1

Coastal Glider Overview

Oceanology International -- March 2014

2

Outline

• Underwater Gliders• The Coastal Glider [CG]• Specifications• Sensors• Deployment Successes• Deployment Vessels

3

Some Background• Legacy Gliders

– Developed for measuring oceanographic properties in the open ocean at low costs

– Unmanned robotic vehicle with a sensor suite to collect oceanographic parameters of interest

– Low power and slow moving but very efficient glide patterns to increase life times in deep ocean basins

• Alaska Native Technologies [ANT] developed the Littoral Glider for coastal military/environmental applications with funding from ONR

– Developed glider with larger payload and speed capability– Overcomes many of the shortcomings of the legacy gliders

• Exocetus [x-o-seat-us] Development LLC formed in May 2012 and purchased all the assets and intellectual properties of ANT on 9 Oct 2012

– Manufacturing facility in Anchorage, AK– Markets are scientific/research, oil & gas and military

4

Underwater Glider Operation

Energy only needed attop and bottom of each‘yo’ to change buoyancy Wings provide forward

motion during sinkingand floating

No external moving partsneeded to control glider,control managed throughchanges in position of aninternal mass

5

Why Gliders?

• Gliders are truly transformational– Low Power

• Buoyancy changes drive vehicle up / down

• Wings provide lift to drive forward– Hence, long endurance per small size– Autonomous

• Proven command, control and navigation even in bad weather through GPS, Iridium link in one antenna

• Control through internet– Small

• Two-person deployable• Platform independent (Catacraft size to Research Vessel)

– Inexpensive, $180K to $230K, depending on sensor package

6

Outline

• Underwater Gliders• The Coastal Glider• Specifications• Sensors• Deployment Successes• Deployment Vessels

7

CG Is Superior To Legacy Gliders-- In Coastal Waters

• Adaptive Ballasting– CG can operate from fresh to salt water without manual re-

ballasting (10 – 37 ppt)– CG can operate in estuary environments

• Speed Requirements– CG has a commanded speed range from 0.7 to 2.0 knots

• Environmental Parameters– CG can operate in water depths as shallow as 3 m (w/ reduced

navigational and speed capabilities)

• Performance– CG has greater space and power for installing many

sensors

8

Coastal Glider

9

Glider Major Systems/Subsystems• Buoyancy Engine (BE)• Pitch/Roll System• Control System• Communications System (in EB)• Power System

10

Coastal Glider Components

Tail SectionAssembly

ElectronicsBay Assembly

Roll Cage Assembly

Main Board

Seal Kit

Pitch and RollAssembly

BuoyancyEngine

Altimeter Hull Assembly

CTDSensor

Main Board

BatteryPack

11

Coastal Glider Functional Analysis

• What does a glider do?– Receives a Mission– Executes that Mission

• Launch• Transit/Maneuver/Navigate• Collect/Store Data• Transmit Data

– Keeps itself safe– Ends Mission (Recovery)

12

Functional Block DiagramCommunications

Navigation Processor

Guidance Navigation & Vehicle Control SW

User SelectedSensors

Main Battery

Power Converters

Ultra-Capacitors

Buoyancy Engine

BE Pump

BE Valve

BE Meas.

Roll System

Pitch System

CG CommsWIFI/ 802.11

Iridium SatComs

Freewave LOS

GPS

Lift Bag StampProcessor

Lift Bag

NavigationSensors

Altimeter

IMU

Depth

Batt. V&I

Internal T&P

Data Storage

Science Computer

Sensor Processing

13

Outline

• Underwater Gliders• The Coastal Glider [CG]• Specifications• Available Sensors• Deployment Successes• Deployment Vessels

14

Glider Specifications

Parameter Specification

Length, Diameter •3.0 m (10 ft) Including antenna, 32.3 cm (12.75 in) diameter

Weight in Air •< 250 lbs (120 kg), Payload weight 10 lbs (4.5 kg) (nominal)

Operating Depth •10 m (33 ft) min. - 200 m (656 ft, ~ 110 fathoms) max.

Horizontal Velocity•Maximum: 2 knots (Ability to station keep in 2 knot current)•Minimum: ~ 0.7 knots

Exterior Surface•All wetted surfaces are either 316 SS, fiberglass, or treated 6061-T6 aluminum •All wetted aluminum surfaces are treated with Endura™ 100R-V/CR process - outer 0.001” is chemically altered to a 0.002” thick porous alumina ceramic

Primary Power

• 3.85 KW-hr Alkaline (462 ‘C’ Cell Batteries)• 14.1 KW-hr Lithium (342 ‘D’ Cell Batteries) • Glider is ‘Power Agnostic’ (i.e. Accepts All Voltages Between 18 and 33 VDC)• Lithium Battery Options (Rechargeable) Being Explored

Base Sensors• Acoustic Altimeter (Tritech -- model PA200)• CTD/SVTP (AML Oceanographic – model Micro-X)

Communications

•Satellite communications (Iridium)•Freewave (VHF) Line-Of-Sight (900 MHz)•Wi-Fi LAN deck / near ship for rapid data download•GPS•ARGOS-3 (future)

15

Operating Environments

Parameter Glider Operating Range

Air Temp •28° F (-2.2° C) to 125° F (51.7° C)

Sea Temp •28° F (-2.2° C) to 100° F (37.8° C)

Sea State•Launch: Sea State 0 – 3•Operate: Not SS limited

Current •< 2 knots any direction

Salinity •10 - 37 ppt Nominal (27 ppt variation without need to re-ballast)

Water Depth•Shallow > 10 ft (~ 3 m)•Deep < 100 fathoms (~ 200 m)

16

Coastal Glider Operational Capabilities

1. Heading Maneuver (Heading, Speed, Time)2. Waypoint Maneuver (Waypoint, Arrival Time)3. Communications Maneuver (Surface, Nose Down)4. Station-Keeping Maneuver (Waypoint, Radius)5. Drift/Reposition Maneuver (Waypoint, Radius) 6. Surface Maneuver (Recovery Mode)7. Hover Maneuver (Depth, Depth Tolerance, Time)8. Loiter Maneuver (Radius, Time)9. Sleep Maneuver (Time)10. Emergency Rise Maneuver (Depth, Heading)11. Emergency Dive Maneuver (Depth, Heading)

17

Duration Vs Power

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

DU

rati

on (D

ays)

Average Power Consumption

Lithium

Alkaline

Spar Hover Fly 3.85 kWatt-hrs – Alkaline14.1 kWatt-hrs – Lithium

18 days flight - Alkaline

40 days hover - Alkaline

18

Battery Specifications• Alkaline Primary

– 462 ‘C’ cells in 18s/2p configuration – 33 VDC nominal; 18 VDC Cut-off – 3,850 W-hrs (14 mJ) – ~70 lbs (~32 kg)

• Lithium Primary – 342 ‘D’ cells in 12s/3p configuration – 32 VDC nominal; 18 VDC Cut-off – 14,100 W-hrs (67 mJ) – ~70 lbs (~32 kg)

• Rechargeable Lithium Ion [underdevelopment]– 735 “18650” cells in 7s/15p configuration– 30 VDC nominal with 18 VDC cutoff– 8,200 W-hrs (29.5mJ)– ~70 lbs (~32 kg)

19

Buoyancy Engine [BE] Design• BE designed to have a range of 0 to 6.25 inches of travel

(approx. 5 L; 11.7 lbs)– 5L is 4.7% of CG mass– Legacy gliders have approx 0.5 L or less than 1% of vehicle

mass

• Designed maximum speed requires +/- 3.2 lbs (6.4 lbs total) and a glide slope of 35 degrees

• Remaining 5.3 lbs ‘reserved’ for adaptive ballasting (range of 27 ppt)

• Reserve can be used for speed if full

adaptive ballasting is not necessary

20

Buoyancy Engine System

21

Pump

(Off)

Valve (O)

Filter

Hydraulic System SchematicBE Ingest

“Accumulator”

22

Pump

(On)

“Accumulator” Valve (C)

Filter

Hydraulic System SchematicBE Expel

23

CG BE Overview• The CG BE is both Variable and Adaptive:

– Variable aspects allows for variable speed:• The amount the glider ingests and expels at each deflection is

determined by the commanded speed• Larger commanded speeds result in larger BE displacements and

therefore larger changes to the net buoyancy• Larger displacement require the BE to run longer and result in

higher BE duty cycles

– Adaptive aspect allows the LG to self-ballast:• As water density changes, the glider adjusts the ‘Neutral Buoyancy

Position’ (NBP) of the BE• This is done continuously • The result is a low duty cycle adjustment to the BE during

ascent/descent• Added drag on the glider (e.g. from a tethered modem) ‘looks like’

density variations and result in BE adjustments during ascent/descent

24

BE Adaptive Speed0.0 inch BE Range 6.25 inch

1 knot @ 1019 kg/m^3 1.8 in 3.9 in

2 knot @ 1019 kg/m^3 1.1 in 4.6 in

25

BE Adaptive Ballasting

0.0 inch BE Range 6.25 inch

1 knot @ 1027 kg/m^3 0.7 in 2.8 in

1 knot @ 1010 kg/m^3 3.0 in 5.1 in

26

CG Spider Plot

15.0°

Optimum Speed

27

Electronics Bay (EB)• Sensors integrated with other

electronics and deployed as a single unit in EB

• Reduced deployment risk, increased reliability

• Six-liter volume available in EB for payloads (acoustics, mission specific electronics boards, etc.)

Electronics Bay: EB

EB External

Comms Board6 L SpaceAvailable

EB Internal

CTD Sensor

28

Electronics Bay Specifications

• 7.5” ID x 12” length standard (~80% or 420 inʌ3 dry volume available for sensor integration) – Length can be extended

• 19.1 cm ID x 30.5 cm length standard (~80% or 7 L dry volume available for sensor integration)

• 12 VDC (3 amp max) power available via GPIO switch• 5 VDC, and 3.5 VDC power available via expansion board • 18 - 33 VDC unregulated raw battery power is available • 5 Kg (11 lb) nominal payload capacity

– Note: Additional payload capacity can be added by including syntactic foam in flooded areas (fore and/or aft)

• Plug plane separation from CG body eases payload swapping

29

Hull Penetrations• The CG has (6) standard hull penetrations for sensor

integration: – 0.625 Dia Thru holes w/ 1.250 Dia Spot face. – Sized for a SubConn Standard Circular series bulkhead connector (6 – 12

contacts; e.g. BH10F connector)

• Two penetrations are in the bow of the glider, above the BE, in the flooded nose cone:

– One of these is utilized for the altimeter and the BE safety magnetic interlock;

– The other is plugged.

• Four penetrations are in the stern of the glider, around the flange of the Electronic Bay:

– These access the flooded tail cowling section; – One is used for the CTD/SVTP (if present); – One is used for the Emergency Lift Bag system; – Two are available and plugged.

30

Outline

• Underwater Gliders• The Coastal Glider• Specifications• Sensors• Deployment Successes• Deployment Vessels

31

Coastal Glider Sensors -- Integrated to date

• SeaBird GPCTD [aft cowling]• RINKO Dissolved Oxygen [bow]• WET Labs ECO FLNTU [bow]• AML Micro CTD [stern]• Ocean Sonics HF Smart Hydrophone [wings and

vertical stern plane]• Wilcoxon Vector Sensor VS-301 hydrophone [bow

Narwhal]• Reson TC-4033 [wings and vertical stern plane]

32

Wet Labs Hypoxia Sensor

33

RINKO-II Hypoxia SensorsMeasurement Specifications

Parameter Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Temperature Sensor Measurement principle Phosphorescence lifetime Thermistor

(optode) Response time 0.4 sec (63%) 0.2 sec

0.9 sec (90%) Range 0 to 200%(0 to 20 mg/L) 5 to45°C ‐Resolution 0.01 to0.4%(2to8 μg/L) 0.001 °CAccuracy ) ± 2% (at 1 atmosphere, 25 °C ) ± 0.02 °C Stability ±1% (24 hours)

±5% (1 month)

34

Hypoxia Sensors Placement

• Place both sensors in nose cone, extending the nose cone by 6 inches

35

SeaBird GPCTD SensorMeasure Calibration Accuracy Accuracy ResolutionRange Range (within cal range) (outside range)

Conductivity (S/m): 0 to 9 0 to 6 ± 0.0003 better than ±0.0010 0.00001(mS/cm) (0 to 90) (0 to 60) (± 0.003) (±0.010) (0.0001)

Temperature (°C): -5 to +42 +1 to +32 ± 0.002 better than ±0.004 0.001Pressure (depth) (dbar): 0 to 350 full scale ± 0.1% F.S. -- 0.002% F.S.

Memory• 8 Mbytes = 699,000 of CTP (194 hours at 1 Hz)Data Formats• Real-time data and uploaded data are output (decimal or Hexadecimal characters) in units of Siemens/meter (conductivity), degrees C (temperature), decibars (pressure)Operating Power Requirements• Supply Voltage: 8 to 20 VDC nominal (power calculations below assume 10.0 V)• Quiescent current: 30 μA• Continuous (1Hz) Sampling

• CTP only: 175 mW if real-time = no, 190 mW if real-time = yes (2.10 – 2.28 Watt-hours/day @ 50% duty)

36

Coastal Glider Hydrophones • Ocean Sonics icListen HF Hydrophones on wings and stern plane

• Measures ambient noise in1/3 octave bands• Fishing vessels and ferries • For wind speed estimator

• Provides event detection • Mammals, sea turtles and fish• Vessel engine tonals

• Wilcoxon Vector Sensor VS-209 hydrophone on bow Narwhal

• Measures direction of surface vessels• Measures direction of wind waves and swells• Provides detection and direction of marine

mammals

37

Analog hydrophone needs many parts, but Smart Hydrophone is Complete• All functions are integrated• Unit is calibrated

Ocean Sonics Smart Hydrophone

38

Ocean Sonics icListen HF Smart Hydrophones

• Hydrophone Sensing Element ultra low noise [< SS0] and wide dynamic range – 24 bit A/D converter

• Intelligent Digital Hydrophone processes data before it is transmitted [only a small data set] using spectral analysis and correlation models

• Real Time Event Detection processor transforms acoustic signals into calibrated waveforms, spectral, or event data

• Data Processing of FFT data reduces data storage by a factor of ~300, allowing you to store more data – 32 GBytes

39

AML CTD Sensors

Xchange™ Field “Swappable” Sensors:• Unlike other X•Series instruments, the Micro•X is sensor specific,meaning that sensor type cannot be changed• Field-swap any sensor with another sensor of its own kind,regardless of range• Each Xchange™ includes its own embedded calibration• Sensors exchange without use of toolsElectrical:• Up to 25 scans per second• Factory Set RS232 or RS485• Externally Powered 8-26 VDC

Sampling Modes:

• User configurable (by time, by pressure, by sound speed)Mechanical:• Housing: Delrin to 500 m or Titanium to 10,000 m• Size: 33 mm (1.3”) diameter x 246 mm (9.5”) OAL• Connectors: Micro 6, Female• Storage Temperature: -40oC to 60oC• Operating Temperature: -20oC to 45oCAccessories:• Instrument suspension bar• Instrument protection frame• Mounting brackets• Data/Power cable, various lengths 2m and greater

40

Coastal Glider Sensors -- Future

• Wave Height Sensor [Microstrain IMU in glider]• LND Inc. Gamma Radiation Sensor [Cesium 137]

• Satlantic Nutrient Sensor [SUNA]• CONTROS Methane Sensor • WOTAN [Wind Observation Through Ambient Noise]

• Automated Detection of Fishing Vessel

41

MicroStrain IMU[already in CG]

Rapid DataAcquisition

[1st 5 min CG on surface]

Conversion toEarth

ReferenceFrame

Wave Analysis

Wave Spectra &Parameters

Data Relay

Coastal Glider Wave Subsystem Overview

42

MicroStrain 3DM-GX1 Specs [Gyro Enhanced Orientation Sensor]

• Coastal Glider IMU [Inertial Measurement Unit]– Three angular rate gyros

• +/- 300º/sec FS– Three orthogonal DC accelerometers

• +/- 5g FS

– Three orthogonal magnetometers• +/- 1.2 Gauss FS

• Other Parameters– Multiplexer with16 bit A/D converter– Orientation outputs in both dynamic and static conditions– 65 mA power consumption – 75 grams with enclosure

43

LND Inc. Gamma Radiation Sensor

Model 78017 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS• Calibrated for Cesium -137• Gas filling Ne + Halogen• Cathode material 446 Stainless Steel• Effective length (inch/mm)

9.51/241.6• Effective diameter (inch/mm)

0.786/20.0• Connector Flying Lead• Operating temperature range °C -40

to +75

44

Satlantic Nutrient Sensor PERFORMANCE • Detection range: 0.007 to 28 mg/l-N *(0.5 to 2000 μM) • Accuracy: +/- 2 μM or 10% of reading • Calibration: Real-time Temperature / Salinity correction available; requires T/S data from AUV controller • Long term drift: 0.004 mg/l per hour of lamp time • Thermal Compensation: 0 to 35 C • Salinity Compensation: 0 to 40 psu OPTICS • Path length: 1 cm • Spectral range: 190 - 370 nm • Lamp type: Continuous Wave • Deuterium Lamp • Lamp lifetime: 900 h

ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS • Input voltage: 8 - 18 VDC • Power consumption: 7.5 W (0.625 A @ 12V) nominal • Sample rate: 1 Hz (when onboard averaging disabled) • Communication options: RS-232, Analog output 0 - 4.096 VDC and 4 - 20 mA, SDI-12 • Telemetry options: ASCII, Binary, Concentrated ASCII, Reduced Binary (for AUV) • Internal Logging: 2 GB solid state memory PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS • Depth rating: 2000 m (6,560 ft) • Length: 555 mm (21.8 in) • Diameter: 57 mm (2.25 in) • Weight: 1.80 kg (3.9 lb) in air 0.36 kg (0.80 lb) in water • Housing material: Anodized Aluminum;

45

CONTROS Methane Sensor

Principle Dissolved CH4 molecules diffuse through a silicone membrane into the patented detector chamber, where their number is determined by means of IR absorption spectrometry. Concentration dependent IR light intensities are converted into output signals.

Dimension/ Weight 90 d x 376 mm corrosion-free titanium/ 4,7 kg (2,2 kg in water)

Operation depth 2000, 4000, 6000 m version available Temperature range 3 … +30°C (Arctic version: -2 … +15°C) Measuring range 100nmol – 50μmol/l (other ranges available) Equilibration time first signal after 5s, T63 < 400 sec (with external pump) Resolution 10 nmol Accuracy ±3% reading (as the total sum of all the errors) Calibration Calibration unit is μmol/l ● signal is derived considering internal

sensors for pressure, temperature and humidity ● Recalibration recommended every 12 months

Power Typ. 12 VDC (11 - 24 VDC) (Arctic version: 12 - 24 VDC))

Data Interface RS-232C and RS-485 ● Data format ASCII NMEA-0183

46

Generic Underwater Sound Spectra

DBCP-18 workshop – 14-15 Oct. 2002

2 kHz 8 kHz

Frequency (kHz)

Spec

tral

leve

l (dB

re

1m

Pa²/

Hz)

0.1 1 10 100

20

40

60

80

100

2

5

1220

Windm/s

hailHeavy rain

Light rain, no wind

Light rain, 3 m/s wind

snow

47

Meteo France Algorithms

• Algorithms now in use by Meteo France for drifting buoys• Wind Speed estimates at 10m above water level – U10

U10 = a * 10SL(f)/20 + b

• Where SL(f) is the sound intensity at frequency f expressed in dB relative to 1 mPa2/Hz [measured in 1/3rd octave bands]

• a and b are two empirical coefficients depending on the frequency • The wind speed estimate at 10m is the average of estimates computed at

2, 3.15, 4, 5 and 6 kHz 1/3 rd octave bands• Data of wind speed estimates is flagged if:

• the standard deviation of estimates computed in the 1/3 rd octave bands between 1 and 8 kHz is higher than 2.5 m/s

48

Automated Detection of Fishing Vessels

49

Outline

• Underwater Gliders• The Coastal Glider• Specifications• Sensors• Deployment Successes• Deployment Vessels

50

CG Deployment Success – KORDI Coastal Waters Transit

• Initial test to demonstrate the ability of the glider to operate in an area with known strong currents and navigate accurately over long distances [160 km]

• Navigated via a series of waypoints• Collected and reported GPS positions at regular intervals to

maintain waypoint tracking• 4 Acoustic sensors to collect ambient noise data

51

CG Deployment Successes – Station Keeping Demonstrations

• Results from GOC Green circle is 2km watch circle

• 72 hrs of surface positions are shown on the GOC chart

• Blue position points indicate surfacing directed by dead reckoning

• Green position points indicate surface directed by a comms interval

Glider Positions From 5/3 to 5/6 2010

52

Summary Of Coastal Glider Acoustic Tests During Past 5 Years

• Integrated several types of passive acoustic sensors including single and paired (binaural) omni-directional hydrophones and vector sensor

• Performed acoustic characterization and noise reduction work under controlled conditions

• Successfully demonstrated ability to collect data in multiple Navy sponsored events

• Signal processing aboard the glider has been used to alter glider behavior in the presence of threats

• Signal processing aboard the glider has been used to create a reduced data set for immediate transmission, with the full data set stored for later analysis

53

Outline

• Underwater Gliders• The Coastal Glider• Specifications• Sensors• Deployment Successes• Deployment Vessels

54

Deployed from Research Vessel

55

Deployed from Small Vessel

56

Deployed from Trailered Barge

57

Deployed from Catacraft

58

Contact Information

Exocetus Development, LLC1444 E 9th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501

Ray Mahr, Jr., VP Sales & Marketing

ray@exocetus.com

Phone: (858) 864-7775

International Agents See www.exocetus.com