Turbidity and Depth Loggers for Metocean Survey
Aquatec Group, UK, has recently supplied a significant number of its deepwater AQUAlogger 210 data loggers for measurement of turbidity, temperature and depth. The loggers are being used by the RPS MetOcean team based in Perth, Western Australia, in support of the Tanzania Gas Project Metocean Survey for the Norwegian company Statoil. The survey is to assist Statoil in developing a field in 2,600m of water, and consists of approximately 20 moorings at the site and along proposed pipeline routes.
The equipment will be mobilised in September 2013 and remain deployed for 15 months. The deployment represents significant technical challenges as the Agulhus Current (western boundary current of the southwest Indian Ocean) causes some of the strongest deepwater currents in the world. Surface currents are expected to reach 1.8 m/s (3.5 kts) at the 2,600m deep site. Accumulated drag on mooring lines through the water column makes mooring design challenging. Aquatec’s AQUAlogger 210PT temperature and depth recording instruments will be used to monitor potential mooring knock-down, while the AQUAlogger 210TY instruments will record turbidity to determine suspended sediment concentration.
