 120 美元，几乎比深海水道测量模型的成本低两个数量级（尽管深海模型通常测量更多的变量）。深度滑翔机提供船舶无法比拟的采样持久性和频率。它们的移动性和远程控制能够对海洋内部结构进行空间描述，这需要一个水下系泊传感器森林来匹配。利用它们的经济性，可以比传统方法更深入、更广泛地观测深海，从而回答有关海洋环流、海洋在气候中的作用、边界流系统和无所不在的中尺度涡流等基本问题。 三个深海滑翔机迄今为止，已经建造了能够潜水至 6 公里深度的潜艇，其中两艘在去年热带大西洋的总共 5 次试部署中丢失了。其中一艘在仅对上层海洋进行采样的任务中迷路时，因通讯困难而漂浮在海面，而另一起损失可能不排除高压的影响。 Deepglider 已到达 5920 米深度，执行了 275 公里至 5250 米深度的航段，其能源使用率意味着 18 个月的任务是可行的，并且测量的温度和盐度的分辨率和稳定性与 CTD 铸件所达到的分辨率和稳定性相当。该项目的目的是提高Deepglider的可靠性，使其能够实现设计任务续航力和航程目标，评估其测量的稳定性和准确性，并将其发展成为海洋学研究的可靠工具。几架新的深度滑翔机将被建造并用于实验室和现场测试的广泛计划中。对当前可用的 Deepglider 和第一个新装置进行交错序列测试的结果将用于修改后续装置的设计。实验室测试将包括船体完整性和浮力发动机性能的强化压力循环测试。现场测试将在深海时间序列站点进行，以方便后勤以及定期提供高质量的船上和系泊测量数据进行比较，很可能是夏威夷海洋时间序列研究 (HOTS) 站点或百慕大大西洋时间序列研究站点（BATS）网站。 智力优势：该项目将准备一项技术，将自主水下滑翔机的深度范围扩展到几乎整个无冰开放深海的整个水柱，续航时间超过一年，水平范围到10,000 公里。与现有技术相比，这些改进预计将降低滑翔机使用成本，并且滑翔机制造成本仅小幅增加（约 25%）。 更广泛的影响：Deepglider 从先进原型到可靠的海洋学工具的转变将能够对深海温度、盐度、氧气和海流结构进行广泛、相对频繁的采样。经济实惠的水柱采样方法将增进对海洋环流和海洋在气候中的作用的了解。该技术将邀请其他传感器的开发和添加到 Deepglider 作为海洋观测的多功能平台。它还将导致此类车辆的商业化和广泛使用。