SBIR-STTR Award

Electrical power is scarce at most offshore locations, so oceanographers design buoy systems to consume very little power in order to reduce the frequency of ship voyages to replace batteries. These expensive voyages can cost several tens of thousands of dollars per day. Solar and wind power can recharge batteries, but harvested power is limited and each source has shortcomings. Wave energy operates when the sun does not shine and could provide additional power, but the few commercial systems available generally cost far too much for oceanography applications. Furthermore, even when sufficient power is available, growth of unwanted organisms (biofouling) on oceanographic sensors still necessitates expensive ship voyages to replace sensors on buoys. The company has designed a compact, low-power and relatively inexpensive wave energy converter to provide power for a variety of marine applications. This device can also power ultraviolet light-emitting diodes to inhibit biofouling on sensors. The marine research institute partner operates arrays of offshore buoys. In order to function for longer periods of time between ship visits, these buoys will need both additional power and inhibition of biofouling. The company and its partner will work together to adapt the wave energy converter technology to operate on buoys in an existing array. The Company will also develop an ultraviolet source to prevent biofouling on the marine research institute partner’s sensors. Phase I work will establish feasibility, mechanical design of the new wave energy converter, and optical and electrical design of the ultraviolet source. While the two systems will be designed to work together, the wave energy converter and anti-biofouling source will each be able to operate without the other. During Phase I, the company will work with marine buoy engineering experts at the marine research institute partner to develop and optimize a model for wave energy conversion based on real-time motion data from existing buoys and prior conversion efficiency measurements made on the company’s prototype. Drawing on deep experience in light emitting diodes, including for disinfection, the company will build ultraviolet source modules and run experiments in a lab and at a dock to determine operating parameters (wavelength, optical power density and duty cycle) required to prevent biofouling in a cost- effective manner. An electrical engineering consultant with a strong background in control systems will develop a block diagram for optimal power extraction from the wave energy converter, as well as design anti-biofouling source electronics. The marine research institute partner needs to prevent biofouling on its 600 sensors that are deployed down to 200 m depth. Other oceanography buoys are expected to produce a market at least an order of magnitude larger. More generally, a small, cost-effective wave energy converter could be used in a wide range of marine applications, including aquaculture, aids to navigation, offshore wind environmental monitoring, defense and security, environmental monitoring, communications, and other areas of oceanography and meteorology. Market Watch predicts that the powered data buoy market will reach over 45,000 units globally by 2022. This wave energy converter technology can be scaled up to higher powers as well, opening further opportunities.

Oceanographic instrumentation is deployed in remote locations far from power grids, and in environments prone to biological growth that covers scientific instrumentation and interferes with data collection. The objective of this project is to extend the deployment period by capturing energy extracted from the motion of the instrumentation platform, and to improve scientific data collection by powering an anti-biofouling device designed to keep the instrumentation clear of biological growth. These systems must be cost effective, yet still survive in the harsh ocean environment. The small business worked with a research institution on a Phase I feasibility investigation. The detailed analyses completed in Phase I will be applied to the building and testing of prototype hardware in Phase II. These prototypes will undergo lab testing to verify operation and make improvements. The prototypes will then be deployed at sea for operational testing. Lessons learned from the sea testing will be captured as design improvements. The analyses conducted during Phase I demonstrated that significant energy is present in an oscillating buoy platform, energy that a buoy-mounted Wave Energy Converter (WEC) can use to power a light- emitting diode (LED)-based illuminator emitting in the sub-300nm ultraviolet spectral region. This LED was demonstrated to effectively prevent bio-fouling growth on optical window materials used in oceanography. This combination has the potential to provide a complementary source of renewable energy to charge batteries on a buoy when direct sunlight and wind are unavailable, as well as to power the anti-biofouling system directly to prevent biological growth. During lab testing, power generation will be quantified on a first-article prototype to be tested on a buoy motion simulator. Buoy motion testing results will be applied to a second version design. In order to simulate the ocean environment, the WEC, battery, and LED housings will be pressure tested at the research institution. Ultimately, the full system will be installed on an oceanographic mooring for at-sea testing. While deployed, the systems will be monitored and WEC performance will be analyzed based on transmitted engineering data. Complete system operation will be verified. Any necessary updates to the WEC control algorithm will be made after the deployment. The anti-biofouling unit will be mounted on a test conductivity sensor, and operation will be verified after deployment. Upon recovery, at-sea performance of the WEC and anti-biofouling system will be analyzed, evaluated, and updated based on lessons learned. The WEC and anti-biofouling systems will reduce operating costs by extending oceanographic instrumentation deployment periods with power generation and improved data collection.